Great British Beef Week

Ladies in Beef

Great British Beef Week 2019 returns 1st to 7th April, to champion quality home-produced beef as part of a balanced, healthy global diet.

In its ninth year and at such a significant time for world trade of British beef, 'Ladies in Beef' is calling for farmers, producers and beef lovers to join the celebration and help increase the global love for quality British beef.

The week’s key themes will celebrate the fact that beef forms part of the most popular dishes loved around the world and at home.

It will also help educate consumers about the environmental and nutritional benefits of beef as part of their diet.

We join the celebrations with three global classics, using British Beef.

Best of British Beef
...in not so British recipes


Beef Bourguignon

You'll need:

• 1.25 kg of braising steak
• 2 bottles of red wine
• 1 tbsp of chopped thyme leaves
• 4 or 5 carrots cut into large slices
• 2 onions, sliced 
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp of flour
• 3 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup
• 1 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce
• 250 g of bacon lardons
• 250 g of small shallots, peeled
• 250 g of small button mushrooms

Here's how:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 7. Cut the meat into large chunks and fry them in batches to brown thoroughly and set aside. In a large casserole dish, fry the onion, carrots and thyme. When the onions have softened, stir in the flower, the ketchup and the brown sauce. Add the meat and bay leaves then pour in the wine to cover the contents, just.

[TIP: Drink any remaining wine immediately!]

Bring the liquid up to a gentle simmer then cover and transfer the casserole dish to the oven for 2 hours.

In a separate pan fry the onions and lardons in a knob of butter for 8 minutes then add the mushrooms for a further 3 or 4 minutes. Stir all of this into the casserole and serve with a good scattering of chopped parsley.

Beef Stroganoff

You'll need:

• 400 g of beef rump
• 300 g of baby button mushrooms
• 400 g of papparadelle pasta
• 2 diced shallots
• 2 tbsp of flour
• 300 ml of beef stock
• 2 tbsp of Stokes Dijon Mustard
• 3 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup (or Bloody Mary Ketchup)
• 4 tbsp of crème fraîche

Here's how:

Cut the beef into very thin strips and brown well in batches then set it aside. Soften the shallots in oil then add the mustard, crème fraîche and ketchup, stir in the flour and return the meat to the pan.

Add the mushrooms and stir in the stock. Simmer and reduce the creamy stock. Cook the pasta to the packet's instructions and serve with the stroganoff and a scattering of chopped parsley.

Massaman Beef Curry

You'll need:

• 600 g of beef stewing steak 
• 400 g of new potatoes, cut in half
• 1 chopped onion
• 400 ml (1 tin) of coconut milk
• 75 g of unsalted peanuts
• 4 tbsp of Massaman curry paste
• 2 tbsp of Stokes Chilli Ketchup
• 2 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp of tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp of soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp of nam pla (fish sauce)

Here's how:

Cut the beef into chunks and pre-heat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 5.

Toast the peanuts on a baking tray for 5 minutes and set aside to cool. In a little oil, fry the Massam curry paste then stir in the beef. Coat the meat well in the paste then add the milk plus half a tin of water.

Add half of the nuts and everything else, combining the contents well before covering and putting it in the oven for 2 hours.

To serve, add the remaining nuts, some chopped coriander and thin slices of red chilli. Served with a light jasmine rice, this is a delicious classic.

Spring forward with Stokes

You can order the tastes of Spring - here

More foodie thoughts for the week:





Panorama's 1957 April Fool joke - 
inspiring delicious spaghetti dressings -  here.












Cooking with Mustard - 
re-defining 'tasty' with these delicious recipes - here.


 






Social Sharing - 
exchanging foodie ideas here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

April Fool's Spaghetti

April Fool 
& Spaghetti Sauces

A Panorama report on 1st April 1957 delivered one of the best broadcast April Fool's jokes, possibly ever.

They reported on a family in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino who were harvesting a bumper crop of spaghetti. The quality of the crop was put down to the mild winter and virtual disappearance of the dreaded spaghetti weevil.

The report contained footage of the traditional harvest festival. Discussions included the breeding techniques necessary to develop a strain of spaghetti that produced the perfect length to each string.

I wonder how they grow penne or rigatone ?

The farfalle trees must be truly impressive !



Now we have the perfect spaghetti, we need the perfect accompaniment...


Spaghetti alle Vongole

Here's how:

Rinse about 500 g of fresh clams in water, discarding any that are broken or open. Skin a dozen cherry tomatoes by sitting them in boiled water for a couple of minutes. Cool them and the skin will just slip off.

