Hey Ho! Steak Lovers

Happy New Year, food lovers! It has been ages since I last blogged about food – doesn’t mean that I haven’t been chewing, chomping and generally enjoying local and world cuisines. Just had a lot on my plate- har har har. Bad jokes apart, still been taking in and capturing the visuals to get the saliva going.

I thought I would re-start this new year with a topic which draws strong reactions- steak! 

So, firstly, how do you verify how done your steak is? Below are some degrees:

I strongly recommend you go for Medium rare as it is the most juicy and mouth-melting experience you can come across. I am not a huge fan of Blue coz I really don't like my cattle mooing at me but I get it when people want that. 

Tthere is nothing like a good, juicy steak once in a while. But not just any steak, a well prepared medium rare steak which is so moist and tender that you could be toothless, for it just melts in your mouth. And what ho when it is charcoal grilled? Oh yum! Think cave. The main pic is one such steak, accompanied by polenta and veg. And wine. Mmmmm

I usually prefer my steak without any sauce, just some salt and pepper milled over it seconds before my cutlery does its fine work dissecting it into mouthfuls of atavistic delight. But I am not averse to trying different versions:

On the left you have a Saigon steak where the meat was pre-prepared with a rub of exotic spices and herbs (lemongrass a major ingredient)  before being char-grilled. It came accompanied with a small bowl of fragrant, fried rice. Steak and rice really works.  It was divine and in a favourite restaurant of mine which, alas, got closed down as the chef decided to move to another country. RIP Saigon steak. Sigh........

Here is me going with a bolder dish, steak in a wine sauce. 

Quick and easy sauce recipe? For 2?

Cook the steaks to your liking.

Pour 1 cup red wine into a skillet; scrape up and dissolve any bits of browned food in it. Whisk 1 cup beef broth and 2 tbsp Dijon mustard into the wine mixture and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Slowly whisk cream into the sauce and let stand to thicken, about 5 more minutes. Pour on our steaks. 

For a richer experience, you can put port and foie gras instead. For 2 again.

In a saucepan heat 1 tbsp olive oil and then add 1 finely chopped shallot and a clove of garlic, sautéing them until translucent.

Raise the heat to medium-high and toss in 1/2 pound foie gras cut into 1 inch pieces. Sauté until they’re nicely caramelized (be very careful not to burn the foie gras).

Once done, pour in 1/2 cup sherry and cook the mixture, scraping up the brown bits, until the liquid is reduced to a syrup consistency.

Add 1 cup heavy cream and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half. When reduced, transfer mixture to a blender  and blend the sauce until it is very smooth. Strain it and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour on your steaks

Here is another lovely steak, pan fried and accompanied by potatoes Dauphinoise (recipe below) and a wine sauce on the side. 

Put 250ml double cream, 250ml milk and 2 garlic cloves into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Slice 4 large potatoes to about 3-4mm, add them to the cream and simmer till cooked.

Make sure to stop the potatoes sinking and catching on the bottom of the pan.

Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place in a wide shallow ovenproof dish so that they are about 5cm in depth.

Pour over the garlic infused cream (discarding the garlic) – just enough to seep through and leave a little moisture on the surface.

Optional 50g grated gruyère cheese on top. Bake for 30 mins until the potatoes are soft and browned – increase the heat for 5 mins if not brown enough.

Here is yet another idea, why not chop up your cooked steak into easy to eat slices and serve with a chimichurri sauce? This is like an Argentinian kickass pesto.
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsps red wine vinegar
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
3-4 cloves garlic , finely chopped
Optional: 1-2 small red chilies finely chopped
3/4 tsp dried oregano
Salt to taste
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to release all of the flavours into the oil before using. Ideally, let it sit for more than 2 hours, if time allows.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina

Traditionally, the meat for Bistecca alla Fiorentina comes from an ancient breed of Tuscan cattle, called the Chianina. This breed of cattle is known for their incredibly flavorful meat.

Once cooked, the steak only needs to be seasoned very simply with a little salt and pepper.

In addition to being steak from a specific breed of cattle, this steak is also a very specific cut, a thick 2-3 inch cut of porterhouse steak! Tis best shared with someone as it is a rather big chunk of meat!

