Sunny Autumnal days bring with clear starry night skies, frost and icy conditions hailing Winter’s onward approach over the horizon. Temperatures soon drop as the skies clear, and what better spice to bring you warmth is Star Anise, it’s aniseed flavours and smells bring with it a heady warmth to keep away Jack Frost wintry fronds.
So with this in mind, this week’s recipes feature the spice Star Anise, they are:- Star Anise Biscuits, Spiced Braised Beef Pie & Maple & Star Anise Roasted Plums.
Star Anise Biscuits Recipe by James Martin, courtesy of BBC GoodFood Magazine April 2009.
Makes 24, Prep 10mins, Cook 15mins + chilling
50g x Butter
2 tbsp x Light Demerara Sugar
1 tbsp x Golden Syrup
1 tbsp x Treacle
½ tsp x Ground Star Anise
140g x Plain Flour, plus a little extra
¼ tsp x Bicarbonate of Soda
A Little Oil, for greasing
Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Put all the ingredients except the flour and bicarb in a pan and heat until melted. Sift the flour and bicarb into a bowl, then stir in the wet ingredients to form a soft dough. Bring together with your hands into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill for 30mins.
Dust a board, then thinly roll out dough. Lightly oil a baking sheet, stamp out 24 x 6cm circles and place on the sheet. Bake for 10-15mins until golden and firm to the touch. Leave on the tray for 5mins, then transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.
Spiced Braised Beef Pie Recipe by Angela Boggiano, courtesy of BBC GoodFood Magazine November 2013.
Serves 6, Prep 20mins, Cook 2hrs + cooling
2 tbsp x Vegetable Oil
1kg x Braising Steak, cut into 2½ cm chunks
1 x Large Onion, finely chopped
2 x Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
A Small Piece of Ginger, finely chopped
2 tsp x Szechuan peppercorns
25g x Plain Flour, plus a little extra for dusting
1 tbsp x Tomato Purée
3 x Medium-sized Carrots, cut into large chunks
2 x Star Anise
1 x Cinnamon Stick
100ml x Soy Sauce
3 x Red Chillies, left whole, but pierced
1 x 375g Pack of Ready Rolled All-Butter Puff Pastry
1 x Egg, beaten
Heat half the oil in a heavy-based flame-proof casserole pan on a medium heat. Fry the meat in batches until browned, then remove from the pan and set aside. Turn down the heat, add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the onion, garlic and ginger for a few mins until starting to soften. Crush the Szechuan peppercorns using a pestle and mortar, then add the flour and mix well. Add the spiced flour to the onion, mix well until all the onion is coated, then return the meat to the pan along with the tomato purée, carrots, star anise and cinnamon. Give everything a good stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 min.
Add the soy sauce, chillies and 400ml water. Bring up to a simmer and cook very slowly – the sauce should be bubbling gently but not boiling – for 1½ hours until the meat is really tender. Leave to cool.
Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Once cool, spoon the filling into a 2-litre pie dish, removing the cinnamon stick, chillies and star anise. Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface until it is about 2cm larger than the dish. Put a pie funnel in the middle of the pie (it will stop the pastry sinking and becoming soggy).
Brush the edges of the dish with a little of the egg to help the pastry seal. Lay the pastry over the top, pressing down well. Pierce centre and trim off the excess pastry with a sharp knife. Brush liberally with egg and bake for 30-35mins.
Maple & Star Anise Roasted Plums Recipe by Mary Cadogan, courtesy of BBC GoodFood Magazine September 2008.
Serves 2-4, Prep 25mins, Cook 50mins
700g x Plums, or a Mix of Plums, Greengages and Mirabelles
Juice of 2 x Large Oranges
3 x Star Anise
3-4 tbsp x Maple Syrup
Mascarpone or Greek Yoghurt, to serve
Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Arrange the plums in a single layer in a 1-litre gratin dish. Pour over orange juice, tuck star anise among the plums, drizzle over the maple syrup, then gently stir. Bake for 30-35 mins until the fruit is soft but not collapsed. Serve warm or cold with mascarpone or yogurt on the side. The roasted plums can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tune into my show on 6 Towns Radio Sunday morning 8-10am “Under the Covers with TheRealTonyc” at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.
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Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D
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