Tips for Wholesome Winter Cooking

The weather has certainly cooled down and there’s a change with the fruits and vegetables that are in season. Likewise, our cooking styles tend to change along with the recipes we reach for.  Here’s some tips and ideas for Winter cooking with different cuts!

Slow Cooking

I’m reaching for the round, blade and chuck for slow cooking (if it’s a bone in blade, cut the beef off the bone and dice, but throw the bone in the pot for extra goodness – more about that here). I also love ribs and osso bucco for a slow cook. Think beef and red wine, korma or Thai red curries. And all these cuts are really great for health with the bones and collagen they contain.

 

Add Roast Vegetables

When I cook a steak at this time of year, I like to roast some lovely root vegetables for on the side, rather than a salad or steamed vegetables that I might choose in warmer months. See the lovely honey and spiced recipe here. Serve on the side of an eye or scotch fillet, sirloin, rump or t-bone steak. Or on the side of some sausages too. (see recipe below)

 

Roast beef – grass fed of course!

Obviously winter is a great time for roast meats. I roast up a blade roast or slow roast the silverside cut and serve with a creamy pepper sauce (which I LOVE – I can’t stop tasting it as I make it!). Why not try this super tasty Beef Rendang curry with one of our silversides or with a brisket? We’ve had quite a number of customers comment that they’ve loved this recipe!

 

Mince

So many options for mince, but I like to go back to my pumpkin and feta topped shepherd’s pie or a traditional shepherd’s pie in Winter. I also love this recipe for Mexican Mince with Roast Sweet Potato – greek yoghurt, coriander and avocado – a great one for the paleo eaters. And for those that do eat grains – what about a beautiful Lasagna?

 

Stock/broth

Of course at this time of year I also want to make sure that I have some broth or stock on hand in the freezer and whilst I do use it all year round in my cooking, it’s in Winter that I most want to have it on hand. If I feel that first niggle of a cold or winter bug, I warm some up, add a generous pinch of sea salt (lots of micronutrients), and sip on it for morning tea or with a light dinner. And sometimes i do this just because it’s so beautifully warming on a cold day. I use our lovely mixed bone packs for broth making. Here’s our bone broth recipe.
You can confidently cook stock with our bones knowing there’s no nasties stored away in the bones that could come out with the slow cooking.

 

Stir fry

I reach for the topside or a rump steak when I’m cooking a stir fry. Be sure to slice the beef thinly and across the grain. Whilst in the warmer months I might cook a thai beef salad or make fun wraps for an easy dinner with these cuts, but in Winter I move to beef and vegetable stir fry with generous grinds of pepper and dashes of tamari. (Great opportunity for heaps of vegetables – carrot, red capsicum, snow peas or sugar snaps, beans, small broccoli florets and bok choy) – serve on a small bed of rice.

 

Brisket

If I find myself cooking for a crowd in Winter, a brisket can be great. These don’t come standard with our hampers, but you can add them to your hamper, just as you can add bones. Slow cook and pull to serve – lots of recipe options for different flavours, but this Rendang curry mentioned above is always a pleaser.

Every cut makes a fabulous meal – they just need to be used appropriately. If you’re not sure how to use a particular cut, please call me rather than using it in a way that disappoints. 0417 894 474.

We hope you enjoy some fun cool-weather cooking and experimenting with different recipes.