Guinness Pie

Main featured on Irish Night
Serves 7 hungry Feedlotters  

Ingredients
1.5kg good quality blade or chuck steak, trimmed of fat, cut into 3cm cubes
1 bottle (750ml ) red wine (merlot is ideal)
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs unsalted butter
3 tbs (1/4 cup) plain flour
1 onion, chopped
150g pancetta, rind removed, cut into strips
1 cup Guinness
1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled
12 eschalots, peeled
300g button mushrooms

Bouquet Garni 1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme 2 sprigs parsley
1 piece orange peel

Method
To make the bouquet garni, gather the herbs in a bundle, enclose the woody stems with orange peel and tie together with kitchen string.
Place the diced beef and bouquet garni in a large non-metallic bowl and pour the red wine over the top.  cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.
Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and half the butter in a large ovenproof casserole dish over medium heat, add the onion and carrot and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until softened.  Add the pancetta and cook for a further 2 minutes, then set aside.
Drain beef, reserving marinade, and pat dry on kitchen paper.  heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frypan over high heat and brown beef in batches.  Transfer beef to casserole with the onion mixture, sprinkle with flour and stir.
Deglaze frypan with marinade allow to bubble for 1-2 minutes, then add to casserole with the bouquet garni, stock and garlic.  Bring to the boil, cover, then cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter and oil in a large frypan.  Add the eschalots and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until light golden.  add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2 minutes to brown.
Remove casserole from oven , stir in eschalots and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.  Return to the oven, covered, for a further hour.  Remove bouquet garni and garlic and place beef mixture in a greased pie dish with shortcrust pastry and then cover with puff pastry.
Decorate with shamrocks made from puff pastry and bake at 170 degrees cel until golden brown.

Irish Soda Bread

As featured in Irish Night
To be served with Farmhouse Sausage & Vegetable Casserole

Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk

Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a loaf tin.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. 
Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes.

You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

Farmhouse Sausage & Vegetable Casserole

Main from Irish Night

Ingredients
1 can of red kidney beans
1/4 small green cabbage shredded
2 potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large leek, sliced
2 onions, peeled and sliced
4 slices bacon diced
1/2 to 1 cup of port or sherry
2 beef stock cubes disolved in 4 cups of water or 900ml fresh stock
salt and pepper
450g pork chipolatas

Method
Fry off bacon, leek and onions.
When the onions and leek are soft add the sausages and brown them off.
Deglaze the pan with the port or sherry. Put into a casserole dish and add potatoes, carrots, cabbage, red kidney beans and stock.
Place in 180 degree oven for 45mins to an hour until stock reduced and vegies are soft.

Serve with Irish Soda Bread

Chinese Beef with Sweet Orange Sauce

Main featured on Chinese Night

Ingredients
2 shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tbs finely chopped fresh ginger

1.5kg rolled beef brisket pot roast

1 tbs peanut oil

1/4 cup (60ml) sherry

1/2 cup (125ml) beef stock

2 cinnamon sticks, broken

1/4 cup Sweet Orange Marmalade

Steamed rice and Asian greens, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to140°C.

Combine shallots, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and ginger in a small bowl and mix well. Remove string from brisket and unroll.

Spread shallot mixture evenly over flesh leaving a 2cm border on all sides. Roll up tightly to enclose filling and secure with kitchen string.

Heat oil in a large casserole and brown meat well on all sides and ends.

Add sherry to casserole and allow it to boil until almost completely evaporated. Add stock and cinnamon, cover with lid and transfer to oven.

Cook, undisturbed for 2½ hours.

Remove casserole from oven, remove beef and set aside, covered with foil to rest for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place casserole over a high heat. Add marmalade and reduce liquid to ½ cup.

Strain through a fine sieve.

Slice beef and drizzle with orange sauce.

Serve with rice and greens.

Cashew Chicken with a Burnt Chilli Paste

Recipe from Chilli Night

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
350g chicken thigh fillets, cubed
2 tbs water
2 tsp sugar
1 red cayenne chilli, thinly sliced
10 Thai basil leaves, torn up
4 Kaffir lime leaves, shredded
100g cashews, unsalted

Burnt Chilli Paste
3 tbs peanut oil
7 dried chillis, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbs small dried prawns
1 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs tamarind water (30g piece tamarind soaked in 1/2 cup boiling water and strained)
2 tbs brown sugar

Method
To make the burnt chilli paste, heat the oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat and fry the onion until softened, then remove and set aside.
Add the dried chillies to the pan and fry until blackened.  Set aside.
Add the garlic and fry until golden.
Grind the dried prawns, half of the fried chillies, the onion and garlic together with a pestle and mortar to create a coarse paste.
Add the resultant mixture to the pan with the fish sauce, tamarind water and sugar.  Heat gently for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then set aside.
Heat the peanut oil in a wok and fry the sliced garlic until brown.  Add the chicken and fry for a couple of minutes on each side to seal. 
Crumble the remaining fried chillies into the wok and add 2 tbs of the burn chilli paste, then the fish sauce, water, sugar and sliced chilli.  Fry over a high heat.
Add the basil leaves, kaffir lime leaves and cashew nuts and fry for another minute.

Garnish with red chilli and basil and serve with coconut rice.

White Gold & Sweet Potato Hot Red Chilli Salad

A delicious salad with a kick, enjoyed on Chilli Night...

Ingredients
Juice of 2 large limes
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 medium red onion, diced
2 fresh medium-hot to hot red chillies (New Mexico, Cayenne, Hot Banana or Cubanelle), seeded and minced
2 - 4 fresh medium hot green chilli peppers (jalapeno or serrano), seeded and minced
1 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1/2 cup good-tasting  extra-virgin olive oil
5 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 large sweet potatoes or yams, boiled until barely tender, peeled and diced large
Seasoning to taste

Method
Put the lime juice, garlic and onion in a large bowl and let stand 20 minutes. 
Gently blend in the rest of the ingredients, seasoning to taste.
Serve the potatoes right away, or keep them at room temperature for up to two hours.