Now for something completely different

[Blackduck59]

Of course there you go in the middle of winter describing a lovely roast dinner. I guess I could set up the rotisserie on the Barby. I'm not sure about using a whole bottle of port to make a "jus" though. We used to be able to get an Australian Port style wine called Tyrells fine old tawny, it was quite nice and very affordable, alas I haven't seen it in many years. right now the only port we have in the house do not tend to the "affordable" side. I do have a bottle of Sandeman Ruby that I wouldn't mind using to enhance a nice sauce to serve with a good roast. I have a bottle of Grahams late bottled vintage in the rack and I think I have a good Canadian made fortified wine (port style to some). Right now I'm enjoying a wee glass of Graham's 6 grapes.

Edited August 1, 2022 by Blackduck59

[BRANDEE]

44 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

70 deg centigrade.  Sounds ridiculous I know, but it delivers an exquisite, rare, fillet of beef.  For those preferring med-rare, roast a little longer.  Properly rested, the juices will be absorbed back into the meat, and it will set beautifully, ready for slicing thickly.

What size roast are you cooking?  This sounds delicious. Do you sear it first to brown than drop the temperature to 70c? Do you rest it covered?   Thanks, I would love to try this, especially the port and orange juice!

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Mareblu said:

Absolutely!  It would be our pleasure🥰. I forgot to add the port and orange jus (fancy name these days for anything liquid🤣).

Bring  750mls of port (economical tawny is fine) and 1 small glass orange juice to a simmer, reduce heat as much as possible, and let simmer very slowly till reduced.  Takes at least an hour, maybe two.  Be careful because it will thicken rapidly at the end.  If too thick, loosen with a few drops of orange juice.  Serve in a sauce boat to accompany beef.  It creates a beautiful perfume through the house as it simmers.

That would be a quite intense jus. It sounds delicious.

 

That fillet would also be very nice served cold in summer with some sort of Asian dressing - soy, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, garlic and ginger, garnished with spring onion curls and sesame seeds.

 

 

[MicCanberra]

Sounds fabulous

[Mareblu]

1 hour ago, BRANDEE said:

What size roast are you cooking?  This sounds delicious. Do you sear it first to brown than drop the temperature to 70c? Do you rest it covered?   Thanks, I would love to try this, especially the port and orange juice!

1.5-2kgs to serve about 10 people.  Fewer people lets you enjoy it cold in a salad, or as Julie suggests above would be delicious.  I used to sear it first in a pan over flame on my gas cooktop, but I tried it once without that messy step, and found it even better.  I do start the oven usually at 180, then drop it down to 70 immediately I put the beef in, although the recipe doesn’t direct that at all.  BTW, the marinade is simple, but needs to be rubbed into the beef at least 6hrs or even better, overnight,  before roasting.

Marinade:   
1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

a couple of long sprigs of fresh rosemary

3-4 fresh bay leaves 

2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced (optional)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rub all over the fillet

(rosemary and bay are placed under as a bed)

Cover with cling wrap and place in fridge

After a couple of hours, turn fillet to flavour underside with rosemary and bay

 

Remove from fridge an hour before roasting to bring to room temperature.  Use paper towels to lightly wipe away marinade.  
Roast in normal baking dish lined with baking paper.  I actually place the fillet on a rack which fits into the baking dish.  This allows heat to circulate around the fillet well, but is really not necessary.

 

Buon appetito!

 

[Mareblu]

2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Of course there you go in the middle of winter describing a lovely roast dinner. I guess I could set up the rotisserie on the Barby. I'm not sure about using a whole bottle of port to make a "jus" though. We used to be able to get an Australian Port style wine called Tyrells fine old tawny, it was quite nice and very affordable, alas I haven't seen it in many years. right now the only port we have in the house do not tend to the "affordable" side. I do have a bottle of Sandeman Ruby that I wouldn't mind using to enhance a nice sauce to serve with a good roast. I have a bottle of Grahams late bottled vintage in the rack and I think I have a good Canadian made fortified wine (port style to some). Right now I'm enjoying a wee glass of Graham's 6 grapes.

