This week’s selection, grabbed from the shelf at random, was Women’s Weekly Country Cooking. It’s  cook book that usually only gets considered in the colder months although it has recipes for all seasons. Today however, was virtually a winter’s day. It was freezing this morning when we went to the farmers market and I went out at lunchtime and it was still only 10 degrees. It rained off and on all day and there were several hail storms. Definitely a day for winter style comfort food. Corned beef with creamy onion sauce was the selection from the book and it was teamed with mashed potato and kohlrabi, parsnip and broad beans braised in lemon and garlic. Most comforting indeed.

Corned Silverside with Creamy Onion Sauce
adapted from Women’s Weekly Country Cooking.
2kg piece corned silverside
1 onion halved and studded with 4 cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon muscovado
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Creamy Onion Sauce
60g butter
1 large onion
1 1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

  1. Place meat in large saucepan and cove with water. Bring to boil and drain.
  2. Cover with fresh water add onion, muscovado and vinegar, bring to boil, simmer 2 hours.
  3. Remove, drain and discard onoin and spices
  4. Stand for 5 minutes before carving

To make sauce

  1. Chop onion ( 8 seconds on speed 7 in thermomix)
  2. Heat butter in pan, add onion, cook until soft (10 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1 in thermomix)
  3. Add tapioca starch, milk and parsley, heat and stir until thickened (4 minutes, 100 degrees, speed 1 in thermomix)

Kohlrabi, parsnip and broad beans braised in lemon and garlic
1/2 kohlrabi, julienned
1 baby parsnip, julienned
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
juice 1 lemon
1 cup vegetable stock

  1. Melt butter in sauepan. Add vegetableas and garlic and stirfry for 3 – 5 minutes.
  2. Add lemon juice and stock and simmer until vegetables are tender.