Serves 8

Where did the first meatball come from?  No one knows exactly. However there are meatball recipes dating back to the Romans, as found in an ancient recipe book “De recoquinaria libri decem (Cuisine in Ten Books)” written by Marcus Gavius Apicus, who was born in 25 AD. The second book in the set is about mixtures of meat and other
ingredients, one recipe is for meatballs. Apicius’ also rates meats used for meatballs: The ground meat patties of peacock have first place, they are fried so that they remain tender. Well I’m not planning a peacock recipe blog just yet, however feel free to change the ingredients as you wish, the measures are just there as a guide.

Ingredients:
• 1kg (2lb) pound ground (minced) beef
• 1 cup of dry bread crumbs
• Half a cup of milk

• 2 level teaspoons of dried parsley flakes
• 2 finely chopped onions
• 2 eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste
1. Mix all ingredients until well blended
2. Shape into 1 ½ inch meatballs
3. Bake uncovered in 400 degree oven until light brown (20 ‐25 minutes)
4. To pan fry cook over medium heat in a little olive oil, turning occasionally until
brown (20 minutes)

5. Serve as an aperitif with a dip of choice or as a main course. I enjoy meatballs with tomato sauce and french fries! A good glass of Italian red wine works well too.

More about Meatballs for the Foodie!

A meatball is a generally spherical mass of minced meat and other ingredients, such as bread or breadcrumbs, minced onion, various spices or eggs, usually fried in a pan or baked in an oven. Except for shape and size (there’s usually more than one meatball per serving), meatballs are very similar to meatloaf.

Meatballs are distinguished from fishballs (which are usually cooked under boiling water) as well as matzah balls (which are usually cooked in boiling broth or water).

There are many kinds of meatball recipes using different kinds of meats and spices. While some meatballs are mostly made of meat and ingredients to cement the ball, other may include other ingredients. How one makes one’s meatballs and which fat one fries them in depend as much on one’s cultural background as on one’s individual taste.

The ancient Roman cook-book author Apicius included many meat ball-type recipes.

The meatball in an International Context

* Albanian fried meatballs (Qofte të fërguara) include feta cheese.

* Danish meatballs are known as frikadeller and are typically fried, and they are usually made from pork.

* In Germany, meatballs are called Frikadellen (in the North) or Buletten (in the East) or Fleischpflanzerl or Fleischküchle if you happen to be in the South

* In Greece, meatballs are called ‘keftedes’ and usually include within the mix onions and mint leaf.

* In Indonesia, meatballs are called ‘bakso’ which are usually served in a bowl, like soup, with noodles, beancurds (tofu), eggs, ’siomay’, and/or fried meat.

* In Italy, meatballs are known as polpette. Outside of Italy, they are commonly served with spaghetti as in “spaghetti and meatballs”.

* The Japanese hamburger steak hanbagu is based on similar ingredients.

* In Norway, meatballs are called kjøttkaker (”meat cakes”) and resemble Danish frikadeller, but they are usually made from ground beef. The dish is traditionally served with boiled potatoes, gravy, lingonberry jam and/or stewed green peas. Some people also like to add fried/caramelized onion on the side.

* Swedish köttbullar (Swedish meatballs) are made with ground beef or a mix of ground beef and pork, mixed with breadcrumbs soaked in milk and finely chopped onions. They are seasoned with white pepper and salt. Swedish meatballs are traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes, lingonberry jam, and fresh pickled cucumber. (In the television show Babylon 5 all alien races have swedish meatballs, although with different names)

* In The Netherlands, a meatball goes by the name ‘gehaktbal’ and is often served with boiled potatoes and vegetables. This combination has been the most common dish in Dutch households troughout history.

* Turkish cuisine features more than 80 types of meatballs (köfte), most being regionally made.

