healthyfood

My Perfect Steak Tartar

My Perfect Steak Tartar

I first had Steak Tartar in The Ivy, London. So from the outset, the benchmark was set pretty high!

I totally adore this dish and had to get it right, a lot of research went into it.

My weekend treat with a lush glass of Rioja! Lush!!

Serves 1

250g Piece of Fillet Steak, a nice aged one from a butcher is a must

4 Cornichons, finely chopped

2 tsp Capers, finely chopped

1/2 Banana Shallot, finely chopped

1/2 tbsp Ketchup

10 Drops of Tabasco

1/2 tbsp Truffle Oil

1 tbsp Parsley Leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tbsp Dijon

1/4 of a Red Chilli, deseeded, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to season

To Serve

Slices of Crispy Toasted Sourdough

1 Egg Yolk

Finely Chopped Chives

Start by trimming the outsides of the steak. Also remove any obvious white and silvery pieces.

Wash the knife and chopping board.

Pop the steak into the freezer for around 20mins – half an hour to firm up, this makes it easier to cut.

While it is in the freezer, prepare the rest of the ingredients by adding them into a bowl and combining well. Taste and adjust if necessary.

When the steak is ready, take it out and on a chopping board, cut across the grain into slices. Then cut the slices into strips and then cut the strips into little cubes, roughly 2-3mm pieces.

This bit can be done in advance, wrapped tightly in plastic put in the fridge until ready to serve.

Once you are ready to serve, combine the meat and the dressing. Add half the dressing to begin with, add more if necessary. Shape into patties, place in a ring to give a nice shape.

Serve, topped with the egg yolk and the chives, accompanied by the toasted sourdough!

Tip: I toasted my sourdough then put it into the oven at 160c for 8 mins to really crisp it up.

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Keralan King Prawn Coconut Curry

Keralan King Prawn Coconut Curry

Serves 4

This is a wonderfully fresh, creamy and perfectly spicy. It tastes totally amazing, it is full of protein and low in fat because I used light coconut milk. The added bonus is, it is super fast!

Juice of 1 Fresh Lemon

500g Raw Tiger Prawns, shells off and de-veined

2 tbsp Ground Nut Oil

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Turmeric

6 Green Cardamom Pods, give them a wee bang to split slightly

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 Cinnamon stick

3 Cloves Garlic, crushed

3cm Root Ginger, finely grated

Tin of Light Coconut Milk

Fresh Coriander

Maldon Sea Salt

Start by tossing the prawns in the lemon juice and set aside whilst you get on with the rest.

Heat a heavy based pan add a tablespoon of oil, add the onion and cook on a medium heat for around five mins, until softened but not coloured.

Add the Turmeric, cardamom pods and chilli powder. Cook for two mins until fragrant.

Add a dash more oil, throw in the Cinnamon, Ginger and garlic. Cook for a further 2 mins until cooked through.

Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil.

Season with salt.

At this point, throw in the prawns and cook for 2-3 mins until prawns are cooked through.

Serve with basmati rice and chopped fresh Coriander.

Boom! Lush!

Zingy Fresh Tuna and Herby Beans

Zingy Fresh Tuna and Herby Beans

This little number is packed full of healthy goodness and a tonne of protein. However, that is just a wee bonus for this delicious dish! It is so packed full of flavour it is restaurant worthy and so full of goodness! Guilt free decadence!!!

Ps if you don’t have tuna or don’t like it….i used salmon and it was gorg too!!

Serves 4

4 Tuna Steak

1 Small Red Onion, sliced finely

1 Red Chilli, chopped

2 Lemons

Few handfuls Mixed Herbs (basil, chives, parsley, mint) finely chopped

2 Tins beans, Cannellini or Borlotti

1 Red Chilli, finely sliced (optional)

Three Handfuls of Mixed Herbs, finely chopped

Maldon Sea Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Start with the beans. Drain and put them in a pot with a few glugs of the Olive Oil, don’t boil, just gently warm.

Once warm, add the chilli, red onions, lemon juice and season to taste.

Set aside and heat a hot Griddle pan, when super hot, add the fresh tuna to the pan and sear for a minute each side to ensure it is nice and pink in the middle. If you want it done more, you’re mad, but feel free! 😂

At this point, throw the wonderful herbs into the beans and adjust seasoning if need be.

Serve piled on a plate topped with the tuna! Total lushness!

Healthy Start to the New Year!

The New Year will see me up the ante with my fitness regime and this includes the food I eat! In a nutshell you will see a lot of healthy alternatives this year.

What I do promise is no compromise on taste.  Bland steamed chicken and veg does not do it for me, but simple tweaks and boom, you can have you cake and eat it…so to speak!!

Tonight I was tight for time and this is what I rustled up….

Fillet Steak, Stir Fry Veg and Brown Rice

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serves 1

I feel guilty putting down an ingredient list it is sooo simple!

1 Top Quality Fillet Steak

1 Bag of M&S Peashoot Stir Fry

1 Red Chilli Finely Sliced

1/2 tbsp Fish Sauce

1/2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

Juice 1/2 Lime

1/4 Pack of Microwave Brown Rice

Dash Rapeseed Oil

Simply add a dash of oil to a frying pan, heat until super hot, add the steak and cook both sides to your preference, in my case, rare.

Set aside, add a dash of oil to the frying  pan and heat.  Throw in the stir fry and the chilli, after a couple of mins, chuck in the soy, fish sauce and lime juice.

Serve with the rice!

Boom, too simple, full of flavour and beyond healthy!

 

 

Healthy Veggie Broth

VEGETABLE BROTH
After five weeks of being in Spain, eating and drinking lots of things I shouldn’t have!! Not to mention the kids eating far too many chips, the healthy eating routine begins.
The simplicity and flexible of this soup means it is accessible to any level of cooking. I tend to make stock from a whole small chicken or the remaining carcass from Sunday lunch. You could use thigh or leg bones, bought stock or even stock cubes. The stock is the basis for this soup so ensure it is full of flavour!

I also cool and chill my stock and then skim all the fat off it.

If you are lucky to be using a whole chicken, strip all the meat off it and add to the soup towards the end of cooking the veggies.
For the veggies, you have various options from buying individual vegetables and chopping or if you are pressed for time as I was today….buy them pre chopped (M&S) and chuck them in!
I’ll give you the basics along with various options for tarting it up!
2.5 l of good Chicken Stock (Veg Stock if you want)

600g Fresh Chopped Soup Veg (celery, leeks, carrots, parsley)

100g Soup Mix (pearl barley, yellow split peas, green split peas, red split lentils)

Maldon Sea Salt and Black Pepper
Bring the stock up to the boil and add the soup mix. Simmer for 1/2 hour.
Tip in the chopped soup veg, give it a stir and season with plenty of salt and pepper. I tend to be generous with the salt for this soup.
Simmer gently for 45 mins.
Check the seasoning and serve.
Total health in a bowl!

#healthyfood #cleaneating #soup #lovefood #comfortfood #arestaurantinmykitchen