Beans and Sausages

01 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Beans, Dinner, Lunch, Sausages, Supper

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Tonight walking home from work I knew I had bits and bobs in the fridge that I had to use up.  But to be honest, none of it seemed that inspiring – and then I had an idea – beans and sausages.

No I don’t mean those cans you get in the supermarket (IE. made by Heinz and eaten on toast I really loved as a kid), but something much more wholesome and warming.

Searching through the fridge I knew I had a packet good quality pork sausages (left over from breakfast at the weekend) and I found one of those chorizo rings that everyone keeps buying and not using.  Hmmm, a couple of tins from the cupboard and……

Beans & Sausages (with Chorizo)bands

  • 6-8 Good quality pork sausages (2/person)
  • 225g Chorizo Ring (from most supermarkets or deli)
  • 1 Medium onion chopped
  • 400g Can Mixed Bean Salad (drained – I used Napolina)
  • 400g Can Cannellini Beans (drained)
  • 400g Can Tomatoes (chopped or whole plum)
  • 50ml White Port (Sherry, white or red wine)
  • 1 garlic clove (crushed or chopped finely)
  • 1 tbsp Tomato puree
  • 1-2 tsp Herbs to taste (Thyme, Marjoram, optional)
  • Salt & Black Pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Start with a little prep to make things easy, dice the onion (however you like it) and set aside.  Chop the chorizo ring into pound coin-ish (1cm) sized circles, and open the cans, draining the beans.  You can either cook this on the hob, or start off on the hob and throw it in the oven – I used a cast iron pot that I could use on/in both, but a frying pan on the hob and then a casserole dish in the oven is perfectly fine if you prefer – if using the oven, pre-heat to 180C.
  2. Heat the pot on the hob (with a bit of oil – I used garlic infused olive oil) and add the sausages and cook for about 5-10 minutes until brown all over.
  3. Once browned, remove to a plate and then add the sliced chorizo in the pot.  If you feel the pot is too dry, add a little oil (a tablespoon or so).  Cook the chorizo until it colours all-over and releases its oils and flavour into the pot.  Remove and set aside with the sausages.
  4. Making sure the oil is not too hot, add the onion and soften – stirring often.  The onions will turn a lovely burnished colour from the oils from the chorizo.  Gently stir them (without burning) and after about 3 or 4 minutes add the garlic and herbs for a minute.  I would use a few sprigs of thyme leaves (stripped from the stem) for preference – but I didn’t have any this time.  Dried thyme or marjoram work well here, just use what you have (I used the marjoram).
  5. Stir the onion mix for a minute or so more then add the white port to de-glaze the pan (a good slug or two by eye rather than measure is best).
  6. Once this is bubbling and reduced, add back the sausage and chorizo, and tip in the beans, tomatoes and tomato puree.
  7. At this point the “sauce” might be a bit thick.  I used a chicken “stock pot” and about 250ml boiling water (half fill the tomato can with water, slosh it about and add that).  Add salt (none) and pepper (a good grinding) to taste – I never add salt, instead I added a good dash or 4 of worcester sauce)
  8. Cook for about 5-10 minutes and taste.  Change the seasoning to suit.  Either keep on simmering heat for 15-20 minutes, or pop in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until the sauce is how you want it.

Okay some of the instructions are a bit vague, but as you cook it you’ll understand why and you’ll get it the way you want it.  This is just sooo scrummy.

It’s robust enough that you can have it with you’re favourite mash or some potatoes or even just some more veg.  Mind you do what I prefer – a huge bowl of crusty bread and butter (and a glass of wine).  Okay its a french cassoulet (ish), but if I’d called it that you’d have said it was too complex.  Honestly, its beans and sausages and its really really good.

This is an up to you recipe.  The basics are the sausages, beans and tomatoes, everything else is up to you.  Choose the sausages and pulses and herbs you like, add the seasoning that you prefer.

When de-glazing the pan, do what you like.  My preference is white port, its better that white wine, and has a sweetness and depth of flavour red wine will never give you (cooking is the only reason I buy it), but that’s me – not you.

But trust me, do what I did and try it, you’ll tweak and adjust.  But its still beans and sausages, and its still fab.

