Benefits of a Jampacked Winter Pantry

If you’re anything like me, you may tend towards eating a little more in the winter months. Whether it’s an ancient gene rearing it’s ugly head from the days when our food ran off to hibernate and left us snacking on a pathetic assortment of weeds and berries, or just a subconscious need for comfort, it’s always a good plan to keep your pantry well stocked. This also allows for a quick dash from under the cosy covers to the kitchen and back, as opposed to having to dress warmly and brave the chilly freezers at your local grocery store.

To this end, we think Tina Bester’s Jampacked is the perfect choice for those of you wanting to stock up your pantry with essential sauces, pickles and preserves. Those little gems can be found in the first part of the book. The second part explores ways to successfully incorporate these into your favourite daily dishes. Here follows a warming and hearty recipe, perfect for chilly winter days:

beef and onion pie

Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil • 1kg beef steak, cubed 2 onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1 clove garlic, crushed • 60ml red wine 500ml (includes beef stock from page 81 of the book)
250ml water • 1 bay leaf • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme • 20 baby carrots, peeled
2 tablespoons cornflour 60ml water • 2 x 400g rolls store-bought puff pastry
flour for dusting • 1 egg • 2 tablespoons milk

Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add the oil and beef and cook in batches for 3–4 minutes or until browned. Add the onion and cook for 2–3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Add the stock, water, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1½ hours or until the beef is tender. Place the carrots on top of the beef for the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Combine the cornflour and 60ml water, add to the beef mixture and cook, stirring, for 4–5 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool completely. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Roll out one roll of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until 3–4mm thick and drape it over a 22cm pie dish to line the bottom of the tin. Spoon the beef mixture into the dish.

Unroll the second roll of puff pastry and cut out 10cm rounds and place them on top of the beef mixture, overlapping each round over the next until the top of the pie is covered. Lightly beat together the egg and milk and brush the top of the pie with the egg mixture. Bake for 25–35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Jampacked is available from all good bookstores. For more information, click here.