Enjoy these fantastic meatballs! If you liked this recipe for meatballs you will find more on www.videojug.com

How to Make Beef Stroganoff

Serves 6

Beef Stroganoff was first cooked up in Saint Petersburg, Russia by Charles Briére a chef
employed by the wealthy and powerful Stroganoff family. Briére entered the recipe for
his beef dish named after his employer in a competition, ‘L’Art Culinaire’ in 1891 and
won first prize. Legend has it that his boss Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganoff had

lost all his teeth and his chef had designed this recipe to help the Count enjoy his beef

even without his pearly whites. This is my variation on the theme, brings back fond
memories for me as it was the first dish I made for Shelly before we were married, it
seemed to do the trick and yes she still has her teeth. Once again feel free to
experiment a bit, I have made this with red peppers to compliment the onions and give
it more colour and even spiced it up with some sweet chilies in the past.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1kg beef fillet, trimmed and cut into thin strips
• 2 brown onions chopped
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic
• 400g of sliced button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon of HP sauce (A1 Steak Sauce)
• 3 teaspoons corn flour or more if required to thicken
• 1 cup of stock
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup of single cream
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 table spoon of Dijon mustard
• Half a cup of red wine
•Ground salt and pepper to season
1. In a large frying pan, spray with olive oil, pan fry the steak until bubbling in
their own juices
2. Drain meat juice off and discard, add stock and simmer for 20 minutes, do not
allow the meat the boil dry, top up as required
3. In a separate pan cook the onions until soft (not brown) add the mushrooms
and continue to cook until warmed through
4. Add the onion and mushroom mix to the steak and simmer on a low heat
5. Add the Worcestershire sauce , garlic, HP sauce, mustard and tomato paste, stir
in ensuring the mix doesn’t catch/burn on the bottom of the pan
6. Let the mix cook on a low heat, stirring every few minutes, gradually add the
wine at each stir
7. The longer you leave it to cook the more tender the meat will become (can be made in
advance and reheated provided you haven’t added the cream)
8. 10 minutes before serving gradually add the cream and season to taste
9. If your stroganoff is too watery mix the corn flour with a little cold water so it looks like
milk. I find a small glass and your fingers are the easiest way and you get rid of all the
lumps.
10. Gradually add the corn flour to the stroganoff stirring in slowly, you will see and feel
the mixture thicken, stop when you are happy
Accompaniments & Garnish
• Spiral a little single cream and sprinkle flaked parsley
• Serve with a few seasonal vegetables or on a bed of rice or pasta
• A nice glass of medium bodied red wine will make it perfect

Beef Stroganoff, in its simplest form, is simply tender beef with a mushroom, onion and sour cream sauce served over rice or noodles.

The current accepted history of this dish dates back to the 1890s when a chef working for Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganov, the famous Russian general, invented the recipe for a cooking competition in St. Petersburg, although it should be noted that recipes of meats braised in a sour cream base are fairly typical of medieval Russian cookery. After the fall of Imperial Russia, the recipe was popularly served in the hotels and restaurants of China before the start of the Second World War. Russian and Chinese immigrants, as well as U.S. servicemen stationed in pre-communist China, brought several variants of the dish to the United States, which may account for its popularity during the 1950s. It is commonly served with noodles or rice.

It is also very popular in Brazil (where it is better known as “strogonoff” or “estrogonofe”), but the recipe is slightly different there, with tomato sauce added to the cream. One unusual variation, latterly only found around the Norfolk Broads, uses whitebait instead of beef, which locals call ‘t’whytebayte estrog’noffe’.

This is apparent also in many international variations of the dish, where tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, thickening and other ingredients has been added depending on where it’s served.

Modern Russian-style Beef Stroganoff is usually served over noodles or buckwheat groats (kasha). However, the original dish as it was created for the count in the 1890s, was served alongside crispy twice-fried potatoes, and thus this version is the most traditional. The sour cream sauce also contains more sour cream, giving the dish a more white to gray color, instead of the common American or Chinese brown.

It is very popular as a basic food service dish as it is very easy to produce it in large quantities.