Blackcurrant and Lime Cheesecake

10 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Desserts

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What can I say I love cheesecake, its one of my favourite desserts when done right.  Having blackcurrant bushes in the garden (okay I’ve moved since so I’ll raid the farmeSAM_0232rs markets in future) does make you look for ideas and you can only make so much cassis.

I wanted something else to make and this baked cheesecake leapt out to me.  I love the sweetness of the blackcurrants against the sharpness of the limes.  Its a match made in heaven and one I’ve made a few times now.

Blackcurrant & Lime Cheesecake

  • 150g blackcurrants
  • 275g caster sugar
  • 200g hobnob biscuits
  • 65g unsalted butter, melted
  • zest of 1 lime
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 600g cream cheese, softened
  • 175ml soured cream
  • 2 whole eggs, 1 extra egg yolk

Cooking Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 150C, fan 140C, gas 1.
  2. Place the blackcurrants, 75g sugar and 1 tablespoon of water in a small saucepan and heat gently for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft but retains it’s shape, and is sitting in a pool of syrup.
  3. Transfer half the blackcurrants to a sieve with most of the juice, and press through a sieve into a bowl, discarding the remains in the sieve.
  4. Set aside both the pan of remaining blackcurrants and bowl of puree and leave to cool.
  5. Place the biscuits in a food processor and pulse until crushed. Add the butter and process again until combined.
  6. Line the bottom of a 20cm springform tin with baking parchment (I use Lakeland’s parchment cirlces) and press the crumb mixture into the base.  Refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes.
  7. To make the filling, beat the cream cheese gently until smooth, then slowly add the sour cream, remaining 200g sugar, eggs, lime juice and zest. The mixture should now be smooth and thick.
  8. Scatter the blackcurrants from the pan evenly over the crumb base and pour the cream cheese mixture on top. Add drops of the blackcurrant puree and swirl lightly with a skewer (or a knife) to achieve a marbled effect.
  9. Bake for 1 hour or until firm to the touch. Leave to cool at room temperature and refrigerate until ready to serve with any remaining blackcurrant coulis.

This might take a little longer to cook that the hour stated, as you want it set with a wobble when you shake the tin.

Asian Infused Steak

14 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Beef, Dinner

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Sometimes a bargain can’t pass me by.  The other day I was in a local supermarket and they had a couple of sirloin steaks reduced to a silly price.  Now I’ve worked in a butchers before and these were fantastic steaks (proper marbling of fat for that full flavour, and a good thickness too) and really nothing wrong with them at all.  I just had to have them.

Thing is a plain steak can be a bit dull, even a bit of sauce (pepper for preference, or a Madeira) didn’t seem that appealing to me.  I actually wanted something with an asian influenced flavouring, so I made one up.

Asian Marinated Steak

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  • 2 Thick cut sirloin steaks
  • 4 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sherry
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1-2inch root ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1.5 tbsp garlic infused olive oil
  • 2 tbsp soft brown sugar

Directions

  1. Okay before we start lets talk the marinade.  This is almost a perfect teriyaki sauce.  Change the garlic infused oil for sesame oil, and really the sherry should be Japanese rice wine.  Mind you I never have seem to have rice wine when I want it, but I always have some Harvey’s Bristol Cream which I’ve used as a substitute for years, and everyone seems to love the flavour it gives.  Also, to be honest, I use a lot of ginger…probably about a good 2 inch chunk (at least).  No apologies, I love the taste and actually it worked really really well.
  2. So, in a jug add all the ingredients except the steak and mix well.
  3. Either put the steaks in a dish and pour over the marinade, or get a seal-able plastic bag and add the steaks and the marinade.  Leave in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours.  I left mine overnight which I have to say meant the flavour really sunk in (but it did discolour the beef).IMG_0207
  4. On a griddle pan, or a grill or frying pan.  Cook the steaks until medium-rare – anything else is just criminal to be honest.
  5. Take off the pan, rest for a few moments, slice and eat with whatever you like.  A stir fry of sugar snap peas and red pepper might be nice.  Mine is shown with some new baby potatoes and a simple salad of tomatoes and cucumber…..and very nice it was too I have to say.

