Featherblade two

Following the chance purchase of featherblade from Waitrose noticed at reference 2, I thought I would try some bespoke from Ben the Butcher. Not only could he do this, it even featured on his bags.

Weighed in at 1.562kg which I thought was probably a bit much for two, so I divided the meat into two portions and popped one in the freezer for another day.

Much the same drill as before. Aiming for 13:00, started the coarsely sliced meat in some melted butter at 11:25. Added the finely chopped onion at noon. Some celery and a little water, maybe as much as half a pint, half an hour later. Drained off the liquor at 12:25 and put the meat etc aside. Made gravy with the liquor. Partially cooked the mushrooms in the gravy, adding gravy and mushrooms back to the meat at 13:00. Ready for the off at 13:05, five minutes late.

In the margins, I had prepared some cabbage, cabbage which looks a bit like chou pointu in this snap.

Meat ready to go.

On the plate. Spot of Corona visible top right. BH still on the wagon.

I had fancied stewed apples for dessert, and I had thought that under my close supervision the apples would come out entire, as they used to be when bottled when I was small. But I did not fully succeed, partly through failing to sit and watch them cooking, partly because cooking apples, that is to say Bramleys, do tend to go to mush. Much easier to get entire apples when one uses eating apples. But they tasted well enough. Complemented the heavy meat nicely.

Enough left the following day, certainly when augmented with some miniature maize from India. Hand picked, so the packet from Waitrose informed us. Rather good, if a touch dear for a third vegetable.

What was left of the stewed apples was, indeed, a touch mushy. But still entirely edible and entirely suitable.

Part two followed a few days later, adding up to something of a festival of beef, what with cow chop in Vauxhall and special mince for the girls. Special in the sense that BH had been instructed in the matter of additives like onions, which were not allowed. She got away with a few orange lentils though. Probably best not to draw attention to them.

It is actually session two of part two snapped above, the give away being the piece of left-over potato sneaked in at the front.

References

Reference 1: https://www.bensbutchery.co.uk/.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/10/a-new-cut.html.