The tawny port I use would be equivalent to the old “cooking sherry” used back in the day to differentiate between something for the stove and something to be swigged🤣

[Blackduck59]

13 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

The tawny port I use would be equivalent to the old “cooking sherry” used back in the day to differentiate between something for the stove and something to be swigged🤣

Yes back in the day before the rule was "If you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it"

There was always a gallon jug of Calona Red at my mom and dad's place and there were many pounds of chuck steak marinated in some concoction that included said red wine and other ingredients to tenderize them for grilling. I wish I could find chuck steaks around here, I'm pretty sure I could make a better marinade. 

[Mareblu]

8 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Yes back in the day before the rule was "If you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it"

There was always a gallon jug of Calona Red at my mom and dad's place and there were many pounds of chuck steak marinated in some concoction that included said red wine and other ingredients to tenderize them for grilling. I wish I could find chuck steaks around here, I'm pretty sure I could make a better marinade. 

Chuck steak is the very best for a long, slow cook.  It’s popular again here now for two main reasons, I think:  the astronomical rise in the price of finer cuts of meat, and the popularity of tv shows such as Masterchef, where its status has been elevated and celebrated. 

[BRANDEE]

6 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Yes back in the day before the rule was "If you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it"

There was always a gallon jug of Calona Red at my mom and dad's place and there were many pounds of chuck steak marinated in some concoction that included said red wine and other ingredients to tenderize them for grilling. I wish I could find chuck steaks around here, I'm pretty sure I could make a better marinade. 

Port was always found in my grandma's house.  She loved her port and coke.  It was served with fruit after a big Italian meal.  I remember there was a rule of only passing it to the left.  Don't remember why.  I know port and left is the same but no sailors in the family.  (Well maybe my 30+ cruises makes me a sailor)  She had cognac every morning and port with coke at night.  Grandma died at 103 ..No ailments in her life..  Just a peaceful "unwinding" as the doctor said.

[Mareblu]

1 minute ago, BRANDEE said:

Port was always found in my grandma's house.  She loved her port and coke.  It was served with fruit after a big Italian meal.  I remember there was a rule of only passing it to the left.  Don't remember why.  I know port and left is the same but no sailors in the family.  (Well maybe my 30+ cruises makes me a sailor)  She had cognac every morning and port with coke at night.  Grandma died at 103 ..No ailments in her life..  Just a peaceful "unwinding" as the doctor said.

Wow, what a woman!👏💜

[OzKiwiJJ]

2 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

Port was always found in my grandma's house.  She loved her port and coke.  It was served with fruit after a big Italian meal.  I remember there was a rule of only passing it to the left.  Don't remember why.  I know port and left is the same but no sailors in the family.  (Well maybe my 30+ cruises makes me a sailor)  She had cognac every morning and port with coke at night.  Grandma died at 103 ..No ailments in her life..  Just a peaceful "unwinding" as the doctor said.

Passing the port to the left goes back centuries and probably originated in the UK. At the end of an upper class dinner party the ladies would retire to the parlour while the men stayed around the dinner table drinking port. However I have no idea why the custom is to pass it to the left. 

[Mareblu]

1 minute ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Passing the port to the left goes back centuries and probably originated in the UK. At the end of an upper class dinner party the ladies would retire to the parlour while the men stayed around the dinner table drinking port. However I have no idea why the custom is to pass it to the left. 

Maybe something to do with “the demon drink”? Left in Italian is “sinistra”, from the Latin for “evil”, similar to our “sinister”.  Just surmising…

[OzKiwiJJ]

This is what I found online:

 

"How should you pass around a bottle of Port?

 

The rituals are most apparent when it comes to how to serve Port, so listen up gents.