I checked out that this T-bone steak was bigger than my hand as you can see!

And lastly but gratuitiusly:

The savoury oatmeal

Oats and Oat groats

Who doesn't love an oatmeal porridge for breakfast? Especially one with fresh and or dried fruit and nuts, maybe a drizzle of honey, some seeds sprinkled here and there? Mmmmmm, right? Wrong!This kind of breakfast would make me heave. Why, you exclaim in surprise, this luscious mush will take

you straight to Health Heaven! 

No, thank you!

The reason? I am an ardent fan of Salt, of Sour, bring on the Bitter, gimme some Umami...but Sweet??? and especially for breakfast? BARF!

Alas and alack, I have been determined to try the wonders of regular oatmeal so the other day, I had an epiphany! How about savoury oats? I looked into it and my, oh my, oh my! It's like I have discovered the Holy Grail ( picture a smug look on my face). But hang on...let's start at the beginning..

You will find many different types of oats in the market. So what is the difference? The main difference is how processed they have been to reduce the cooking time. Gone are the days of our grannies when an hour cooking porridge would be nothing. 

Different types of oats

Oat groats (main photo of this post):This is the real stuff, with only the inedible hull removed. Cooking time: 50-60 minutes.

Steel cut oats: Also known as Irish or pinhead oats, are groats that have been cut into smaller pieces to speed up cooking. Cooking time:10-20 minutes.

Scottish oatmeal: These are your standard groats which have been stone ground. Cooking time: 10 minutes.

Old fashioned rolled oats: Groats that have been steamed and then pressed flat. Cooking time: 5 minutes.

Quick oats: like old-fashioned oats, except rolled thinner and steamed longer. Cooking time: 1 minute.

Instant oats: Like quick oats, except rolled even thinner and steamed even longer. Cooking time: 1 minute.  (This is the only product of the others that is usually processed in an additional way as sugar/colourants vitamins etc are added.)

And now for the fun bit: Savoury Oats. Mmmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmmmmalicious!

Boiled egg and chicken stock

I tend to use either old fashioned or quick oats.

To make savoury oatmeal, you basically need:

1. A base sauté (onions/ginger/garlic/tomatoe) This is dispensable if you are feeling lazy or don't have time. Or imagination.

2. Seasoning/Tamari/soya sauce...

3. A liquid: water/stock/miso/or whatever liquid you fancy to cook the oats in.

4. A topping: chicken /egg (fried, boiled,omelette)/ ham/ tofu/ quorn/ avocado....

Tomatoe base and ham

This is what I do for myself:

I fry a teaspoon of cumin/mustard seeds and once they start to pop,

I add some finely chopped onions and ginger.

Once these are translucent, I add the oats ( about 45 grams) and

1 cup of liquid. If you don't have broth, you could add half a soup cube or some bouillon but believe me, there is nothing like stock to make your brekkie mush heavenly.

Add salt/tamari/soya sauce if you used stock but not if you used a soup cube or miso, as these happen to be salty. 

Let the oats absorb the liquid.

When your oatmeal has the consistency you want, pour into a bowl. About 3 mins.

Chop some topping of your choice and throw on top. Add some fresh herbs if you like. And why not, some toasted sesame or sunflower seeds. Or nuts

Oh, and....some chillis or chilli flakes?

Enjoy!

Here is another idea for your breakfast: Oats with spirulina and topped with sautéed tofu and sesame seeds.

Spirulina and tofu

So, what topping do you use? 

Friends of friends...



Seared prawn and octopus salad on tomatoe coulis

An occasion will present itself, once in a while, when you not only know a chef ( Question here: When does a cook become a 'chef'?) but said chef will invite you to his/her's AND, cook for you. Remember the saying: "The tailor's wife is the worst clad?", tis very true for cooks and chefs too - an abiding memory of mine will be seeing the Japanese chef of an exquisite sushi meal, many years ago, in a 5 star, eating a Burger. lol

Such an occassion presented itself, a few weeks ago. An American friend knew this guy and asked if I would like to accompany her. So I, of course (duh!), said YES! Turns out, he worked as a sous-chef to Gordon Ramsey himself.