Cook 150 g of spaghetti to the pack instructions, drain and drizzle with a little olive oil (this stops the strands sticking). Soften 2 diced shallots and 2 grated cloves of garlic in oil, then add 2 tsp of Stokes Chilli Jam and 3 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup.

Stir in the tomatoes and clams with a glass of white wine. Pop the lid on and simmer gently for 3 or 4 minutes until the clams open. Add the pasta to the pan with a couple of handfuls of chopped parsley.

...with Meatballs

This recipe makes about 50 meatballs the size of golf balls. Use what you want this week and freeze the rest for next.

Here's how:

Squeeze the meat out of 8 pork sausages, combining it in a bowl with 1 kg of minced beef, 3 finely diced shallots, 90g of grated Parmesan cheese, 100g of breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp of Italian mixed herbs, 1 tbsp of Stokes Chilli Jam and 2 beaten eggs.

Season, combine well and form your golf ball sized meatballs. Freeze what you are not using and place the rest on an oiled roasting tray, drizzle with a little more oil and roast on a medium heat for 25 minutes.

For the tomato sauce: Soften 2 diced shallots and 2 grated garlic cloves in oil, add 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 1 sliced red pepper, 150 ml of red wine, 4 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup and simmer. Tear in a handful of basil leaves and add the meatballs, simmering them in the sauce for 15 minutes then serve with your cooked spaghetti.

Fritata di Pasta Carbonara

This is an unusual use of spaghetti, ideal for a lunch with friends.

Here's how:

Cook about 300g of spaghetti to the packet's instructions, drain and put it into a shallow pan with a knob of melted butter, 100g of grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, 150g of smoked ham or pancetta 1 or 2 tbsp of Stokes Dijon Mustard, 100 to 150ml of double cream and 4 beaten eggs.

Combine the ingredients over a medium heat until it starts to set and browns around the edges.

Now pop it into a medium high oven until the filling sets and flip the fritata out onto a plate. Let it cool just a little and enjoy it with a mixed salad.

Spring forward with Stokes

You can order the tastes of Spring - here

More foodie thoughts for the week:





Great British Beef Week - 
try these classic global recipes using British Beef here.












Cooking with Mustard - 
re-defining 'tasty' with these delicious recipes - here.


 








Social Sharing - 
exchanging foodie ideas here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Our Medley of Mustards

Marvellous Mustards

Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant. The whole, ground, cracked, or bruised mustard seeds are mixed with water, vinegar, lemon juice, wine, or other liquids, salt, and often other flavourings and spices, to create a paste or sauce ranging in colour from bright yellow to dark brown.

Three different mustards are fine enough to carry the Stokes brand. Two, we make to our own special recipes and the other is the only product we don't make ourselves so that it can carry its regional certification as Dijon Mustard,

Stokes Tasty Trio

Classic English.
It's a smooth and strong mustard but without the "burn". If you like mustard, you'll love this!

Cider & Horseradish.
Made with cider vinegar, British dry cider, horseradish and a blend of yellow and black mustard seeds this mustard has everything. You'll find it is sophisticated with delicious layers of flavour.

Try coating cocktail sausages in a mixture of it and honey for a party hit; or revitalise cold cuts of ham with warming mustard flavours and tangy bursts of mustard seed heat.

Dijon.
A strong, smooth mustard made with finely ground mustard seeds in the Dijon area of Burgundy, France. It's great with cold meats and the perfect addition to a mature cheddar sandwich.


...what else can you do with Stokes mustards

 These are a few simple, tasty ideas to help you get even more value from your Stokes mustard range.

BBQ Mustard Chicken - mix 2 x parts Stokes Original BBQ Sauce to 1 x part Dijon Mustard (adjust the balance to taste) in a food bag to marinate your chicken joints before grilling or oven roasting. 

Fired up sprouts - slice your sprouts into 3 or 4 and soften in rapeseed oil with finely chopped red onion and thyme leaves for 2 or 3 minutes. 

Add 2 tbsp of hot chicken stock, 1 tbsp of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard and a good squeeze of runny honey. Cook through and enjoy your sprouts.

Devilled eggs - take 2 x parts Real Mayonnaise to 1 x part Classic English Mustard mixed to a paste with the egg yolks and pipe the filling back into the scooped out egg whites. Dust with paprika to finish.

English Mustard Sauce -  Put 2 diced shallots, 150 ml of white wine, a bay leaf and 2 tsp of sugar in a pan over a medium heat. Simmer until the wine has reduced by half and the shallots have softened.

Stir in 2 tbsp of Stokes Classic English Mustard and 1 tbsp of our Cider & Horseradish Mustard with 200 ml of crème fraîche. Serve warm or cold with grilled chicken or pork. 

