Sunday 30 March 2008

Rump Steak and Aubergine with Green Sauce

Just a few fresh ingredients and some store cupboard essentials can turn the bland into the bleedin' marvellous. A flash-fried steak along with a lengthways strip of aubergine, more leftovers, and served on some toasted stale rye bread on a bed of spicy watercress. And with mint and parsley at hand, a green sauce of English mustard, anchovies and capers made for the perfect accompaniment. This amazing piquant sauce, a salsa verde to the connoisseur, is fairly adaptable to most meats and is by far and away my favourite sauce. 

Rump Steak and Aubergine with Green Sauce
Feeds 1

1 piece of good quality aged rump steak
1 lengthways slice of aubergine
2 tbsp olive oil
1 slice of rye or wholemeal bread, toasted
A handful of watercress
Butter

For the green sauce
A handful of parsley and mint
1 tbsp capers
2 anchovies
1 tbsp English or Dijon mustard
A squeeze of lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper
A splash of olive oil

1 - To make the sauce, roughly chop the herbs, anchovies and capers then scrape into a bowl. Mix in the remaining ingredients and taste. Adjust to your palate; you may want more or less heat, more or less sharpness etc.
2 - Heat up the olive oil in a frying pan, and then add the steak and aubergine. Cook the steak to your liking; see previous post for cooking times. Cook the aubergine until golden brown. Rest the steak for 5 minutes.
3 - Toast the rye bread and butter.
4 - To assemble, put the watercress onto the bread, followed by the aubergine and the steak. Top with a dollop of green sauce.

Thursday 13 March 2008

Roast Squash, Garlic and Pistachio Nut Soup

Roast Squash, Garlic and Pistachio Nut Soup
Feeds 4

1 whole squash, cut into segments and seeded
1 whole bulb of garlic, separated
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp chilli flakes
4 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
500ml vegetable stock
Soy sauce
A handful of pistachio nuts, shelled

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/GM4.
2 - Slice the squash lengthways into 8 pieces and remove the seeds. Place into a baking tray.
3 - Put the garlic cloves into the baking tray. Sprinkle in the fennel seeds and chilli and then the oil. Give it a good mix then place on a high shelf. Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and fragrant.
4 - Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool a little. Scrape the flesh from the skin into a pan and squeeze out the garlic from the cloves. Add the stock and bring to the simmer.
5 - Blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add a little soy sauce to taste.
6 - In a dry pan, roast the pistachios until fragrant and coloured. Roughly chop.
7 - Serve the soup in bowls with a sprinkling of pistachios, a little more chilli flakes and some of the roasting oil from the baking tray.

Mexican Bean Soup

Ingredients - Feeds 4 2 tbsp olive oil 4 spring onions, sliced 2 sticks of celery, diced 1 red pepper, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, sliced 2 ...