Beef & Red Pepper Bake

I've had a few requests recently for some new recipes using beef mince. I can understand why, because beef mince seems so versatile, yet the only recipes you generally see are bolognaise, cottage pie, chilli or meatballs/kofta. Even if you dig deep you find a rare few, like South African Bobotie or a Palestinian dish using beef mince and tahini sauce. I wanted something new. So I took a few ideas from all of them and came up with this Beef & Red Pepper Bake.

It doesn't contain anything unusual for a standard kitchen and is quite cheap to make, but is a nice twist on a shepherds pie. Or a European twist on the Palestinian 'Kofta bi Tahini'. Rustic and full of flavour - a perfect midweek bake.

Ingredients:

2 large red peppers
500g beef mince
1 large onion, peeled and halved
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 medium tomatoes
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. paprika
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. ground cumin
25g fresh parsley, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and sliced to 1/2cm
30g  cheddar cheese, grated

Method:

Set the oven to 200 C and put the two large red peppers on a baking sheet. Cook for 25 minutes, until skin is blackened. Put into a plastic freezer bag or cling film to steam as it cools.

Put the two tomatoes into a microwavable jug and cook for about 1 minute, until soft. Remove the skin from the peppers and put the flesh into the jug with the tomatoes. Add one of the halves of onion, roughly chopped, the garlic, 1 tbsp. paprika and 1 tbsp. cumin and blend with a hand blender to make a paste. Add approx. 150ml water and blend again, making a pourable sauce. Set to one side.

Finely chop the other half of onion and put into a bowl with the beef mince, the 1 tsp. of cumin and paprika, the parsley and some salt & pepper. Mix well and press into a baking dish (see photo below). Using a clean finger, press holes into the mince and pour about half of the pepper sauce over the top. Put in the oven for 15 minutes

While the mince is in the oven, put the sliced potatoes on a microwavable plate and par cook for about 3-4 minutes (you can par boil in water if preferred).

When the 15 minutes are up, turn the oven down to 180 C, take the mince out of the oven and layer over the potatoes, with a little more salt & pepper. Pour over the remaining pepper sauce, cover with foil and put back in the oven for 25 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven, remove the foil and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the potatoes are cooked through and the cheese bubbling. 

Serve with a side salad for a delicious, filling dinner.

Red & Green Mojo with Alomogrote

These dishes are true Canarian Island dishes, which is a place I would rather like to live (and may do one day!). When we were in La Gomera, we found ourselves at a café in the middle of nowhere. There was no menu, we were fed what they had, which was all delicious. One dish stood out and we ate so much of it. Almogrote. A cheesy, garlicky chunky paste which, in La Gomera, is eaten with toast. I like it with a crunchy baguette. I have been making it ever since.

Also on all of the Canary Islands, you'd find it difficult to sit down to eat without being immediately served bread with red mojo, pronounced mo-ho (mojo picante) and green mojo (mojo verde). Again, delicious as a dip or served with fish or chicken. They soon became a staple in this house in London and I always make them.

This is for all of those who have been to Tenerife, or maybe Gran Canaria and remember these delicious little table sauces.

Almogrote:

150g Manchego cheese
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1 red chilli (seeds removed)
2 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp. paprika
100ml olive oil

Method:

Chop the cheese into cubes and put in a food processor along with the tomatoes. Add the garlic, chilli and paprika and blend until the cheese is in small pieces..
Using the pulse button, slowly add the olive oil, bit by bit until you have a texture that is slightly dryer than a dip but wetter than a paste.  Serve with some sliced baguette for a lovely starter to a meal.

For the green mojo:

1 whole bulb of garlic, peeled
180ml olive oil
100ml white wine vinegar
50g fresh coriander (cilantro)
½ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. of sea salt

Add the garlic, cumin, sea salt and vinegar into a blender or food processor and mix into a paste. Chop the coriander leaves and add to the blender. Then slowly add the olive oil into the paste, to make a lose dip.

For the red mojo:

2-3 dried chillies (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 garlic bulb, peeled
180ml olive oil
100ml white wine vinegar
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. sea salt

Cover the chillies in boiling water, boil for 10 minutes and let them soak for about an hour, until softened. Place all the ingredients, except for the olive oil, into a food processor or blender and blend to form a paste. Slowly mix in the olive oil with the motor still running, until you have a loose dip.

Both of the mojo's may need adjusting to your taste - some like them with less garlic, or less vinegar. Use the above as a guide and add more or less as you wish. Enjoy!