Mustard Crusted Potatoes - Boil halved
new potatoes potatoes for 7 minutes and drain.

Tip them into a large bowl with a finely sliced red onion, 3 tbsp of grainy Cider & Horseradish Mustard and a good glug of olive oil. Toss well to coat and transfer to a roasting tin. 

Roast for 30-35 minutes in a medium high oven until the mustard forms a golden crust. Toss gently in the tin and serve with your Sunday roast for a tangy change. 

Chicken & Leek Casserole - for a tasty lift to an ordinary casserole, add 2 tbsp of Classic English Mustard to the roux before adding milk and stock.

  


The Classic Croque Monsieur

Glam it up all you want but this is basically a posh toasted ham and cheese sandwich - but oh my, a good one is amazing. As with the key to delicious Stokes sauces - quality is all about ingredients. The better you choose, the better the end result.

Use good slices of a lovely grainy loaf for texture and flavour. The French use 'jambon blanc', but you'll get more from generous slices of English dry cured ham. And a mixture of a strong Cheddar with the oozily melting qualities of Gruyère is delicious.

It's crowning glory is the Béchamel sauce 

For the Béchamel sauce, melt 40g of butter until foaming. Remove from the heat and stir in 20g of plain flour to form a roux. 

Add 2 tsp Dijon Mustard (more can be added later to taste) and a light grating of nutmeg. Over a gentle heat, gradually stir in 425 ml of milk and cook for 3 or 4 minutes. 

Preheat to a hot oven. Spread the bread evenly with Béchamel and place the slices (dry side down) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Layer ham and cheese onto the sauce and top with the other slices, sauce side up. Sprinkle more cheese on the top and bake until the cheese browns and bubbles.

Marvellous Mustards

Order your Mustards and other Classic Condiments - here

More foodie thoughts for the week:





Great British Beef Week - 
try these classic global recipes using British Beef here.










Panorama's 1957 April Fool joke - 
inspiring delicious spaghetti dressings - here.



 








Social Sharing - 
exchanging foodie ideas here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Social Chit Chat

Don't miss the fun
on Facebook & Twitter


Our Facebook and Twitter posts offer you the chance to share some of your favourite foodie ideas. Time-saving tips perhaps. Magical midweek meals. Family favourites. Kitchen gems across the generations - just like granny used to make.

Please share, on Facebook and Twitter.

Now that's a tasty looking breakfast. Thank you for sharing Jenny. The Boardwalk in Rendlesham is well located for stocking up on their Stokes sauces, being just across the fields from The Old Stables where we make them.

We have a special 'Breakfast Collection', created for a really tasty start to your day. You can find it on our website here and in a recent newsletter here. Enjoy.

Even 'Warriors' tweet their passion for the quality of our Stokes Brown Sauce. You can smell the grownup difference the moment you twist off the lid. It is a lush sauce, rich with extra date puree, sweet with black treacle and a unique blend of Persian spices.

Our social followers were asked - given a bowl of fluffy potato wedges with crispy skins, which Stokes sauce would you like to dip them in. This newsletter article might help you decide - here - or take the Ketchup Challenge yourself.

More foodie thoughts for the week:






Great British Beef Week - 
try these classic global recipes using British Beef here.











Panorama's 1957 April Fool joke - 
inspiring delicious spaghetti dressings - here.



 





Cooking with Mustard - 
re-defining 'tasty' with these delicious recipes here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Eggplant, Brinjal - Aubergines

Simply Aubergines

With their glossy, dark purple skins, aubergines are one of the most elegant-looking vegetables you'll find in the shops. 

Its subtle and distinctive combination of textures and flavours - smooth, fleshy, creamy, smoky - make it a versatile and fascinating component of many great dishes. 

It used to be the case that we salted aubergines to remove bitterness and moisture. Now though, aubergines are rarely too bitter so this isn't necessary. 

Slices of aubergine can be griddled, sauteed, stewed or fried. However aubergines tend to soak up oil like a sponge. 

For a lighter touch, roast whole aubergines in a hot oven for 30 (firm) to 45 minutes (soft). Wait until cool enough to handle, then the skin can be easily peeled off and the flesh chopped and added to your recipe. 


Stuffed Aubergines

A great way to get the best from your aubergines is to roast them, stuff them and bake the combined showpiece for supper. 

Preparation:

To prepare the aubergines for all of the following dishes, cut them in half lengthways then score the flesh in a criss-cross fashion without cutting the skin.