Okay this isn’t complicated cooking, and honestly doesn’t really look too impressive.  But the flavours are simply amazing – the beef after 24 hours marinating was so soft and tender it just melted –  and it was such a simple idea.  What’s more it created so many other ideas for me.  I didn’t have any fresh chilli in the house, but that or dried flakes would have spiced up the marinade.  How about a few spoonfuls of plum or chilli jam?  Fresh coriander? Lemongrass?

Like all the best ideas this one idea has spawned so many more.  Suddenly I have half a dozen combinations and now a simple steak suddenly has so many possibilities.

Oh and the other steak didn’t go to waste.  I finely sliced it and added to a mixed salad to make a fantastic lunch. (okay I had a bit more left over and in a crusty bread roll with onion marmalade it made an even better late night snack)

Lemon and Blueberry Tray Bake

11 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by in Cakes

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I don’t bake often, although I do enjoy it.  The problem is that baking for myself is too much, but then I do like to share my food so as a result I end up giving most of it away.  At work we have a “food table” that people bring in biscuits and sweets (from various holiday destinations) and occasionally someone makes something for everyone to taste.

I decided I wanted to make a sweet treat for everyone, and so a bit of searching about and I made the most delicious lemon and blueberry tray bake that, once cut up into squares, went down very well.  But as I forgot to take some photos, and I happened to have friends visiting, I decided that another batch was required.  It was just as good as I remember.

Lemon and Blueberry Tray Bake

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  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 250g golden caster sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 225g butter (softened)
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • zest of 3 (unwaxed) lemons
  • 250g blueberries

For the lemon syrup

  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 3-4 tbsp golden caster sugar

For the icing

  • 200g icing sugar
  • juice of 1-2 lemons

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 170C (Fan 150C/gas 3-4).  Line a tray-bake tin (I use Lakeland’s My Kitchen brownie pan which is 34cm x 20cm) with greaseproof paper.
  2. Put the flour, sugar and baking powder into a bowl, and make a well into the centre and add the wet ingredients and the lemon zest.  Using an electric hand mixer beat together until smooth (I gave it a quick mix with a wooden spoon first so that the flour didn’t go everywhere).  Once its all beaten together add in the berries and stir them through.
    IMG_0198
  3. Pour the mixture into the tray and make in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes – or until its risen and golden brown.  Remove it from the tin (keep it in the paper as it will be easier to handle) and place on a wire rack to cool.
  4. IMG_0199As it cools, heat the lemon juice and sugar gently in a pan until the sugar dissolves.   Using a cocktail stick, or a small skewer, pierce the surface all over and then carefully spoon the lemon syrup over the cake.  This makes it extra sticky and keeps it very moist.  You can skip this if you’d prefer, but I recommend it.
  5. Once its cool mix the lemon juice a little at a time into the icing sugar until you have a smooth spreadable consistency.  You’ll probably need the juice of one lemon and most likely most of the juice from another.  It just depends on the size of the lemons and how much juice they give.  Drizzle over the sponge and allow to set.  If you want you can sprinkle over some extra lemon zest at this point.
    IMG_0203
  6. Cut into squares, and scoff with afternoon tea.

These really are lovely and there isn’t much to making them, mix it all in a bowl then bake!  They didn’t last long at work, and they didn’t last long yesterday either.

As an alternative to the lemon icing, you could smother them with a lemon cream cheese topping:

Cream Cheese Topping

  • 50g butter, softened
  • 300g icing sugar, sieved
  • 200g cream cheese
  • 2-3 tsp lemon juice
  • 50g blueberries (optional)

To make,  beat the butter and icing sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the cream cheese and lemon juice, then spread over the top of the cake. Sprinkle over the blueberries (if using) and dust with icing sugar.

Thai-style Mussels for Supper

10 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by in Seafood, Starter, Supper

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I am a fan of seafood, and shellfish in particular and the other week for lunch at The Outsider in Edinburgh they served up classic mussels with a side of fries which was just delicious.
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So on my travels today I decided that for supper I’d make some for myself.  I was also thinking ahead to a weekend coming up with a few friends at a loch-side cabin.  What better lunch that a huge plate of mussels and bread to soak up all the alcohol we’ll be consuming?

