Oh my gosh! My dear readers! How in the name of Merlin's soggy underpants is it January already? This last month has absolutely flown by. It seemed like only yesterday that I was raising a little brood of prickly little spiky floofs, and now my apartment seems decidedly empty without them. That being said, I am quite glad that the lovely man from the Gloucester Magical Creature Retrieval Unit came to get them. I do NOT want to think about what might have happened to the precious babies if Mummy had brought her dog with her when she came to visit for the holidays.
It's not that I don't love Marmie Moo or anything, but she does have a tendency to try and eat so many things she is not meant to. The silly land shark that she is. But I am rambling. You don't want to hear about all that now, do you?
This month is an unfortunate one in the SOUP offices as our dearest Editors decided to be so sparkling unoriginal. They want us to write about our Muggle-related resolutions of all things, and I have absolutely no idea where to start. I am not a resolution person at all. I do not need the year to change to make up my mind to do something at all. I just do it. So I'm somewhat stumped. All I can hope is that Momma Fox has more ideas for my article than I do.
Luckily, when I arrived at her quaint little cottage beside the forest, she was more than happy to indulge my resistance to all things positivity and new-hopey. Much to my relief. Indeed her words brought an extra wide grin to my lips as she had huffed and grumbled, "Well, hockey sticks to all that malarkey, Child. It's the middle of winter. Who in full possession of their marbles, would want to eat all that fancy rabbit food when it's this cold? I can do much better, my Dear."
And trust me, she did. I soon learned how to make the most wonderful warming winter delight. This Muffin-Topped Beef Cobbler is absolutely perfect for an icy winter's day. So give it a go. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. All you need is to follow the recipe and directions below to the letter!
Ingredients:
For the stew
500g braising steak, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned with pepper and a little salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
450g carrot, cut into chunks
2 large parsnips, cut into chunks
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp sundried or regular tomato paste
300ml red wine or extra stock
450ml vegetable stock
For the topping
225g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
140g cheddar, coarsely grated
2 tbsp olive oil
150ml milk
Directions:
1. Heat a muggle oven to 150C/fan 130C/Gas Mark 2.
2. Next, toss the beef in the seasoned flour to coat evenly. Then heat the oil in a large, flameproof, steel casserole pan. Fry the beef over a high heat until browned all over - it's easiest to do this in batches. You can use Thermeum to speed this up but do not singe the meat in the process. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Add 2 tbsp water and the onion to the pan, and stir well over a medium heat, scraping up the crusty bits from the bottom of the pan as you go. Lower the heat and fry gently for 10 mins, stirring occasionally until the onions have softened.
4. Tip in the carrots, parsnips and bay leaf, then fry for 2 mins more. Return the beef to the pan, stir in the tomato paste, wine if using, and stock, then bring to the boil. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 3/4-2 hrs until the meat is tender. (This can be made up to 2 days ahead or frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before topping and baking). Take out of the oven and increase the temperature to 190C/fan 170C/Gas Mark 5.
5. To make the topping, sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add half the cheese. Mix in the olive oil and milk, then stir into the flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough using the Permisceto spell in a clockwise direction only. Add more milk, if necessary. Spoon the dough over the meat and vegetables, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for about 15 mins until golden, risen and cooked through.
6. Serve with more roasted vegetables and gravy if desired.
Now, doesn't that sound wonderful? I do hope you enjoy it as much as I have. I may or may not have made it at least three times in the last week, but who's counting? Not me!
So until next time, dear readers, Happy cooking! - Nikita