And between each freshly prepared course, regaled us with his stories from here, there and everywhere. We started with a delicious tomatoe and burrata salad (above). The vinaigrette was uplifted by the mix of fresh herbs: parsley, mint, basil and coriander.

Next came some bite sized morsels of fresh tuna on purple Peruvian potatoes, with a fresh sprinkling of herbs and some de-seeded chilli, for that extra bite. Along with this came stories of how our chef got started in the business.

It being the hot season, we had some more light and fresh tuna, this time quick seared and on a bed of squid, salmon and yogurt. Very fresh and melty.

And then the food became more serious and the type after which you lick your fingers ( and even the plate, provided no one is looking): King prawns cooked in the most delicious broth, I peeled, ate and then sucked head while my American pal pretended to, coz she had never done that before - lol. There are many places where meat and fish are sold in such a sanitized way that the end product doesn't look like it ever had bones and skin, let alone head and feet - Spain is most definitely NOT one such country. Just this dish, on its own, with some crunchy bread and a glass of white wine would send anyone on a straight trip to heaven, no layovers presaged. Mmmmmmm.

And last, but not the least, New Zealand lamb chops pan fried with confit endive and a sprinkling of goat's cheese.

'Twas all heavenly......Hurray for friends of friends who are chefs! Hurray for chefs! Hurray for food!








 

The Queenly Quinoa

Homemade quinoa and roasted veg

I don't know why I haven't mentioned quinoa considering how much of the stuff I hog! I discovered it a few years ago and man, oh man! Tis an ancient South American grain and so far, I have seen the red and white-ish varieties. And, not only does it taste nutty and yummy, it is also packed with nutrition and protein. And sooooooo easy to cook! Firstly though, make sure you WASH the damn thing- not easy as the grains are small but hey, use a sieve. And the actual cooking is easy peasy.

How to cook yer basic quinoa:
The ratio is 1 cup of uncooked quinoa to 2 cups of water/broth/miso. Bring quinoa and liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Homemade quinoa stir-fried with seitan

Once you have mastered this, quinoa will be the queen of your kitchen. You can add the cooked grain to a salad, use it instead of rice/couscus/pasta/potatoes ( obviously it won't substitute a creamy, buttery mash), heck, even use it to thicken soups, as they do in S America. Yummilicious! 

This grain is also a sporty person's dream - it is one of the few grains which contains all nine of the essential amino acids ( Of the 22 we need, 9 are not manufactured by our body and ergo called EAA). Most grains are low in lysine, therefore they are considered incomplete proteins. But, quinoa actually contains lysine, as well as all eight of the other amino acids, making it a complete protein, similar to animal proteins. How cool is that?

So folks, be brave and add this delicious grain to your table.

My O is for an Omelette....

Blood sausage & artichoke O, Restaurant Cañete, BCN

My body builder friends will call this their simple meal protein though heaven forbid they use the yolk. Such a shame to throw that rich yolk away though I get the cholesterol fest of 10-16 eggs with yolk included, eaten at one sitting. Be that as it may, us normal folk can enjoy a 2-egg omelette in all its glory from time to time. And oh my!

An egg is such an easy, fast and nutritious meal. Add almost any ingredient to it and you can elevate your already wonderful omelette to the title of Orgasmic Omelette to Die For. Check out my piece of heaven to your right - add a blood sausage and some artichokes and your soul will dance in delight. I MEAN, WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT? SLURP.......

Tortilla, Xampanyet, BCN

Then you have the slightly more time consuming version of an omelette, the Spanish Omelette or the Tortilla (NOT to be confused with the round, Mexican flatbreads). Whatever anyone might tell you, and believe me, they are lying through their eye-teeth, to have a truly orgasmic experience, you need to add tons of olive oil when you make this. I have tried making a healthier version with boiled potatoes/par-boiled ones/less oil and nope- you never get that rich, mouth melting sensation until you have used up at least half your bottle of olive oil. Sigh. Oh and I have seen some recipes online with butter (BUTTER! -Outrage!) and or milk and ignore those. Here is a decent one.


