Cooking Together Steak Night – Prawn Bruschetta; Fillet Steak; Persian Potatoes;
We hope you enjoyed your evening with us, below are the recipes – if you have any questions for chef please do ask and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
You cooked:
Starter: Prawn Bruschetta with Romesco sauce and Pesto
Main: Fillet Steak with Persian Potatoes, Charred Tenderstem Broccoli and Café de Paris Butter
Dessert: Lemon Posset
Sourdough King Prawn Brushetta – Gamberi alla busarra prawns
Ingredients – Serves 6:
- – 6x Chunky slice of sourdough, toasted and rubbed with fresh garlic
- – 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- – 1 garlic clove, crushed and peeled
- – 1kg prawns, medium-sized, deveined
- – 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- – 1 small onion, golden, peeled and finely chopped
- – 60ml of dry white wine
- – 200g of sun blushed tomatoes, finely chopped
- – 1 dried chilli, crushed
- – fine sea salt
- – freshly ground black pepper
- – 1 handful of parsley leaves, minced
Method:
- Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet set over a medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the onion and cook until soft and translucent, stirring often so it doesn’t colour
- Add the prawns and cook for about two minutes per side, ensuring that they don’t overlap. Pour in the wine, increase the heat to medium-high and allow it to evaporate. Remove the prawns; transfer them to a plate while you carry on with the sauce
- Remove the garlic and add the tomatoes and crushed chilli. Lower the heat, cover and cook until the tomatoes have fallen apart and look saucy; add a splash of water if needed to help the sauce come together. Taste and season
- Now, put the prawns back into the skillet and stir to coat in the sauce. Increase the heat and sauté for about five more minutes, then remove from the heat and sprinkle with parsley.
- Serve on toasted sourdough rubbed with fresh garlic.
Roasted Red Pepper & Pomodoro Puree
Ingredients – Serves 6:
- – 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- – 1 1-inch-thick slice of crusty bread, torn into pieces
- – 1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped or slivered (can substitute hazelnuts, peeled)
- – 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
- – 1 teaspoon salt
- – 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, or canned whole tomatoes (including the juice) that have been de-seeded, or 1 pound fresh tomatoes that have been par-boiled, skins removed, and de-seeded
- – 1 8-ounce jar of roasted red bell peppers, drained
- – 1 tablespoon smoked paprika (preferred) or sweet paprika
- – 2-3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
Method:
- Sauté torn bread and almonds. Preheat the oven to 190C. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, sauté the bread and almonds, stirring often, until they just begin to brown. Add the garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- Process with remaining ingredients. Place the contents of the sauté pan into a food processor with the remaining ingredients—salt, tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, smoked paprika, vinegar. Purée until smooth.
Rustic Basil Pesto
Ingredients – Serves 4:
- – ½ a clove garlic
- – 1 big bunch of fresh basil
- – 1 handful of pine nuts
- – 1 good handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- – extra virgin olive oil
- – 1 lemon, optional
Method:
- Peel the garlic, then pound in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt.
- Pick, roughly chop and add the basil leaves, then bash to a paste (or pulse in a food processor).
- Add the pine nuts (very lightly toast first, if you like) to the mixture and pound again, then stir in half the Parmesan.
- Drizzle in some oil – you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency.
- Add most of the remaining cheese, then season to perfection with salt and black pepper. Have a taste and keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to give it a little twang, if you like, but it’s not essential.
Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini
Ingredients:
For the pasta (makes more dough than needed for this recipe):
- – 2 medium eggs
- – 200g ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
For the hazelnut pesto:
- – 25g whole blanched hazelnuts
- – 15g Parmesan (or a similar vegetarian hard cheese), grated
- – 1 tbsp hazelnut oil
- – 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
For the filling:
- – 150g ricotta
- – 500g grams of blanched spinach, water squeezed out of it
- – 50g Parmesan (or a similar vegetarian hard cheese), grated
- – 1 lemon, zest only
- – pinch grated nutmeg
- – salt and freshly ground pepper
- – knob of butter, to serve
Method:
- Put eggs and flour in a food processor and process until smooth. The mixture will look like breadcrumbs at this stage. Tip out onto a lightly floured board and bring together using your hands. Knead the dough until it’s no longer sticky. Cover and rest in the fridge while you make the filling and pesto.
- For the pesto, spread the hazelnuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 6–8 minutes, until golden brown, then set aside to cool.
- For the filling, mix the ricotta, parmesan, spinach, lemon zest, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper until well combined. Transfer to a piping bag or a plastic food bag with the corner snipped off.
- To make the pesto, crush the hazelnuts in a pestle and mortar, then gently stir in the Parmesan and oils.
- To assemble the tortellini, roll the pasta dough through all the sizes on the pasta machine starting with the widest setting and finishing on the smallest setting when the pasta is very thin. Using a 9cm/3½in round cutter, cut out 10 circles. (Any leftover dough can be frozen to use another time.)
- Pipe a heaped teaspoon amount of filling inside each pasta circle and fold in half to create a half moon shape. Wet the edges and press down to help them stick. Pull the two narrow ends together to form a tortellini shape.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta in the boiling water for 2–3 minutes, or until al dente. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, put a frying pan over a medium–high heat and add a knob of butter. Cook until lightly browned and starting to bubble. Then add the hazelnut pesto and gently heat through.