Drizzle with lots of oil then, on a baking tray, put them into the oven at 180°C/gas mark 6 for 20 to 30 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, scoop out the softened flesh, leaving a reasonably thick wall of flesh and skin.

Add the flesh to the filling mix and you're ready to go.

Italian Stuffed Aubergine

Filled with mozzarella, olives and tomatoes, this is a meat-free marvel in an aubergine shell.

Here's how:

Prepare and roast 2 aubergines (as above). Fry a diced onion to soften it then add the flesh from the aubergines with 2 grated garlic cloves, 2 tsp of mixed herbs and a dozen halved little cherry tomatoes.

Stir in a handful of pitted olives with 1 tbsp of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard and 3 tbsp of Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup. Finally tear and generously add basil leaves and about 125 g of mozzarella torn into pieces.

Fill the aubergine shells, scattering the tops with breadcrumbs and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese filling bubbles a delicious invitation to serve.

Chicken Stuffed Aubergines

Chicken, garlic, tomatoes warmed though with the heat of smoky chipotle chillies. 

Here's how:

Prepare and bake 2 aubergines as above. Soften 1 diced onion and 2 grated garlic cloves in a little oil.

Skin and cube 2 chicken breasts, add them to the pan and cook through, adding the aubergine pulp and a tin of chopped tomatoes with 3 or 4 tbsp of Stokes Chipotle Ketchup.

Grate about 60 g of Cheddar cheese into the simmering mixture, season and fill the aubergine shells.

Now give them 15 to 20 minutes in the oven at 180°C/gas mark 6 and serve with a crispy salad. 

Quorn Bolognese Stuffed Aubergines

Here's one for Meat-Free Monday, replacing minced beef with Quorn. 

You will find other dliciously tasty Meat-Free Monday recipes here.

Here's how:

Simply replace minced beef with Quorn Mince. Soften chopped onions, celery, fennel and grated carrots in oil.

Add the Quorn and aubergine pulp, with 2 cloves of grated garlic, some Italian mixed herbs, sun dried tomato paste, lashings of Stokes Tomato Ketchup (or our Bloody Mary Ketchup), a glass of red wine.

Fill the aubergine shells and grate lots of cheese over the top before popping them on a tray and into the oven at 180°C/gas mark 6 for 15 or 20 minutes until the cheese browns and bubbles (they might need a few minutes under a hot grill to finish the gratination).

Stokes Tomato Ketchup - from vine, to fine

You can order your exciting, challenging, fun right here

More foodie thoughts for the week:





Cooking with Ketchup - exciting, challenging, fun. Click here.











Meat-free Monday - making Mondays 'great taste' days here.












Our clever kitchen team want to share their tasty tips here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Meat-Free Monday

Make Mondays Great Days

Every time we open the paper it seems we're given yet more advice on how to 'eat healthy'.

Advice is a good thing but all to often this week's 'must eat' was last week's 'don't eat'.

The bottom line is common sense and balance.

Meat-free doesn't mean taste-free, on the contrary...

Meat-free Bolognese

Simply replace minced beef with Quorn Mince. Soften chopped onions, celery, fennel and grated carrots in oil.

Add the Quorn with 2 cloves of grated garlic, some Italian mixed herbs, sun dried tomato paste, lashings of Stokes Tomato Ketchup (or our Bloody Mary Ketchup), a glass of red wine, tin of tomatoes and water (fill the empty can with water and use that).

Add vegan stock granules and, as we are not using meat, just 15 to 20 minutes of gentle simmering is all it needs.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana

This simple, southern Italian baked aubergine dish is packed with the flavours of the Mediterranean. It's probably because our tomatoes come from the region, that our Award-Winning Ketchup feels so deliciously at home in the bake.

You'll need:

• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 6 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 4 aubergines, sliced into thin discs
• 85 g of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• plenty of freshly torn basil leaves
• ditto oregano leaves
• 4 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup
• 1 beaten egg

Here's how:

Heat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 6. Cook the garlic, tomatoes and ketchup together in olive oil, simmering for 10 minutes to reduce the sauce.

In a separate pan with oil, cook the aubergine slices in batches for about 5 minutes on each side, then soak off the excess fat on kitchen paper.

In an ovenproof dish, make layers of aubergine discs first, topped with tomato sauce, a sprinkle of basil, oregano and Parmesan, repeating until the layers are complete. Pour the beaten egg over the top and a final scattering of cheese then bake for 20 minutes.

Molto bene !

 
Brie & Chilli Apple Tart

Hands up - I've never been confident with pastry, but really, trust me, this is easy. Once you have cracked this, there are all sorts of variations on the theme to play with.

