I am a foodie. I love all things food; cooking it, eating it and talking about it A LOT, but recently I have realised that to love it is to know where it comes from. Trust me, I am not here to preach and often we can all lose sight of quality and traceability over convenience. Which is why Marks and Spencer's latest campaign is so important.
As the only national retailer who are able to trace their beef back to farm..and then animal, they perfectly combine knowledge of food with convenience to buy and accessible recipes. To promote their latest beef traceability campaign I was invited to try some of their beef recipes and see for myself the difference knowledge makes on their beef.
And what better way to test that all than with a steak? Thick cut sirloin steak to be exact.
The secret to a good steak, for me, is to get organised. Know your timings and have all of your equipment ready to go. I always start by allowing the meat to rest before frying. Then cover the steak in a light olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. I tend to do this for ten minutes whilst sorting out the rest of the kitchen.
Then, in a very hot dry pan, fry for the allotted time- for these thick-cut steaks you are advised to go for 2 minutes on each side. The pan should split and sizzle when you put the steak on, make sure you've got the extractor fan on and try not to get spat at!
Once the steak has been fried on both sides, you can do one of two things. Either place the steaks into a preheated oven for 10 minutes (rare) to 16 which is well done, or turn down the heat and continue to fry. Henry and I like our steaks differently but this just meant taking one out earlier than the other.
I was lucky enough to be gifted some of their famous chunky chips to go alongside the steak, if you haven't tried them then you are missing out! They take 15 minutes in the oven so I would put them in slightly after the steak. It is always best, if not a bit frustrating, to allow the steak to rest once it's been cooked so make sure you leave the gap so your chips don't go cold.
You can't have a good steak without a good selection of sides; chunky chips, of course, some kind of green (we went for wilted spinach) and a sauce to go alongside. In our home, a favourite sauce is a classic red wine. Pop the oven tray that the steak was cooked in over a hob to keep it hot, deglaze with red wine and flour to thicken. Season it well and let it simmer with a bay leaf in. Pour over your steak, or if you're feeling fancy you can always serve in a separate jug.
And the final touch? A good glass of red - a Merlot or Malbec are my go-to options. I am no wine connoisseur but the deep flavours always work well alongside a rich sauce and luxurious steak dinner.
This meal was delicious (If I do say so myself), we have a particularly hot oven so make sure to check your meat before resting so it is cooked perfectly but the chips were perfectly timed and our homemade sauce was great. I will definitely be buying the steaks again.
I love steak, both cooking it at home and ordering it out.
Did you see my last post? I was invited back to the Brighton Community kitchen (Where I took an amazing class on how to make pasta) and took their masterclass all about handmade sushi
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