How to Make Steak Tartare
Serves 6
Steak Tartare is said to originate from the times of Genghis Khan. The legend being that
nomadic Tatar people of the Central Asian didn’t have time to cook and thus placed
meat underneath their horses’ saddles, at the end of a journey the meat would be
tenderised and ready to eat. The good news is there is no requirement for you to ride
a horse whilst making this tasty dish, give it a try, it’s actually very nice. You can always add a raw or cooked egg on top of steak tartare to make it extra special.
Ingredients:
• 500g (1lb) pound finely ground beef fillet (Must be really fine)
• 1 small finely chopped white onion
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Half a teaspoon of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco) optional
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon brandy
• Salt to taste
• Ground white pepper to taste
• 1 egg yolk
Mix all the ingredients together until well blended, refrigerate for 30 minutes to
allow the flavours to combine. Serve on toasts/crackers with some green salad as
dressing. My particular favourite is on a fresh bread roll with a boiled egg on the
side and a sprinkling of pepper (pictured).
Note: Freezing the meat for a few days before use will ensure there are no parasites or
bacteria present, this is particularly important in less hygienic countries. This is an easy way to make steak tartare!

Videojug has a great video on how to make steak tartare. You can find it here:

Main Dish: How To Make Steak Tartare

Steak tartare is a meat dish made from finely chopped or ground raw beef. Tartare can also be made by thinly slicing a high grade of meat such as New York strip, marinating it in wine or other spirits and spiced to taste, and then chilled. It is often served with onions, capers and seasonings (the latter typically incorporating fresh ground pepper and Worcestershire sauce), and sometimes with a raw egg, and usually served on rye bread. In the past, many restaurants that served hamburgers would prepare steak tartare even if they did not specifically mention it on the menu.[citation needed]

In some countries, health concerns have decreased the popularity of this meat dish because of the danger of contamination by bacteria and parasites. In countries with high hygiene standards, this is not a concern and the dish remains very popular. Cooking until the chopped meat is no longer pink is a sure way of killing almost all undesired organisms, but it is contrary to the preparation of this food item. The Mexican version of steak tartare typically marinates the meat in lime juice, in the manner of ceviche, which has the effect of disinfecting the meat to a certain extent. It is also often consumed, especially in Russia, with vodka, which may have a similar effect.

This kind of burger was the original hamburger from Hamburg, Germany. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and other cities where there is a large German population, the tartar steak, as it also is called, is very popular. Often you make your own, spreading raw ground beef on pumpernickel bread and adding salt, lots of pepper, onion, a sauce, perhaps a raw egg, or some cheese. It is also known as a cannibal or caveman sandwich.

The basis of the name is the legend that nomadic Tatar people of the Central Asian steppes did not have time to cook and thus placed meat underneath their horses’ saddles.[citation needed] The meat would be tenderised by the end of the journey.

It has also been said that Jules Verne invented the dish as a favorite of Captain Nemo.[citation needed] The Jules Verne restaurant in Paris is even known for its steak tartare. However, no similar dish can be found in either Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea or Mysterious Island, the only novels by Verne to mention Captain Nemo. This also goes against the widely popularized notion that the ocean dwelling Nemo has refused to depend on the land for any of his food. Another literary figure known to enjoy steak tartare is Agent Pendergast in the mystery novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
Prepared Steak Tartare with French fries

Steak tartare is now regarded as a gourmet dish. It is especially popular in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the Czech Republic (Tatarák) and Switzerland. In Belgium, it is known as filet américain or American fillet. It is eaten as a main course, typically accompanied with toast or french fries. The preparation of the meat is either done by the waiter, table-side, or by the customers themselves. A fresh green salad may also be served in the summer months to add a further freshness to the dish.

Filet américain is also sold by butchers as a sandwich dressing; it comes either unprepared (raw ground lean beef) or prepared (with eggs, seasonings, etc.). The latter is also popular in the Netherlands.