Thai-style Mussels (for 4)

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  • 2kg mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
  • bunch of spring onions (or half dozen shallots)
  • 2 lemongrass stalks, outer layers removed and chopped
  • 2-3 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2-4 garlic gloves, roughly chopped
  • 2-4 red chillies, roughly chopped + 1 more to serve
  • Large bunch coriander
  • groundnut or other flavourless oil
  • 400 ml tin coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 lime, juiced + 1 to serve

Directions

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  1. Clean the mussels and run under cold water, tapping and discarding any that don’t open.  With mussels, any that are open before cooking should be thrown away, any that are closed after cooking should also be thrown away.
  2. Place the onions, lemongrass, chilli, ginger, garlic and coriander roots into a food processor and blitz to a paste (a bit of water can help).
  3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in as large a pot as you have.  Add in the paste and fry for 2-3 minutes.  Then add the coconut milk, fish sauce and lime juice and bring to a simmer.  Don’t let it over cook of you could split the coconut milk.
  4. Add in the mussels, place a lid on and steam for 3-4 minutes until they are all open (remembering to discard those that don’t).
  5. Place the mussels into bowls and scatter with fresh chopped coriander and sliced red chilli and serve with lots of fresh crusty bread to soak up all the flavours.

Okay cleaning mussels takes time, but this is just delicious.  A huge bowl shared with friends is a great starter to a meal, or just as a light lunch.  The garlic, ginger and chilli are all guidelines so add as much or as little as you like (too be honest err on the generous side).  I did this with just 2 red chillies, and while I don’t like too much heat it wasn’t quite enough and the flavour can handle 4 no problems, the coconut milk help to smooth the heat out.

If you don’t have all the fresh ingredients to hand, you could try replacing the ginger/chilli/garlic paste with a couple of tablespoons of good shop-bought red thai curry paste which would still give a fabulous flavour.

Sweet Potato & Spinach Bake

04 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in Lunch, Vegetarian

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The advantage of having your own vegetable garden is that you have a ready supply of fresh vegetables that you know are free from chemicals.  The downside is sometimes you have a glut of something.  This summer it was spinach, I didn’t expect it to seed so well, or grow well with all the rain.  Fortunately I also have lots of friends who I like to cook for and so a glut turns into lunch.

I also helps that I love having people over for lunch at the weekend, so I needed to find something to use up lots of spinach as well as being filling and delicious.  A quick search and I found this fabulous bake courtesy of BBC Food.

Sweet Potato & Spinach Bake

Sweet Potato and Spinach Back

  • 300ml single cream (or double if you feel indulgent – I always do)
  • 1 garlic glove, peeled
  • 2 sprigs thyme (or rosemary)
  • 250g bag frozen spinach
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • butter
  • 850g sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3mm think) – I used my mandolin
  • 25g grated hard cheese (Parmesan or veggie equiv.)

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the cream, garlic and herb sprigs into a small saucepan and slowly bring to just below boiling. Turn off the heat, season and leave to infuse.
  2. Put the spinach into a colander, pour over a kettle of boiling water and leave to drain for a few mins. Then squeeze out as much water as possible. Season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
  3. Grease an ovenproof dish generously with butter and spread half the sweet potato slices across the bottom. Top with a layer of spinach, then the remaining potato. Pour over the cream mixture, through a sieve to remove the garlic and herbs, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 45-55 mins until golden and tender.

That’s it, easy-peasy.  I probably used more fresh spinach and just wilted it with almost boiling water from the kettle, and a couple of garlic cloves rather than just one.  I also used thyme – although the original recipe says you can use rosemary, it didn’t appeal to me.  I just served this with a huge bowl of salad (mixed leaves, halved baby plum tomatoes, sliced cucumber, sliced red and yellow peppers and finely sliced half-moons of red onion) and lots of fresh crusty bread with butter.

This is a delicious vegetarian lunch dish.  You could use it as a side dish (like dauphinoise potatoes), but why complicate things?  It should feed 4 people easily and perhaps 6 as a side.  I made a dish and a half for 6 as a main.  Oh and I apologise for pinching the photo…..I made this long before I started taking photos of everything I eat.

Lazy Sunday Lunch

24 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by in Chicken, Dinner, Lunch

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I know that some kind of roast joint is traditional for Sunday lunch, but for me it’s a slow cooked meltingly tender casserole that fills the house with such fabulous smells, or it’s a simple chicken roasted in the oven.  So today I made both.

