TIPS FROM THE FARM KITCHEN

Beef

If you have just bought a  “mixed quarters” or a “mixed eighths” for the first time you are probably being faced with joints you have never seen before and rather more mince than you expected. Never fear, help is here! While I have no pretensions as a cook I have learnt, with Stewart’s help, to cook this wonderful meat we produce.

First ignore the fact that some bits are marked “boil”- they are perfectly good roasted. We have a rack that sits in the roasting tin which is turned such to keep the meat up off the floor of the tin and therefore out of the fats. The joint is cooked with the fat still on as it keeps it wonderfully moist and no, it doesn’t get all over the oven as we cover the joint with aluminium foil, putting a small casserole lid on top of the joint before covering it to stop the foil sticking to the meat. This also ensures that the meat is effectively self-basting. While our normal joints are cooked at 180 degrees C for 20 minutes per lb plus 20 minutes we might well cook the “boil” joints a bit longer- remember that fat acts as an insulator and so the meat takes longer to cook. I always check that a joint is cooked through by using a skewer ands seeing if any blood runs out. If the joint is carrying too much fat for your liking then let the joint cool and it will be easy to cut the fat off- the birds love it. As our cattle are grass fed then they are high in the omega 3 fatty acids which we normally get from fish- so not only does it taste wonderful- it’s good for you as well.

Right; the mince. By all means use in curries and bolognaise but I am going to tell you how the Orcadians cook it and you will not waste it like that again!! I start with a pound of mince- roughly- and a chopped onion thrown into the frying pan or similar with some sunflower oil and I brown the mince – probable for about 10 minutes or as long as it takes me to feed the dogs and chop up the rest of the veg. While it is browning I boil the kettle. I then add 2 oxo cubes or similar and cover the mince with boiling water- don’t drown it, there should be a little mince visible above the water. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes or as long as it takes the rest of the veg to cook and me to muck out 3 stables – at least in summer. The timings are approximate- the longer the better but make sure that it is not sticking- more water can be added. Just before serving up mix a couple of teaspoons of corn flour with cold water and then add to the mince to thicken it. I pile the veg in the middle of the plate and then pour the mince over them. Should there be any mince left over it is even better next day. Leave it in the pan overnight with the lid on, get it bubbling again and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Can’t be bothered to do veg, then have it with some bread- it makes a marvellously messing filling in a roll!

Lamb

Half a lamb will give you chops, a shoulder joint, a leg joint, two shanks or small leg joints and a rolled belly. I cook the large joints the same way as I do the beef joints. If the joint is small- 1-2 lb- it will probably need a little more time that that given by the formula of 20 minutes per lb plus 20 minutes. I did receive a fraught phone call from a customer one Saturday evening – he had cooked his joint for the length of time given by the formula and it wasn’t done, what was he to do? Once the joint is cooked I pour the meat juices into a jug and put them in the fridge- it makes it easier to skim the fat off the top. Remember that the bone takes the heat into the joint while fat will act as an insulator. I used to roast the shanks until this winter when I tried them in the stew – wonderful, they really retain their flavour and moisture when cooked like this and yes I did drop them in whole; well fingers were invented before knives and forks! Now for the bellies: these are rolled so could be unrolled, stuffed and rolled back up again before roasting. Stew has been known to do this and it makes a most wonderfully rich meal. I always tease him that his stuffing tastes so good because he throws in every tasty ingredient he can find in the kitchen. I do roast the rolled bellies for longer than the time given by the formulae – a 1lb belly I would leave for an hour. The crackling the skin produces is gorgeous- oh, I know terribly bad for you but who cares! The best way of cooking them which I must admit I haven’t yet tried is to roast them and then finish them off on the barbecue. This really makes for a crisp crackling and drives out a lot of the fat. The guy who does all the butchery of our meat told me about this just afore lunch one day – I was practically drooling!

If any or all of the above is so darn obvious it hurts then I can only apologise.

Anyway all I can say now is ENJOY the meat.