A variant of steak tartare (called tartarmad) is also present in the Danish lunch where it is served on rye bread with assorted toppings.

• In the movie Wall Street, Gordon Gecko famously orders steak tartare “off the menu” at The 21 Club.
• A scene in Mr. Bean features the title character trying to dispose of an unsatisfactory meal of steak tartare in a fine restaurant.
• The enigmatic Agent Pendergast from the novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child greatly enjoys steak tartare.
• In the animated TV show King of the Hill, Hank Hill once referred to an incident where Peggy got her entire family sick by serving “chicken tartare.”
• In The Batman vs. Dracula , while attending the party at Wayne Mannor “Dr. Alucard (Dracula) is offered Steak Tartare and readily accepts, slurping up the raw meat and discarding the cracker it was served on.
• In season 2 of the Fox television series “The O.C.“, character Caleb Nichol asks his wife, Julie Cooper-Nichol, if she will be making him steak tartare.
• In the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand, Randall Flagg, the primary antagonist, finds Lloyd Henreid locked in a prison cell after over 99 percent of the population has died. After pulling back the mattress and revealing a partially-eaten rat (due to Henreid’s inability to obtain food), Flagg quips, “And you got stuck with nothin’ to eat but rat tartare.”

I would like to thank Gary Allen for allowing his collection of beef recipes to be used here! Don’t forget that there are many more beef recipe videos to be found on videojug.com.

FABBYNOSH
My Favourite Beef
Recipes
_____________________
Cooked up by Gary Allen
How to choose good beef.

A history of beef. Where does beef come from? What makes good beef? HToday many different cattle breeds can be found throughout the world, all of these are believed to have come from a single ancestor
called the aurochs. In prehistoric times, the aurochs were
widespread throughout Europe and Asia and is known to have been
hunted by men from the earliest times. Many believe that cattle
where first domesticated in Europe and Asia during the Stone
Age, remains of domesticated cattle dating to 6,500 B.C. have been
found in Turkey and other sites in the near East. Around 55 B.C. the
Romans recorded seeing red cattle in southwestern England. The
red Devon cattle from that area of Britain are considered one of the
oldest beef breeds in existence today. Over 900 different breeds of
cattle are now known to exist. Breed associations maintain
registrations for many of the individual breeds, with some cattle
breeds ancestry traced back 600 years or more.
When buying beef, you should make sure the meat is red, any
brown colouring usually indicates that it’s been open to the air for
to long. The meat should be firm to the touch, any fat should be
creamy coloured, if there’s some fat flecked or marbled throughout
this is a good indication that it is more tender.
In this book I have captured some of my favourite beef recipes and
their history for you to enjoy, there are many familiar dishes but as
usual have added my own particular spin on them.
In summary there are many schools of thought on who produces
the best beef, you only have to speak to an Australian or a South
African and they will tell you the American beef doesn’t come
anywhere near theirs in taste or texture. For me the rules are
simple, just use an approved supplier and buy to suit your own
taste and loyalty.

Experiment and enjoy happy cooking
enjoy, Gary

All About Beef

Beef is meat obtained from a bovine. Beef is one of the principal meats used in European cuisine and cuisine of the Americas, and is important in Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia as well. In the Middle East, it is very rare to have lunch without beef.

Beef can be cut into steak, pot roasts, short ribs, or ground into hamburger. Several Asian and European nationalities include the blood in their cuisine as well — it is used in some varieties of blood sausage, and Filipinos use it to make a stew called dinuguan. Other beef variety meats include the tongue, which is usually sliced for sandwiches in Western cooking; tripe from the stomach; various glands—particularly the pancreas and thyroid—referred to as sweetbreads; the heart, the brain, the liver, the kidneys; and the tender testicles of the bull commonly known as “beef balls”, “calf fries”, “prairie oysters”, or “Rocky Mountain oysters.”

