15 Minute Steak, Pesto + Golden Brussels
A steak dinner on the table in 15 minutes! Give this one a go next time you’re in the mood for steaK and running short on time.
Ingredients
400g flat iron organic steak
Olive oil
Pesto
2 cups basil leaves, picked
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Golden Brussels
400g brussel sprouts, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
2 teaspoons lemon zest (reserve lemon and cut for serving)
Parmesan and rocket for serving
Directions
1. To make the pesto: Place all ingredients for pesto in a high-powered blender or food processor and blitz until uniform consistency. Should you wish to make the pesto looser, you can add some extra olive oil. Transfer to a jar or air tight container to store.
2. To cook the steak: Season the steak with sea salt and pepper and rub with olive oil. Heat a grill or fry pan on high and cook steak for 6 minutes, turning every minute so it does not burn on any side. Once cooked, remove from pan, cover and allow to rest 4-5 minutes whilst the brussel sprouts cook.
3. To cook the brussel sprouts: Place brussel sprout halves in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, add lemon rind and good pinch of sea salt, then toss to coat. Wipe the pan or grill plate clean you used for the steak and cook brussel sprouts 4-5 minutes so they are lovely and golden.
4. To serve: Slice the steak and place on serving platter or pop back on the grill plate or pan if large enough for serving. Arrange brussel sprouts and rocket around the pan and add Parmesan should you wish. Drizzle a few generous tablespoons of pesto over the flat iron, give it all a good squeeze of lemon juice and serve.
Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Chipotle Cream
These Roasted Cauliflower Tacos with Chipotle Cream from Jeanine Donofrio’s The Love + Lemons Cookbook are packed with beautiful, fresh flavours.
Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt.
freshly cracked pepper
2 chipotle chillies from tinned chipotles in adobo sauce
8 tortillas
1 avocado, seeded, peeled and sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges
Coriander, to serve
Sliced spring onions, to serve
Chipotle Cream
200g full-fat plain Greek-style yoghurt
1 chipotle chilli (from the tin used above)
1 small clove garlic
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, plus extra to taste
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon rice malt syrup
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Add the cauliflower, drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Working over the baking tray, use your hands to break up 2 chipotle chillies, along with some of the adobo sauce. Toss again to coat the cauliflower and roast for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown
3. Make the chipotle cream: in a small food processor, combine the yoghurt, chipotle chilli, garlic, lime juice, olive oil, rice malt syrup and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt, pepper and lime juice, as desired.
4. Fill each tortilla with a spoonful of chipotle cream, the roasted cauliflower and a slice of avocado. Serve with the lime wedges, coriander and spring onion of the side.
Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
These Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms from Rens Kroes’ cookbook Power Foods are filled with nutty buckwheat, pesto and goat’s cheese. Once you realise how easy they are to make, you’ll be wanting to play around with different grains and flavours!
Ingredients
1 cup (150g) buckwheat groats
2 cups (480ml) water
1 organic chicken bouillon cube
6 portobello mushrooms
Olive oil, for drizzling
1 red onion
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon (15ml) organic white wine
3/4 cups (100g) peas
1 heaping teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons (30g) pesto
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Hard goat’s milk cheese
Directions
1. Rinse the buckwheat groats in a sieve and transfer to a small pot. Add the water and the bouillon cube. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer until the water has been absorbed, about 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, preheat the oven by turning on the highest broiler setting. Clean the mushrooms and remove the hard stems. Lay them in the ovenproof dish, rounded side down, and drizzle with olive oil. Broil for 8 minutes, turning the mushrooms over after 4 minutes.
3. Chop the onion and garlic, and sauté in coconut oil in a skillet over low heat for about 2 minutes. Add the wine, cooked buckwheat groats, peas, oregano, pesto, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and continue cooking for another couple of minutes.
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired. Position the mushrooms on a serving dish, top each with 2 tablespoons (30 g) of the buckwheat mixture, some grated goat’s milk cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and a basil leaf. Ready to serve!
Think about keeping the mushroom stems to use in another dish for extra flavour.
Shepherd’s Pie
This Shepherd’s Pie is not your average weeknight dish. It has a rich bolognese base, spiked with garlic and thyme, and a creamy pumpkin and potato mash on top that is buttery and delicious. We hope this one becomes a regular in your kitchen!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
1/2 bunch thyme, leaves picked on half the sprigs, the other half left intact
2 medium carrots, finely diced
3 celery stalks, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
50g pancetta, thickly-sliced
750g beef mince
250ml chicken stock
500ml passata
500g potato, chopped
600g pumpkin, chopped
1/4 cup full-fat milk
40g butter
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. In a heavy-based saucepan on a low-medium heat, add the olive oil, onions, thyme leaves, carrots and celery and cook for 15 minutes. Add a little bit more olive oil and lower the heat if the veggies are over-browning.
2. Add the minced garlic cloves and pancetta, cooking for a few minutes, until the pancetta becomes crispy.
3. Add in the beef mince, breaking it up and cooking until browned. This should take 5 minutes.
4. Next, add the stock and passata. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer with the lid on for 1 1/2 hours, or until the bolognese sauce has thickened. Season if needed.
5. When the bolognese has about 20 minutes to go, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and prepare the mash.
6. Steam the potato and pumpkin for 10-15 minutes until cooked through, then transfer to a large bowl and mash with the milk and 20g of butter. Season if needed.
7. Transfer the bolognese to an ovenproof dish and top with the creamy mash. Arrange the thyme sprigs on top then melt the remaining butter and drizzle over the top. Place into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve hot.
Serving suggestion: Serve with 200g steamed green beans or a fresh green leafy salad.
Lady’s Thighs Koftas
These koftas are a Turkish recipe from Pomme Larmoyer’s cookbook Istanbul Cult Recipes. The spices add a distinct flavour and they can be served alongside a variety of sides to bulk out any main meal.
Ingredients
50 g (1/4 cup) medium-grain rice
400 g minced (ground) chuck steak
1 egg
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon allspice, ground
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 small handful dill, chopped
Butter for pan-frying
Directions
1. Cook the rice in lightly salted water according to the packet instructions. Drain in a colander or sieve, and rinse under cold running water to cool it down; drain again. In a medium bowl, combine the cooled rice with the meat, egg, onion, spices and dill. Season with salt.
2. Using both hands, knead all the ingredients together for a few minutes. Slap the ball of meat on a clean work surface five or six times to drive any air out of the mixture and make the meat very compact. Using your hands once again, shape into long meatballs (like a lady’s thigh, obviously); you will end up with about 20 köfte.
3. Melt a generous knob of butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Pan-fry for about 10 minutes until the köfte are golden brown on both sides, working in batches so that you do not crowd the pan and adding more butter as needed. Serve hot.
Image and recipe from Istanbul Cult Recipes by Pomme Larmoyer