And then you have the Over The Top omelette which is your basic tortilla with- hang on.....Boloñese sauce (hysterical giggle), which I had to try in a random bar in Santander, a while ago. Was quite good, surprisingly enough!

The Three Truffled Tasties

Truffled fried eggs and taters

The season for fresh truffles is roughly autumn to December, which is when I look forward to eating this natural wonder, lightly shaved on here and there or crumbled or grated, as in the delightful preparation above which is: sauté some potatoes in a pan, break a couple of eggs on top and just when the eggs are done, add salt, switch off the flame, grate some truffle and sprinkle some parsley. Serve instantly!

For those who don't know, a truffle is basically an underground fungus - which sounds as gross as curdled and rotten milk ie cheese but in reality is a delight to eat ( as cheese can be). Edible truffles are held in high esteem in many European and middle eastern countries and figure highly in 'haute cuisine' due to their special but pungent taste. 

To the left is another way to eat truffle- a cholesterol inducing but oh so wonderful bite-ful of egg yolks injected with truffle and then coated in tempura and fast fried. Accompanied by straw potatoes, this amazing dish is served in a restaurant nearby. Put a yolk in your mouth, bite in and have an orgasm as the runny yolk laced with truffle oozes onto your palate. Heaven.

A lot of places do something simpler, which is to make pasta and simply shave some truffle on top. A good dish becomes an amazing dish with this simple step, just like adding accessories can change you from 'nice' to 'wow'. 


And lastly, why not, pay out for some divine mortadella infused with truffle. Simply amazing. Accompany with your favourite wine and voilá, you have a chic starter.

Snailsssssssss

Bové snails 'a la llauna´

Viñala snails with black pepper and ham

Snails are not everybody's cup of tea though in Europe, land snails are consumed regularly. The slime element is a deterrent for sure but when cooked, they are not slimy at all but almost firm, like a chicken thigh! Funny how we find slime so revolting almost globally and yet no one finds milk, which contains cow pus, as gross- oh well, that is for another post or maybe another blog!

Edible snails are either land, freshwater or saltwater snails. There are two main species of edible snails: the ones that have "helix" in the scientific name (for their spiral, circular shells) and "achatine." Helix snails are a European species.

Tis true that there is some prep needed to eat snails but a lot of food needs prep. I always prefer to eat these critters in a restaurant well known for making them. There is one such place about an hour away from the city, where I had a divine feast of 4 different snail dishes with 2 varieties of snails - the 'Viñala' and the smaller 'Bové'. On the top left, I particularly liked this latter variety of snail - small, firm and almost crunchy. Oven baked in a special oven dish or 'llauna', the garlicky oil with the parsley chiffonade made this delicious!

Next you see snails with black pepper and ham, using the bigger and mushier Viñala snails. Mmmmm

Did you know that the French word for snail, 'Escargot' is the common name for snails when they are to be eaten in a dish? Millions of pounds of snails are consumed around the world annually. In fact, there is even a day to celebrate it! May 24th is the National Escargot Day. 

There are many different types of edible snails in the world. The most common are:
Helix aspersa - also called the "small grey snail."
Helix pomatia - also called "the Roman snail."

Viñala snails with chocolate sauce

In California and Japan some edible snails are called Abalone.
In Greece they are called Tsalingaria.

In other parts of Europe and South Africa there is the Periwinkle Snail.

In the West Indies they eat a snail called the Queen Conch.

One of the 4 snail dishes we had was almost Mexican in its sauce; snails accompanied by pigs' trotters in a chocolate sauce - was an interesting combo as one tries hard to get rid of the sweet taste that chocolate is associated with in your brain to the actuality, a thick sauce with a small note of sweet and entirely devoid of the bitter which is characteristic of dark chocolate. It makes me wonder why chocolate isn't more often used in savoury cooking

Viñala snails cooked with chorizo

The last was a particularly tasty snail dish with chorizo sausage cooked into the sauce - doesn't it look delicious? The richness of this paprika sausage gave these little beasties a particularly spicy sort of taste....just thinking about it makes my mouth water. Is your watering too?