Red thai beef and aubergine curry

Ingredients to serve 4:

1 large onion
3-4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1lb braising/casserole beef, diced
1 large aubergine, diced
2 tbsp red Thai curry paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
400ml coconut milk (canned or made by soaking dessicated coconut in water and then straining through a sieve)

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic until almost paste-like. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until softened.
2. Add beef and aubergine and fry a few pieces at a time until browned.
3. Transfer to large saucepan or casserole and stir in curry paste, fish sauce and coconut milk. Bring to boil.
4. Cover and cook for c.1 hour until meat is cooked and tender. Alternatively use slow cooker (8-9 hours).
5. Serve with plain boiled rice and stir-fried pak choi or similar.

Roast Beef

Ingredients:
A roasting joint of beef (rib roast, topside etc)

• Weigh the joint and calculate the cooking time at the following rate*:

Rare: 20 minutes plus 20 minutes per pound
Medium: 25 minutes plus 25 minutes per pound
Well done: 30 minutes plus 30 minutes per pound

*Apparently prime cuts such as rib of beef and tenderloin need less time. Roasting it in a covered enamel tin will take a bit longer though.

When it's time to start, 

1. Preheat the oven to moderately hot (350ºF). 
2. Place the joint in a roasting tin. Standing it on a rack is supposed to help the bottom part of it to roast and not just boil.
3. Put the joint in the oven and roast it. If there is a lid, remove it at the beginning to brown the meat quickly at the start, and again at the end.
4. Make yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes as required.
5. Take the meat out of the oven five minutes before serving and move it to a warmed carving plate. Pour off the dripping into a dripping pot. Add some boiling water to the pan and stir over heat to get the dark brown beef extract off the pan.
6. Make gravy using the fat from the top of the dripping pot, thickened with flour, and then use the brown water from the roasting pan and the juices from the bottom half of the dripping pot.
7. Carve the joint at the table and serve with horseradish sauce, gravy, yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, and seasonal vegetables. Carrots, greens or peas and beans are recommended.