- Serve the tortellini with the pesto spooned over the top.
Tips for Cooking the Perfect Steak
Heat, heat and more heat! Choose your steak well, ideally use the butcher but if you are buying at a supermarket, remove the packaging sooner rather than later. Buy as thick a piece as possible, so if cooking for 2, buy twice the thickness and cut after cooking. The meat must be at room temperature before you cook it, and it must rest for at least 5 minutes after cooking. If cooking a bigger piece – it should rest for about half the cooking time. You can rest it covered with foil, on a rack (like a cake rack), to catch any juices.
Which ever cut you have, you just need your pan or a griddle pan, then you can finish the cooking in a low oven if it’s a thicker piece.
If your steak has a piece of fat on it, leave it on to cook, you can choose to eat or leave. But use the fat as a visual guide to cooking. As the fat renders it colours and the flavour joins the juices in the pan. If you have a steak on the bone – T-Bone or Tomahawk, cook with the bone in and remove before serving. The bone adds flavour to the cooking.
For these 5-6oz fillet steaks, we are in the region of 1-2 minutes each side in a hot pan. There are arguments about seasoning before or after cooking – both work….however do oil the meat directly…not the pan. Don’t move it until ready to turn and when you have turned the second time, you will get a feel for how you like your steak to be cooked! Don’t be afraid to poke it with your finger!
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Peal the squash and cut into chunky chip shape.
- Place the squash in a mixing bowl, add olive oil, season well with salt and pepper.
- Place on a tray lined with baking paper, bake in the oven for roughly 20minutes, or until all the squash is soft and cooked through.
- For the pumpkin seed garnish: mix the seeds and soy/tamari in a bowl and give them a good toss. Place on another lined roasting tray and bake in the oven for 8 minutes, while stirring around every minute or so.
- The seeds are done when all the tamari/soy has evaporated. Cool the seeds down for 5 minutes before eating.
- For the buttermilk dressing: place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until all combined.
- To finish this lovely side dish: place the squash chips on a plate, drizzle with dressing, sprinkle with chopped dill, pumpkin seeds and pomegranates.
Persian Potatoes
Ingredients – Serves 2:
- – 6 medium-sized gold potatoes, peeled
- – 3 tbsp olive oil
- – 2 garlic cloves, minced
- – 2 tsp coriander seeds or a little more than 1 tsp ground coriander
- – 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, more for later
- – 2 tsp ground turmeric
- – 1 lime, juice of
- – 1 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
- – 1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- – 1 cup chopped fresh dill
- – Salt and pepper
Method:
- Peel the potatoes and place them in a large pot with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and let them cook in the boiling water for 10 minutes or so. The potatoes should be cooked through but still firm.
- Drain the potatoes and let them cool briefly. Cut the potatoes in smaller bite-size cubes or pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet on medium. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes and coriander seeds. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the turmeric and the lime juice.
- Toss in the potatoes and mix well to coat. Add ½ of the fresh cilantro, parsley, and fresh dill. Cook for 4 more minutes. Add salt and black pepper to your taste.
- Remove from heat and top with more red pepper flakes and the remaining fresh herbs. You can serve this potato salad warm or at room temperature.
Charred Tenderstem Broccoli
Ingredients:
- – Broccoli
- – 1 tbsp sesame oil
- – Salt & Pepper
Method:
- Cook for 3 mins in boiling salted water.
- Cool in ice water to keep colour bright and stems crunchy.
- Place on a tray, sprinkle with sesame oil, salt & pepper.
- Then grill or blow torch to charr.
Café de Paris – Butter
Ingredients – Serves 4:
- – 150g butter, unsalted and softened
- – 2 tbsp diced shallot, sauteed
- – 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- – 2 Anchovy fillets
- – 1 tsp lemon juice
- – 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- – 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- – 1 tsp curry powder
- – ½ tsp paprika sweet
- – 1 tsp tarragon
- – 1 tsp chives
- – 1 tsp parsley
Method:
- Place ingredients in a food processor, blitz to combine.
- Place on cling film and roughly shape into a 20cm / 8″ log using spatulas or butter knives.
- Roll up, then twist ends tightly. As you tighten the ends, the butter will shape into a neat, firm log.
- Tie ends if needed to keep the shape. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm.
To use – Slice into 0.7cm (1/3″) slices, then let them soften to room temperature (so they melt easier). Place on hot steak so it melts – I use 2 slices each steak.
Leftovers – fridge 3 days or freeze 2 months (pre sliced for ease of use).
lemon Posset
This is an Italian classic, and is great for a dinner party – as it can be made in the morning.
You could crush up biscuits of your choice and put in the bottom of the glass. A classic Italian version would be an amaretti and serve a glass of amaretto on the side!
Ingredients: Serves 3- 4 Depending on dish size
- · 300ml of double cream
- · 60g caster sugar
- · 1 juicy lemon
Method
- 1. Squeeze the lemon
- 2. Bring the cream and sugar to the boil (careful it should just boil but not boil over). Once you see it boil – stay there and boil for exactly 3 minutes.
- 3. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the lemon juice
- 4. Strain this into a jug and leave to cool for 20minutes.
- 5. If you wish to put a crumbled biscuit in the bottom of the receptacle – this is the time to do it. If not gently pour the cream into the glasses.
- 6. Refrigerate for 6 hours minimum.
- Serve with fruit and edible flowers
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