I do love a good stew, especially now the nights have grown cold. Having something warm and comforting to come home to is just the ticket after a hard nights work. I made this last Monday when you need something extra special to get you through that first day of work. I served it in a giant Yorkshire pudding as it was international Yorkshire pudding day. I used lamb chops that I bought at the foreign food market for this. I’m not sure they were really the right cut, as they were a bit thin so I will try something else next time. But by the time they had cooked they were soft and tender and the stew was full of flavour. Lovely lamb stew served in a giant Yorkshire pudding with an episode of Downton Abbey to watch and Monday isn’t looking so bad.

Ingredients

Stew

500g of lamb chops

1 carrot

1 onion

1 stick of celery

3 potatoes

1 bay leave

1 small bunch of fresh herbs (if not used dried)

1/2 a large courgette

3 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

440ml of Guinness (or dark ale)

2 liters of stock (I used vegetable)

Yorkshire pudding

140g plain flour

4 eggs

200ml milk

Directions

The start of a good stew is always a good stock. I never throw away any meat bones without making them into stock.  Add an onion, some celery, a carrot, and a few cloves of garlic to some water boiling water and it’s done. You can also save all your vegetable peelings and scraps in a little pot in the fridge and add those in too. I store all my stock in the freezer, so I always have some on hand. If you don’t have stock you can just use the cubes instead.

Cut your lamb into bite sized chunks, then toss in seasoned flour. Fry them on a medium heat in a little oil until the sides have browned then remove from the pan. Do this in small batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan.

Chop your onion and garlic and fry off in the meat pan for a couple of minutes, then chop and add the carrot. Fry for a further minute before adding the carrot, onion, garlic and meat chunks to a large saucepan. Add the  Worcestershire sauce, herbs,stock, and can of Guinness, and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat as low as possible. Let the stew simmer for an hour,stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick on the bottom. Then chop the potatoes and courgette add them in too. Simmer for another hour or two. I know this sounds vague but it depends upon the cut of the meat. It needs to be cooked until it is soft, tender, and falls apart from the bone. Add salt, pepper and more herbs to taste.

For the Yorkshire pudding I used Gordon Ramsay’s recipe and it never fails me. To make the batter, put the  flour into a bowl and beat in four eggs until smooth. Gradually add 200ml milk and carry on beating until the mix is completely lump-free. Season with salt and pepper, then pop it into the fridge for 30 minutes or more. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Then put some oil into the tins and put them in the oven to heat up. I used some of those little disposable round foil tins that you seem to find everywhere. They only have a 2cm inch edge but it didn’t seem to stop them rising.  Once the oil is hot, pour the batter into the tins. Place the tins back in the oven and leave undisturbed for 20-25 mins until the puddings have puffed up and browned. Fill with your stew and serve immediately. Voilà delicious lamb stew.

I love Chinese food, and especially love their soups. There is nothing more delicious than a bowl of soul warming chicken soup. I’m a huge sweet corn fan and this just makes the soup so scrummy it always has me heading back to the kitchen for a second bowl. Sadly here in Korea it is impossible to go and buy a bowl of this delightful delicacy, but luckily for you it’s very easy to make and you can source all the ingredients at your local Korean supermarket. This soup is so good that we have had it twice this week already. It’s a great option if you have a chicken man that sells roast chickens on your street, if not you can just use two breasts. If you have whole chickens use the bones to make the stock.

Ingredients 

2 chicken breasts (or the chicken picked off the bones of one roast chicken)

2 cans of creamed corn (or 2 cans of sweet corn blended in the blender)

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

An inch of fresh ginger (optional)

1 litre of chicken stock (homemade or stock cube)

4 tablespoons of soy sauce

5-6 spring onions (finely chopped)

2 eggs (beaten)

2 tablespoons of sesame seed oil (optional)

Directions

If using raw chicken breasts boil them in the chicken stock until they are cooked. Remove them from the stock, allow to cool then shred them to pieces. Fry off the onions and the garlic in a little oil until softened. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Add the blended sweet corn to the stock mixture along with the soy sauce and the shredded chicken. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the beaten egg whilst whisking at the same time, this will make the long strands of eggs that you find in the Chinese soups. Throw in 3/4 of chopped spring onions and 1 tablespoon of sesame seed oil. Mix everything together then put into bowls. Garnish with the remaining spring onions and sesame seed oil and serve. If you’re feeling frivolous you can add some mandu into the soup a minute or two before you add the egg , it makes a nice addition in the place of wontons. Voilá my chinese chicken sweet corn soup another way to warm your winter.