The better cuts are usually obtained from steers, as heifers tend to be kept for breeding. Older animals are used for beef when they are past their reproductive prime. The meat from older cows and bulls is generally tougher, so it is frequently used for ground beef. Cattle raised for beef may be allowed to roam free on grasslands, or may be confined at some stage in pens as part of a large feeding operation called a feedlot.

The United States, Brazil, the EU, China, and India, are the world’s five largest producers of beef. Beef production is also important to the economy of Argentina, the Russian Federation, Australia, Mexico, and Canada.

USDA Beef Explained

In the United States, the USDA operates a voluntary beef grading program. The meat processor pays for the presence of a highly trained USDA meat grader who grades the whole carcass prior to fabrication. The carcass grade is stamped on each primal cut (six stamps) and applied with roller stamp to each side as well. You can often see traces of the USDA grading stamp on boxed primal cuts.

The grades are based on two main criteria, the degree of marbling (intramuscular fat) in the beef rib eye and the age of the animal prior to slaughter. Some meat scientists object to the current scheme of USDA grading since it does not take tenderness into account. Most other countries beef grading systems mirror the US model. Most beef offered for sale in supermarkets is graded choice or select. Prime beef is sold to hotels and upscale restaurants. Beef that would rate as Standard or leaner is almost never offered for grading.

* Prime — most tender and highest in fat
* Choice
* Select — the leanest grade commonly sold
* Standard
* Commercial
* Utility
* Cutter
* Canner

How to Understand Different Cuts of Beef

(This section denotes the American system of beef cutting. Other cultures have similar systems, but the exact cuts and terminology differ).

Common cuts of beef explained.

Primal cuts

Beef is first divided into primal cuts. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut. The following is a list of the primal cuts, ordered front to back, then top to bottom. The short loin and the sirloin are sometimes considered as one section. When looking at a diagram such as the one above, note that the closer to the middle back, the more tender the meat is. Since the animal’s legs and neck muscles do the most work, they are the toughest; the meat becomes progressively more tender as distance from “hoof and horn” increases.

upper half

* Chuck - one of the most common sources for hamburger.
* Rib
* Short Loin - the most tender, and the most expensive; from which porterhouse steaks, and filet mignon are cut.
* Sirloin - less tender than short loin, but more flavorful.
* Round

lower half

* Brisket and Shank
* Plate
* Flank

Also see the external links section below for links to more beef cut charts and diagrams.

Special beef designations

* Buccleuch Scotch beef originates in a designated area on and around the estate of the Duke of Buccleuch in Scotland.
* Certified Angus Beef ™ is beef certified by the USDA to have come from Angus cattle.
* Dry aged beef has been aged using a special process.
* Grass fed beef has been raised primarily on forage rather than in a feedlot.
* Halaal beef has been certified to have been processed in a prescribed manner in accordance with Muslim tradition.
* Kobe beef : Cattle of the Wagyu breed raised and fattened in the hills above Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. During the fattening period, the beef is hand-fed (using high-energy feed, including beer and beer mash) and hand-massaged for tenderness and high fat content.
* Kosher beef has been certified to have been processed in a prescribed manner in accordance with Jewish dietary laws.
* Organic beef is produced without hormones, pesticides, or other chemicals though requirements for labeling something “organic” vary widely.
* Roast beef

Religious proscription

Beef is a taboo meat in a number of religions, most notably Hinduism, whose adherents consider cows deserving of reverence. This taboo is believed to have arisen from the necessity of cattle for milk and draft labor preempting the slaughter of young cattle for veal. Also, consumption of beef (along with other meats) is frowned upon by many Buddhists, although it is not strictly taboo.

In Judaism, Beef is one of the meats considered Kosher, if butchered and prepared in accordance with religious law, under the supervision of a Rabbi. Beef is also considered Halal by Muslims under similar strictures.

