Steak with ratatouille, broad beans, and a red wine cream and porcini sauce.
I don't think you can ask much more from a spring Friday than pulling out some chairs to sit in the last hour or so of sun with a few beers and the stereo set to very loud. And keeping with the simple pleasures, a nice bit of eye fillet for dinner.
There it is above, well camoflagued by a blob of ratatouille which may or may not believe was carefully formed in a dariole mould.
Steak - 500gm piece of eye fillet tied with my nifty silicon ties to keep its shape and marinated in olive oil, garlic and rosemary pestled together with ground pepper and a splash of balsamic. Seared all round in goose fat in a pan and then finished in a hot oven. Allow to rest and then slice. It wasn't quite right so I finished each piece back in the pan.
Sauce - Pan deglazed with red wine with a very finely chopped eschalot. Reduced by a half and then I added a few tablespoons of cream with a couple of pieces of dried porcini ground down to dust. Reduce to taste and season.
Broad beans - peeled from the large pod and then boiled insalted water for 6 minutes then peeled again down to the inner pod and then cooked in butter before serving.
Ratatouille - not a proper one, I hate capsicum, but same principle. One zucchini cubed and brown a little in some olive oil and removed. Sauteed one chopped red onion and garlic. Zucchini back in with some chopped asparagus pieces as well as four peeled and deseeded chopped tomatoes and a little tomato puree. Some chopped rosemary as well. Cook til it's nicely cooked through without becoming mush and then season to taste.
I enjoyed this a lot. One of the busiest things I've ever made but it all seemed to pull together somehow - think meaty creamy tomatoey acidic earthy with a hint of vinegar. Sorry it's a rather bright picture of it.
I'd also like to recommend frozen turkish delight bars for dessert. Highly amusing and the wrapper obviates the need for a PSP.
6 Comments:
Anthony
have you got any good recipies for cookies and any storage solutions??
Anon
10/03/2006 10:42:00 am
It is so strange to imagine you having beers outside, when we are getting ready for Autumn and Winter. The ratatouille season is over, and we won't get any fresh asparagus until April. I would never have thought of adding them to a ratatouille, I will try that in the spring.
10/03/2006 04:30:00 pm
Damn, that looks delish.
10/04/2006 03:30:00 am
Hi Anon
No, I'm afraid I don't make cookies and tend to store them briefly in my mouth.
Hey Gracianne
Such is the way of the world, asparagus are great at the moment here, as is the beer. The asparagus is just there for a bit of colour and crunch sans capsicum.
Hola Avatar
Ooh aye it was.
10/04/2006 06:24:00 pm
Mmmmm - looks divine. So you peel your broad beans twice AND cook them in butter?? Just a quick sautee or what? I have lost the will to live by the time I have podded each bean the second time and can just about manage a quick reheat in the microwave before dousing with olive oil and jamon iberico nuggets. OK, actually, I'm lying. I find the podding process quite relaxing. Out. More. Get. Must. I.
10/11/2006 09:45:00 pm
Nah actually I had lovely assistants for this task but yes it is kind of soothing, as is podding peas. It's top and tailing beans that gives me the shits. I also like that you end up with so little. It's like diamond mining.
Just some butter to heat them through for yum.
Actually I remember Face magazine wondering who the hell would find chopping vegetables relaxing (contra playing Tomb Raider in Evisu jeans). Where's Face magazine now hey? Hey?
10/12/2006 08:10:00 am
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