 

Tradition dictates that the Port decanter should be placed on the table to the right of the host or hostess. It is then passed to the left, going clockwise around the table until it comes to rest at its starting point.

 

Port is never passed across the table or back on itself – it’s only to the left. There are several theories as to why this is:

Historically, to keep one’s sword arm free

In the Royal Navy, the rule was ‘port to port’, i.e. ‘all the way around’

To simply ensure it’s shared fairly and no one misses out

 

What if the Port decanter comes to a standstill during the round.

 

If this happens, it’s considered bad form to demand it. Rather, a gentleman should ask: “Do you know the Bishop of Norwich?” This traditionally acts as a subtle push to continue passing it around the table.

 

So, where on earth did this come from? Well, the story goes that Bishop Bathurst of Norwich, aged 93, developed a tendency to unwittingly stall the decanter’s journey by falling asleep at the table, becoming the go-to reference for slow Port rounds ever since. The more you know.

 

Mastery of wine is a must for any gentleman. Learn how to choose the right bottle for any occasion.

[Russell21]

1 hour ago, Mareblu said:

Chuck steak is the very best for a long, slow cook.  It’s popular again here now for two main reasons, I think:  the astronomical rise in the price of finer cuts of meat, and the popularity of tv shows such as Masterchef, where its status has been elevated and celebrated. 

Many are the recipes calling for Chuck Steak whereas the better meat for a long slow casserole is Gravy beef also called Shin Beef. The ideal low and slow roast is a Bolar Blade roast, I did one on Saturday, a 3Kg Bolar rubbed with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cooked at 110C until the centre temperature is 60C then tightly wrapped in a double layer of alfoil and cooked until 90C internal. Rest for 15 minutes before unwrapping. The 90C point is just past the point where the collagen in the meat melts and the meat becomes melt in your mouth. Total cooking time was 9 hours.

[Mareblu]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

This is what I found online:

 

"How should you pass around a bottle of Port?

 

The rituals are most apparent when it comes to how to serve Port, so listen up gents.

 

Tradition dictates that the Port decanter should be placed on the table to the right of the host or hostess. It is then passed to the left, going clockwise around the table until it comes to rest at its starting point.

 

Port is never passed across the table or back on itself – it’s only to the left. There are several theories as to why this is:

Historically, to keep one’s sword arm free

In the Royal Navy, the rule was ‘port to port’, i.e. ‘all the way around’

To simply ensure it’s shared fairly and no one misses out

 

What if the Port decanter comes to a standstill during the round.

 

If this happens, it’s considered bad form to demand it. Rather, a gentleman should ask: “Do you know the Bishop of Norwich?” This traditionally acts as a subtle push to continue passing it around the table.

 

So, where on earth did this come from? Well, the story goes that Bishop Bathurst of Norwich, aged 93, developed a tendency to unwittingly stall the decanter’s journey by falling asleep at the table, becoming the go-to reference for slow Port rounds ever since. The more you know.

 

Mastery of wine is a must for any gentleman. Learn how to choose the right bottle for any occasion.

Brilliant!  Thank you for this gem🙏🏻

[MicCanberra]

I always thought it was 'Pass the the Dutchie pon the left hand side'.

 

[Mareblu]

16 minutes ago, Russell21 said:

Many are the recipes calling for Chuck Steak whereas the better meat for a long slow casserole is Gravy beef also called Shin Beef. The ideal low and slow roast is a Bolar Blade roast, I did one on Saturday, a 3Kg Bolar rubbed with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cooked at 110C until the centre temperature is 60C then tightly wrapped in a double layer of alfoil and cooked until 90C internal. Rest for 15 minutes before unwrapping. The 90C point is just past the point where the collagen in the meat melts and the meat becomes melt in your mouth. Total cooking time was 9 hours.