I’ll deal with the casserole another day, having picked up a lovely free-range, organic chicken I thought that all it needed was something simple to bring out the best flavour.

Lemon and Thyme Roast Chicken

Lemon&Thyme Roast Chicken

  • 1 free range, organic roasting chicken (about 1.75kg)
  • 2 lemons
  • 6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme (2 tsp dried)
  • 2 medium onions, sliced (just leave the skins on)
  • handful of smoked lardons (optional)
  • pepper
  • 35g butter, softened

Directions

  1. Preheat the over to 190 C/170 C Fan/Gas 5.
  2. On a clean board take the chicken and gently use your fingers to separate the skin of the chicken from the breast.  If using dried thyme (or strip the leaves from the fresh stalks) mix this with the softened butter.  
  3. Using your fingers carefully spread the herb butter mixture between the skin and the breast.  Alternatively just spread the butter and carefully push the whole thyme sprigs under the skin.
  4. In a roasting tray scatter the onions in the centre to create a trivet base for your chicken to sit on (they will help add flavour to the juices that you can use to make gravy and protect the bottom of the chicken from the heat of the oven)
  5. Cut the lemons into quarters and squeeze 2-3 quarters over the chicken.  Place a further 2-3 quarters into the cavity of the chicken with most of the lardons (add some extra thyme if you want).  Place the chicken on the bed of onion slices and add the remaining lemon and lardons around the chicken (I also added a few more springs of thyme).
  6. Season the chicken with a very generous amount of fresh black pepper (and sea salt if you must – I don’t) and roast in the over for 45 minutes/kilo plus 20-30 minutes (so in this case about 1h 35m). Test the chicken near the end of the time by putting a skewer through the thigh.  The juices that come out should be clear with no trace of pink.
  7. Once cooked, lift the chicken from the tray and set-aside covered in tin foil for about 10 minutes before carving and serving.  The juices in the tray should be strained and the fat skimmed off to make the gravy.

That’s it.  Simple, no fuss and delicious.  Do what I did and serve with a few roast potatoes and your favourite vegetables.  You can leave out the butter if you want, but it helps keep the chicken really moist.
Lemon&Thyme Roast Chicken
It’s also easy to adjust the flavours, fresh tarragon is wonderful instead of the thyme or crush 3-4 cloves of garlic and mix with the butter.  Another fab version is to mix a Cajun spice rub (you can get a ready-made mix) with the butter.  Regardless of which option I make, I always make sure there are left-overs to make a wonderful chicken salad lunch.

I always used to think that roast chicken was something difficult, now its something I do without even thinking about it.

Sweetcorn Risotto

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in Chicken, Dinner, Rice, Vegetarian

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Its the end of the festive holidays and I wanted something comforting for dinner, but also something that felt a bit indulgent.
IMG_0044 A few weeks back I had friends over mid-week for dinner and I made sweetcorn risotto and it was really excellent.  This was inspired by a fabulous bistro in Edinburgh called Spoon where I had first tried this dish and I wanted to make it for myself.

Sweetcorn Risotto with Ginger Soy Chicken

for the risotto (serves 6)

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  • 2 x 340g tins of sweetcorn drained and rinsed (use fresh if you can get it about 2 1/2 cups or 4 ears of corn)
  • 2 onions chopped finely (I used red onions)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 2 ltrs chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice (ie risotto rice)
  • 3/4 cup dry white wine (I substituted this with white port)
  • 2/3 cup grated Parmesan

for the chicken

IMG_0041

  • 12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (ie 2/person)
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp garlic infused olive oil
  • 3 tbsp honey (or agave nectar)
  • 1 inch ginger grated or finely chopped

Directions:

IMG_0043

  1. Trim any excess fat from the chicken and place it in a sealable bag with the ginger, soy, olive oil and honey.  After ensuring that all the chicken is well coated, place in the fridge for a couple of hours, or overnight.
  2. Blitz about half the sweetcorn in a food processor or blender until they are roughly chopped and milky.  Scrape out and remix with the remaining whole kernels.
  3. In a large soup pot (and make sure its a large pot), saute the onion in the olive oil and butter until its softened and translucent.
  4. At the same time in another saucepan have your stock warmed through to just below simmering.
  5. Once the onions are soft, add in the rice and stir gently with a wooden spoon for two minutes.  Next add in the wine (or port or vermouth) and stir until this has been absorbed.
  6. Now add in a ladle full of the heated stock and all the sweetcorn and stir.  Keep this at a gentle simmer until almost all the stock has been absorbed into the rice, then add in another ladle of stock.
  7. Keep repeating the process of adding in a ladle of stock until its absorbed and add another, stirring frequently.  This will take about 25 minutes (setting a timer might be a good idea), or until the rice is al dente.  You may not need to use all the stock and the rice should be firm and no longer crunchy, with a creamy sauce formed around it.
  8. At this point add the Parmesan and if you want a little chopped parsley.
  9. When there is about 10 minutes to go take the chicken from the bag and either griddle, fry or cook under a grill until ready.
  10. Plate up, sprinkle with chopped herbs (coriander is nicer than parsley in my book) and few shavings of Parmesan, serve and eat!

This really is delicious, and in fact don’t bother with the chicken and have a bowl of this on its own for a really nice supper.  In the photos I’d halved the amount of the risotto ingredients and it still made enough for 3 people, which means I have leftovers for tomorrow.

I also didn’t have any white wine in the house so used some white port instead and it worked really well.  For a nice vegetarian dish use vegetable stock and roast some butternut squash with a little oil and thyme in the oven and serve on top of the risotto.

Risotto is a lot of stirring at the hob, but the results are worth it and you won’t believe how good this tastes.

Leftover Chicken Salad for Lunch

06 Sunday Jan 2013

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I love to make roast chicken (or cheat and pick up a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket) but I always have lots of leftovers.  So as I was needing something to have for lunch at work I decided to make a chicken salad to add to a wrap and sandwiches.  However I wanted something a bit nicer that the usual chicken and sweetcorn, and while chicken veronique is normally a hot dish, the flavours transfer wonderfully to a cold chicken salad.

Chicken Salad Veronique

  • 2 cooked and cooled chicken breasts (I used leftovers from a roast chicken)
  • 1/2 cup (2 large tablespoonfuls) good Mayonnaise
  • 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon (about half a shop bought packet)
  • 1/2 cup seedless green grapes cut in half (about a dozen or so should be enough, but add as many as you like).
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste.

directions:

  1. Cut the chicken into 3/4 inch dice.
  2. Place the chicken, mayonnaise, tarragon and grapes into a bowl and add pepper (and salt if you must) to taste and mix well.

Okay there is nothing too this recipe really, but the flavours are lovely.  If you want a bit of extra crunch you could add some chopped celery (I just can’t stand the stuff).

I also find that mayonnaise on its own can be a bit thick so you could thin it down by using half mayo/half creme fresh or add a drop of cider or tarragon vinegar to the mix.

If you really want to add to the anise flavour you could even add a splash of Ouzo.

Quick Surf & Turf

02 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Beef, Seafood

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Sometimes when your out and about you see something that you just know you want for your dinner and wander through M&S is always dangerous.  However a simple pack of fresh cooked prawns in garlic butter (which were reduced anyway) and a sirloin steak conjured up a quick surf and turf.

Quick Surf & Turf

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  • Thick cut sirloin steak (fat trimmed if you prefer)
  • Pack of M&S Garlic & Parsley Prawns
  • 1/2 dozen asparagus spears
  • handful carrot batons

 

Rub the steak with a little garlic infused olive oil and a good twist of fresh black pepper.  Place on the heated griddle with the asparagus.  At the same time cook the carrots how you prefer (steam/microwave/boil), baring in mind that the steak will take about 7-8 minutes all in.

IMG_0037After about 2 minutes (depending on how you like your steak and the thickness) turn the steak over and turn the asparagus.  After a further 2-3 minutes remove the steak to a warmed plate and cover with foil to rest.  Tip the prawns onto the griddle and warm through and allow them to pick up the flavours of the steak.

Add the prawns, asparagus and carrots to the plate, sit down and enjoy!  This was such a simple thing to cook taking about 10-15 minutes all in.  Okay I cheated a little but sometimes life is too short (and the prawns were only 160 Calories).