Topside

STROGANOFF

Serves six

• 800 g EMH beef topside
• 3 medium onions
• rapeseed oil
• salt
• freshly ground white pepper
• a small bunch of thyme
• 250 g button mushrooms
• a large handful of chanterelles
• 400 ml beef stock
• 2 tbsp flour
• 300 ml whipping cream
• flat-leaf parsley

Peel the onions and slice thinly. Cut the mushrooms into wedges. Tear the larger chanterelles into pieces. Heat oil in a pan, add the thyme sprigs, onions and mushrooms, fry until softened, season with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan. Cut the meat into pieces of your preferred size and brown in the pan in batches. Season. Return the mushroom mixture to the pan with the meat, dust with flour and fry briefly. Add the stock while stirring constantly. Finally add the cream and let simmer under a lid for 20-30 minutes. Chop the parsley and sprinkle over the sauce. Serve with boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes. Offer cooked beetroot and pickled cucumber, or both together, on the side.

SPICY SOUP

Serves five to six

• 2.5 l beef stock made from EMH beef bones
• ginger
• 1 garlic bulb
• 1 onion
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 star anise
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 4 cloves
• 1 black cardamom pod

for seasoning:

• soy sauce
• fish sauce
• lime juice

to serve:

• 400 g EMH beef topside
• noodles
• Thai basil leaves
• mung bean sprouts
• chilli

Wrap the meat in cling film and place in the freezer (to make it easier to slice later). Slice the ginger, cut the onion and garlic in half. Heat a pan and char the vegetables on a dry pan. Set aside and add the dry spices to the pan, toasting until fragrant. Pour the beef stock into a pot, add the toasted spices and charred vegetables. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for a couple of hours. Strain the broth and season with soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice.

Remove the meat from the freezer and slice thinly. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Chop the chilli. Place noodles in each soup bowl, add the meat slices, then pour the piping hot broth over. Add basil leaves, sprouts and chilli to each bowl and serve immediately.

PEPPER BEEF

as a starter for a gathering

• 1 kg EMH beef topside
• 2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp lemon pepper
• 1.5 tsp chilli
• 3 tsp five-pepper blend

serve with your choice of accompaniments:

• bread, pickled gherkins, mustard, onion, chilli, capers, microgreens, etc.

Sprinkle all the spices onto a large cutting board and roll the meat so it is evenly coated. Wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours to infuse. Then transfer to the freezer for 2 days. Before serving, move the meat to the fridge, as frozen meat is difficult to cut. Slice the meat thinly and serve with your choice of accompaniments.

WELLINGTON

Serves six

• 800 g EMH beef topside
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 500 g wild mushrooms
• 1 small onion
• a couple of thyme sprigs
• cold-pressed olive oil
• 100 g thinly sliced quality smoked bacon
• 1 roll of puff pastry
• 1 egg

Brown the meat in a pan with a little oil on all sides and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Peel and finely chop the onion together with the mushrooms, then fry in oil in the pan, season with salt, pepper and thyme leaves. Take a triple layer of cling film, arrange the bacon slices on top with edges slightly overlapping, then spread the mushrooms in an even layer. Place the meat on top and roll tightly using the cling film, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

Cut a rectangle of pastry, allowing 2-3 cm overhang on each end beyond the meat. Beat the egg and brush the pastry. Remove the cling film from the meat roll, place on the pastry. Roll the pastry tightly around the meat and wrap everything in cling film again. Twist the ends like a wrapped sweet and refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Remove from the fridge, unwrap the cling film and brush the pastry all over with egg. Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake until the internal temperature reaches 55 degrees. If the pastry browns too quickly, cover with foil. Remove from the oven, let rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and serve with a red wine sauce.

SIMPLE AND SATISFYING PAN FRY

Serves four

• rapeseed oil
• 2 medium onions
• 5 garlic cloves
• a small piece of ginger
• 1 green chilli + 1 chilli (optional, to serve)
• 500 g EMH beef topside
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chilli powder or chilli flakes
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 200 ml water
• 200 g frozen peas
• chopped coriander

Peel the onion and garlic, finely chop together with the chilli. Grate the ginger. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger. Meanwhile, roughly chop the meat and add to the pan, browning it. Season with salt and pepper and add the spices. Stir well, add the peas, tomato paste and water. Cover with a lid and let simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with coriander and chopped chilli if desired, and serve with steamed basmati rice.

SPICY BEEF TARTARE WITH MUSHROOMS

Serves four to five

• 450 g EMH beef topside
• 1 medium red onion
• a bunch of spring onions
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp chilli paste of your choice
• a splash of sesame oil
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• a few lovage leaves
• 2 tsp sesame seeds

mushrooms:

• 250 g white shimeji mushrooms
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 chilli pepper
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• salt
• cold-pressed olive oil
• 4-5 free-range egg yolks, to serve
• oven-roasted edamame beans, to serve

Clean the mushrooms and lightly fry in olive oil. Mix the marinade ingredients together, add the mushrooms, toss well and set aside in a cool place to infuse. Meanwhile, peel the onion and finely chop together with the spring onions and lovage leaves. Transfer to a bowl, add soy sauce, rice vinegar, chilli paste and sesame oil. Finely chop the meat, add to the mixture, season with salt and pepper. Toast the sesame seeds in a pan, cool and add to the meat. Serve with egg yolks, marinated mushrooms and oven-roasted edamame beans.

GARLIC BEEF SLICES

serves four as a starter or two as a main

• 250 g EMH beef topside
• 2 larger garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 0.5 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp chilli-garlic sauce
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• a pinch of salt
• cold-pressed rapeseed oil
• spring onions and red chilli, to serve

Peel the garlic and finely grate. Transfer to a bowl, add soy sauce, hoisin, chilli-garlic sauce, wine and a little salt, mix well. Slice the meat thinly and add to the marinade, making sure all pieces are well coated. Cover the bowl with a lid or cling film and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours to infuse. When ready to cook, wipe off most of the marinade (otherwise the garlic will burn). Heat oil in a pan and quickly fry the meat slices on high heat on both sides. Arrange on a plate. Chop the chilli and spring onion, scatter on top and serve. For a more substantial meal, offer steamed rice and a salad of your choice on the side.