 Chuck and shin beef are great for the long slow cook (stews, etc.) for that very reason:  allowing the sinews and fats to break down and aid in tenderising and moistening.  In Italian cuisine, shin (gravy) beef is used with older or tougher cuts of poultry and added with onions, carrots and celery to water and simmered over many hours to create the perfect stock for risottos, soups, sauces, etc.  This was invariably done on a Sunday morning, then tortellini or ravioli would be added to the strained broth as a luncheon or dinner starter course.  The next day, my mother-in-law used to produce the most delicious salad with shredded shin beef, parsley, onion and sometimes a little garlic.

[Mareblu]

4 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

I always thought it was 'Pass the the Dutchmen pon the left hand side'.

 

See?  They was taught proper

[NSWP]

And of course we cannot call Australian Port 'Port' it is Australian Tawny.' Likewise Sherry is Apera. Those Spaniards and Portuegese get excited about nothing.

 

[BRANDEE]

22 hours ago, Mareblu said:

Wow, what a woman!👏💜

She was definitely in a class of her own!!

 

Grandma Maria was a strong , independent, stubborn, illiterate Italian who after being widowed in her mid 50's, mourned for 10 years and then began her life of travel. US, Canada, France, Italy,  Israel, Spain, UK, Germany, Caribbean and cruises. She was a labor union member and she and my mom made an ILGWU commercial for TV.  She was thrown out of a senior residence for protesting violations to seniors' rights and refused to move in with her daughters. At 103 she had intermittent help (she fired over 25 health care workers for not doing their job).  She lived in a rent controlled studio apartment in mid Manhattan (NYC) that I visited often with pre cooked food that she covered in red pepper flakes.  When I grow up I want to be her..although Grandma Giuseppina who lived downstairs from me (Brooklyn) was equally a strong woman.  She came to the US as a mail order bride for a man ,double her age, with 9 kids.  I really have life so easy compared to them.

[Mareblu]

48 minutes ago, BRANDEE said:

She was definitely in a class of her own!!

 

Grandma Maria was a strong , independent, stubborn, illiterate Italian who after being widowed in her mid 50's, mourned for 10 years and then began her life of travel. US, Canada, France, Italy,  Israel, Spain, UK, Germany, Caribbean and cruises. She was a labor union member and she and my mom made an ILGWU commercial for TV.  She was thrown out of a senior residence for protesting violations to seniors' rights and refused to move in with her daughters. At 103 she had intermittent help (she fired over 25 health care workers for not doing their job).  She lived in a rent controlled studio apartment in mid Manhattan (NYC) that I visited often with pre cooked food that she covered in red pepper flakes.  When I grow up I want to be her..although Grandma Giuseppina who lived downstairs from me (Brooklyn) was equally a strong woman.  She came to the US as a mail order bride for a man ,double her age, with 9 kids.  I really have life so easy compared to them.

You need to write a book, definitely!

[Mareblu]

Really enjoying watching the Commonwealth Games from Birmingham.  Are you watching Canada’s prowess, Lyle?

[MicCanberra]

51 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

Really enjoying watching the Commonwealth Games from Birmingham.  Are you watching Canada’s prowess, Lyle?

Wouldn't it be so much easier to watch the telecast here in Canberra.  😉

[Mareblu]

30 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Wouldn't it be so much easier to watch the telecast here in Canberra.  😉

I should’ve thought of that.  Much easier🤣

Birmingham’s a really lovely city;  amazing how it’s been transformed from an industrial powerhouse to an elegant centre of culture.  The canals are serene.  My maternal grandfather was born in the Jewellery Quarter, into a family of many generations of jewellers.  He came to  Australia as a child in the late 1800s.  Their shop with their home above is still a jewellery shop, and we were lucky to visit in 2018.

[Blackduck59]

4 hours ago, Mareblu said:

Really enjoying watching the Commonwealth Games from Birmingham.  Are you watching Canada’s prowess, Lyle?

I have been hearing the results on the radio (yes I listen to the radio at work) but haven't been watching the games. Frankly there hasn't been much fanfare on the TV about it.