“Mad cow disease”

The over-intensive farming of beef resulted in the world’s first recognised outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or, colloquially, “mad cow disease”) in the United Kingdom in 1986. Eating beef from cattle with BSE is thought to have caused the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD) in about 131 cases (2003 June data) in the United Kingdom and some few in France. The perception of beef as potentially lethal caused significant damage to the UK beef industry. The attempts to wipe out BSE in the UK by a kill-and-burn campaign, although ultimately successful, did further damage from which the beef industry is only recently recovering. Since then, a number of other countries have had outbreaks of BSE. BSE is an illness that cattle can get by feeding them other animals (especially their brains and spines), including their own. Due to a BSE scare last year, the American border is currently closed to live Canadian cows.

Beef in the English Language

Beef occurs in various slang forms in American English that are unrelated to it being a type of meat, but perhaps more to the animal it comes from. Beef is used in a noun form in the phrase “to have (a) beef”, the use of which dates back to the 19th Century, when “to beef” initially meant to loudly complain about something. The phrase means to have a feud or dispute with another party, usually an odious and publically known one. It was re-popularized by hip-hop music, especially the late Notorious B.I.G., who had a song entitled “What’s Beef”. Beef can also be used as the adjective “beefy” describing someone’s weight, or rather their excess amount of it. However, a “beefcake” is a male considered desirable by women, due to his robust physique. This meaning relates back to an earlier meaning of “beefy” as a synonym for “muscular” or “well-built”. Finally, “to beef up” has the same meaning as “to reinforce” or “to shore up”, usually seen in connection with increasing numbers of soldiers, police, or other security measures in response to a perceived threat.

The absence of beef also made a notable appearance in American pop culture. During the 1980’s, there was an ad campaign entitled “Where’s the Beef?” in which patrons of other fast food restaurants examined the hamburgers and pronounced the amount of beef lacking. The phrase has become synonymous with anything lacking substance.

In British English, beef is far more established in colloquialisms, though many are vulgar. Beef also gets a more playful treatment from the British through Cockney Rhyming Slang; instead of saying “beef” one could say “stop thief” or “itchy teeth” to start the non-completed rhyme format. And, according to Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang, there is a rhyming slang to describe the act of flatulation - “beef-heart”.

The Chateaubriand steak sometimes known as a Filet mignon is a cut from the fillet or
tenderloin. Originally created by chef Montmireil in the 18th century, Master Chef to
Vicomte de Chateaubriand the French author and diplomat who served Napoleon as
an ambassador and Louis XVIII as Secretary of State. Chateaubriand is considered the
most extravagant cut of meat and in my opinion epitomizes the culinary art when it
is at its best.
Ingredients:
• 2lb (1kg) center‐cut of fillet with any excess fat trimmed off
• 4 large Portobello mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic (optional extra) for me enough to taste is all
• 8 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Knobs of butter (Not margarine)
comes to preparing the king of meats.
• 2 tablespoon brandy
• 1cup red wine
• Ground sea salt
• Ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 230C (If using a different pan for the oven cooking place it
in the oven to get hot)
2. Season the meat with black pepper and salt
3. Place your skillet or frying pan on a medium to high heat and add 2 tablespoons
of oil
4. When the oil is hot place the meat in the pan and sear on all sides
5. When you have a crusty seal put the pan into the oven or transfer to the
preheated oven pan
6. Roast in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes depending on how rare or
well done you want it
7. When the chateaubriand is ready transfer it to a warmed plate and cover with
tin foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes
8. Using you frying pan or oven pan warm the juices from the roasting on the
stove top, when hot add the butter and garlic and stir together
9. Add thickly sliced mushrooms and seasoning, sauté for about 3 minutes turning
them regularly, add more oil if the pan becomes too dry
10. Take the pan off the stove, add the brandy and return to the heat
11. If you cooking with gas tilt the pan towards the open flame to let it flambé, the same
can be done with a kitchen lighter
12. Once the brandy has evaporated lower the heat and add the wine, allowing to simmer
for two minutes
13. Carve the meat into slices (usually quite thick), plate individually, drizzle the sauce over
the top of the meat and serve
Accompaniments & Garnish
• The sauce is more than enough

