Some assorted food questions....

So that I don't create a gizzilion or two more threads here, I am bundling all these questions into one thread.

Can leeks be used instead of onions freely, if you don't like the strong taste of onions? (And on a gardening note, are leeks easy to grow in a shallow pot/tub?) And how do you clean/wash them before use?

What else can you use ham/silverside stock for? I found a mustard sauce recipe that calls for it, but the Man doesn't like mustard, and I was just wondering what else you can use it for.

Do beef (spare?) ribs slow cook well, I mean do they turn out nice and tender, and easy to get of the bones? I think its spare rib, saw it yesterday in the butchers, cut into strips about 1-2 inches wide and as long as the rib cage. I was thinking of using them in place of ox tail in a soup (which I have only seen prepackaged in quantities between 400-600gms).

I had other questions, but they have slipped my mind. :doh:


And on still wishing I had a la creuset pot.... I just made a casserole this afternoon of lamb chops, bacon, and stout (since the stout was "invalid" brand, I wonder does that make it an invalid lamb and bacon casserole? :rolleyes: Sorry about that. My point was going to be, the pot I made it in is CHOCKERS, so I need a bigger pot, no two ways about it! Stirring it is impossible. If this casserole turns out yum I'll post the recipe. ATM its just started simmering, and it smells divine!

I can answer one right away: yes beef spare ribs cook up very nicely in the slow cooker. MMMMmmm..... they are normally pretty good value.

I would think that most times you could substitute leeks for onions, As far as growing leeks, to get a longer "white", you plant them in a trench, and keep adding soil as they grow. So a shallow pot probably wouldn't do the trick, you'd need a deep pot. But they are easy to grow.

Don't know about beef ribs as I've never cooked them, but I reckon that anything meat that you want to keep tender, low & slow is the way to go. I cook most of my casseroles at about 160, for at least 4 hours (in a Le Creuset - you have to get one), which gets the meat to the point that it just collapses.

Banana Shallots would be a better substitution for onion if you want a milder flavour, try slow roasting the onions before using them with plenty of EVO and you will soften the flavour of the onions substantially.

They will grow fine in a deep tub, provided it will retain a decent amount of moisture...they will need to be watered regularly. Quarter them lengthwise over about 2/3 of their length so you can spread them out like a fan to wash out all the dirt trapped deep inside them.

Soups, gravies, sauces - lots and lots of uses...what do you want to use it with?

All beef cooks well slowly - and now that summer is coming along you can slow cook beef ribs using nothing but the sun - marinade them well, then place them on a rack in a covered roasting pan and leave in direct sunshine for 6-7 hours then sear on a BBQ/grill for a couple of minutes a side to caramelise the outside.

Oxtail has pretty distinctive flavour, so it's best to use it if the recipe calls for it - ask your butcher for a smaller quantity...

I would be inclined to use ham stocks in any sort of soup or casserole but I'd be steering clear of the silverside stock because it's just soooo salty. But a small amount in something could give it some ooomph.

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I would be inclined to use ham stocks in any sort of soup or casserole but I'd be steering clear of the silverside stock because it's just soooo salty. But a small amount in something could give it some ooomph.

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If you cook a couple of potatoes in the silverside stock then they will absorb a lot of the salt, making it suitable for use in wider variety of dishes.

Check on the beef ribs, thank you. They look like they have a fair bit of meat on them, and I've quite gone off 'normal' stewing beef, including gravy beef. Actually, probably most stews in general. I can't seem to make have very different tastes, iykwim.

Thanks for the hints on growing leeks. Since I have no garden beds, I would probably grow them in one of those tall polystyrene boxes. Oh, also thanks for the temp and time hint for casseroles.

Bear, not sure I've seen banana shallots, but I know I haven't been looking.
Think I might pass on making anything with the silverside stock. I found a great recipe for it, but it uses orange, cloves and golden syrup. It was delicious so I will make it again like that, but I don't imagine using this sweet stock for anything.
I never knew about cooking beef in the sun, I don't think.
The oxtail that I have seen doesn't look like a whole tail, its already cut up and prepackaged. I thought an ox tail was longer than what this seems. I suppose I could ask the butcher for one that hasn't been cut up yet.

PS, I actually started this post yesterday, but for some reason or another I kept getting pulled away from the computer. The half written post even survived the computer getting turned off by my little darling this arvo!

You really want the oxtail cut up and packaged for you, it's a batsrad of a job to strip one down - the recipes will assume that you have tail in this form anyway.

Re the cooking beef in the sun - good quality beef really benefits from slow cooking processes, and the final temperatures required are relatively low compared to most other meats:-

Cooked Temperature Range Description
Blue (46 – 52?C) Blood-red meat, soft, very juicy
Rare (52 – 54?C) Red center, gray surface, soft, juicy
Medium Rare (54 – 60?C) Pink center, gray-brown surface
Medium (60 – 66?C) Slightly pink center, becomes gray-brown towards surface
Medium Well (66 – 71?C) Mostly gray center, firm texture.
Well done >160?F (>71?C) Gray-brown throughout.

So instead of blasting your beef with 180?C air in a hot oven for a short period of time to bring it up to the required temperature you can apply a gentler heat source for a longer period of time - we regularly cook a roast joint of beef for 6 or more hours with the oven set on minimum with the door ajar in order to get an oven temp of around 80?C - the Australian sun on hot summers day will quite happily bring a covered roasting pan up to this sort of temp.

Beef ribs are yummo marinated and bbqed if you're looking for an alternative style to slow cooked. I stick the marinade in the bag before they go in the freezer. They make a very tasty, cheap red meat meal.

V interesting about cooking in the sun...

Just had to report back on the beef spare ribs....

Got some yesterday, marinated them for a little while in soy, worcestershire and hoy sin sauces (I was struggling for ideas :redface:), then baked at 110 (ff) for about four hours (covered for about half that time). OMG! Delicious, and so tender. And there isn't any fat on them! When I picked one of the pieces up out of the oven dish, one of the bits of bones even fell out! One of my new favourite meats (along with roast and silverside!).

Oh, I will be buying these more often! I just have to find different marinades to put with them!