Food... for thought

Wow... I really had to scrach my head before logging in to post a blog again, eish... "Met ys ja!" but that is a story on its own... more to follow.
Last week I was doing some shopping and spied soft shin... this was at a bargain price so I nabbed about 750g... had soup in mind, however today I decided to use it in a stew/casserole type dish.
As it can be tough due to sinew and binding tissue I recomend ripening it at least 2 days before use and the marinade also tenderised it perfectly.
Here is my recipe for marinated Soft Shin with Sweet Potato:

750g soft shin
750g sweet potato
500g carrots
Large onion
Packet of oxtail soup
Dried fruit 250g (optional)

Marinade
A pinch of dried garlic, pinch of aniseed (this can be pungent so rather use very little), 2 tablespoons of whole coriander, some cooking oil or olive oil (about 3 tablespoons) and a tablespoon of vinegar. Grind the spices and garlic in a mortar and pestle... sprinkle over meat on both sides after placing in a dish, sprinkle oil and vinegar over meat... let it all rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour, turning from time to time.

Preperation
Dice the marinated soft shin and prepare the vegetables also (unless you bought ready prepared like I did). Nuke the veggies in the microwave for around 6 minutes to par cook.
Heat a pan or saucepan with some olive oil and proceed to brown the meat, add the onion to glazed state before adding 2 cups of water (cover the meat) and simmmer while preparing the soup.
Add 250ml of water to a bowl and add the soup powder... stirr and let it stand for a few minutes while you add the carrots and sweet potatoes on top of the meat, adding some veggie sprinkle at the same time. One can also add some dried fruit at the same time, I used some apricots. Stir the soup one last time and pour over the veggies and replace the lid... let it all simmer on very low heat for at least one hour... this gives you time to make some rice to go with the dish and knock together a salad. Pick up daughter from class and tuck in!

Ja... Poppet has moved in and it really great having her here... although the getting up for school has put paid to my 7 am wake up and dash to the office routine... all good I say.
"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients." Julia Child (1912 - )