• You can serve with seasonal vegetables but don’t overfill the plate, a little mustard on the side. Jenny says “Serve with Bearnaise sauce  and fried potatoes”

Facts about Chateaubriand

The Chateaubriand steak is a thick cut from the tenderloin, which, according to Larousse Gastronomique, was created by his personal chef, Montmireil, for vicomte François-René de Châteaubriand, (1768–1848), the author and diplomat who served Napoleon as an ambassador and Louis XVIII as Secretary of State for two years[citation needed]. This cut is usually only offered as a serving for two, as there is only enough meat in the center of the average fillet for two portions. A Chateaubriand is grilled “barded”, which means that it is cooked with a strip of bacon or lard around it to keep it moist. It is served medium-rare, never well done, with a sauce.

At the time of the Vicomte the steak was cut from the more flavorful, but less tender sirloin and served with a reduced sauce made from white wine and shallots moistened with demi-glace and mixed with butter, tarragon, and lemon juice. An alternative spelling of the statesman-author’s name is ‘Châteaubriant’ and some maintain that the term refers to the quality of the cattle bred around the town of Châteaubriant in the Loire-Atlantique, France.

In a famous scene of the popular spelling bee documentary Spellbound, one little girl is transfixed with horror on hearing that she is to spell “chateaubriand.”

The illustation below shows which part of the cow popular beef cuts come from.

Anyhow here’s a tried and trusted recipe from my own book. It’s how to make chicken with orange sauce and I like it enormously. Let me know what you think of it!

If you are after video recipes, check out the chicken recipes videos from www.videojug.com as they are professionally made. Here’s my own recipe for how to make chicken with orange sauce:

Ingredients for Chicken With Orange Sauce:

Serves 4 people

Cooking time - around 20 minutes

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

So here goes!

Chicken In Brandy Cream Sauce

Serves 4 people

Preparation Time 8 minutes

Cooking Time: 24 minutes

Ingredients for Quick Chicken With Brandy Cream Sauce:

0.6 kg boneless Chicken breasts - 4 chicken breasts (about 1 1/3 lb)

spoon of salt,

pinch of pepper

small glass of brandy

3 cups of mushrooms (about 1/4 kilo)

1 clove of fresh garlic

1/2 teaspoon of parsely

1/4 of a fresh lemon

5 spring onions or green onions, sliced or chopped up

1/2 cup of chicken stock (1-2 cubes with hot water)

1 large tub or half a cup of thick cream - whipping or double cream. You can use yogurt or fromage frais to create a low-fat chicken with brandy cream sauce dish.

1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (any olive oil will do really)

Serve on top of some freshly cooked noodles. A good pasta would be al-dente (firm) tagliatelle pasta.

Step One:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or skillet and salt the pan lightly. Get a large saucepan and boil some salted water ready to put in the noodles/pasta/tagliatelle

Step Two:

Place the chicken in the pan and cook for 12-13 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. You will be able to tell that it is cooked because the juice will run clear when you pierce the middle of the chicken breast. Tip: You only need to turn the chicken once.

Step Three:

Now put the noodles or pasta in the boiling water.

Step Four

Add some salt, pepper and stir in the mushrooms, brandy, garlic clove and the chicken stock.  Carry on cooking until the mushrooms looked cooked through and the liquid (stock and brandy) starts to almost evaporate entirely. A little liquid should remain - don’t over cook it and dry everything out!

Step Five

Add the cream slowly over a lower heat and stir continuously for about 2 minutes.  Add the parsley and a little bit of black pepper. Remove chicken from heat.

Step Six

Remove the cooked pasta from the heat and drain.

Step Seven: Serve - place the chicken with brandy cream sauce on top of the pasta.

Enjoy!