You'll need:

• 1 sheet of ready made puff pastry
• Sufficient brie (or similar) sliced to cover the base
• 1 sweet green eating apple, cored and sliced
• 1 tbsp of runny honey
• 2 tbsp of Stokes Sweet Chilli Sauce
• 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds, roughly ground in a pestle and mortar.
• Pomegranate seeds (optional)

Here's how:

Roll the pastry out on a piece of baking parchment. Make a border by folding half an inch in on all sides and prick holes with a fork on the pastry base within this border. In a bowl, coat the apple slices well in the honey and sweet chilli sauce. 

Place the brie slices on  the pastry and cover evenly with the sticky apple slices. Sprinkle the fennel seed over the apples and brush the pastry border with egg yolk. Now bake for 30 minutes in a hot oven. If your teeth can handle them, a scattering of pomegranate seeds adds a decorative finish.

Sweet Chilli Tofu

Here's how:

Cut firm tofu into cubes and soak them in a marinade of Stokes Sweet Chilli Sauce, soy sauce, the juice of 1 orange (zest it first and keep the zest) and a little sesame oil.

Fry the tofu in sesame oil until brown on all sides and set aside. Floret a broccoli head and slice 1 or 2 red peppers then fry them on a high heat for 3 or 4 minutes to brown them.

Add 100 ml of white wine and 150 ml of water with  the zest of your orange. Simmer for 7 or 8 minutes then add the browned tofu cubes and the marinade.

Use 1 tsp of cornflour diluted in a small glass of white wine, adding it to the sauce to thicken it, then serve with rice. Simple, healthy and above all - tasty.

Deliciously sweet,

with a chilli zing

Order your sweet zing - here

More foodie thoughts for the week:





Cooking with Ketchup - exciting, challenging, fun. Click here.













Simply Aubergines - techniques and recipes to savour here.











Our clever kitchen team want to share their tasty tips here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150

Cooking with Ketchup

Italian Tomatoes 
   ...in a Bottle


Because tomatoes are the backbone of so many Stokes sauces, their quality and consistency are paramount.

We found just what we needed ripening in the Mediterranean sunshine on the hillsides of southern Italy.

We simmer to reduce and intensify a better, natural flavour and firmer texture.

An amazing 200g of beautiful tomatoes are reduced into every 100g of Stokes Tomato Ketchup.

When we created and were finally happy with our Award-Winning Ketchup we added some very very tasty twists:

There's ketchup ... and there's the 

Stokes Ketchup Range

 

Cook it with Ketchup

Taste should be - exciting:

By coating these Barnsley chops with Stokes Chipotle Ketchup before browning and casseroling them, we add the wonderful smoky heat of chipotle chillis and rich tomatoes.

Shake a good glug or two of our Curry Ketchup to simmering baked beans to add Asian spices to a richer, deeper sauce.

Stir Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup into a bolognese sauce for extra 'wow' and a rich tomato depth.

Stir Stokes Chilli Ketchup into gravy, soups and stews to heat a wonderful tomato base.

Taste should be - challenging:

Chips come in all shapes and sizes these days. Triple cooked and chunky; crispy skin-on French fries; and salted sweet potato chips are the three most commonly available pub chips.

I like lots of Stokes Tomato Ketchup with the chunky triple cooked variety, as they can be rather dry.

Sweet potato fries deserve something a little racier, such as Chilli Ketchup or smoky Chipotle Ketchup.

As for French fries, I like 'der rot und weiss' as they say in Germany - Stokes Tomato Ketchup for the 'rot' (red) and Stokes Real Mayonnaise for the 'weiss' (white).

Are you up for the ketchup challenge?

Taste should be - fun

Cajun Slaw - make a red slaw with finely sliced red cabbage, red onion and red Belgian endives tossed in a mixture of Stokes Chilli Ketchup, cider vinegar and sugar.

Easter Butties - crispy smoked bacon in a buttery hot cross bun with Stokes Bloody Mary Ketchup. The Easter spices in the bun with the BM spices in the ketchup are a  wonderful combination, perfect for that 'morning after' bacon butty.

Salmon Steaks - coat fresh salmon steaks with a mixture of Stokes Curry Ketchup, a dribble of honey and squeeze of lime juice before grilling.

Stokes Tomato Ketchup - from vine, to fine

You can order your exciting, challenging, fun right here

More foodie thoughts for the week:





Meat-free Monday - making Mondays 'great taste' days here.













Simply Aubergines - techniques and recipes to savour here.











Our clever kitchen team want to share their tasty tips here.

If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)

 FOOD MADE BETTER 

www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150