Two Portions, One Girl, Zero Regrets: My "Jamie inspired" Steak Platter for Two!
As I mentioned the other day, I have been watching all sorts of vlogs lately and one of them is Jamie Oliver. Anyone around here who knows me well, will know that a huge portion of my blogging journey over the last six to seven years has been foodie related. It is something I kind of drift in and out of…I think I did it so religiously for so long that it became a little tiresome to me and the Gemini in me hates being bored, lol… so sometimes you won’t see a food, cooking or recipe post from me for months at a time - you know, until inspiration hits.
Which it did… I think it was about two weeks ago. I actually posted a video of it all, which I did share here but I have been intending ever since, to come back and put the recipe down in writing… because whilst Jamie did indeed inspire it… as always with me, it ended up being completely my “own thing”.
To be honest, I just saw the combination of baby potatoes, pesto and peas… along with lamb and Jamie had my attention. However, as a person who literally NEVER plans their evening meal until they are actually IN the shop walking through the aisles, trying to Google “substitutes etc” whilst simultaneously complaining that the internet is just bloody awful inside the centre, lol - I did not end up buying lamb.
For whatever reason, steak was what I was after and that was what I ended up grabbing. I did not buy or make pesto either… but I did make use of a whole lot of olive oil. So, as you can see… I am not particularly good at following instructions. This is one of the reasons I have always loved cooking more than baking (shhhhh - I did not say that out loud, lol)
So, this dish ended up being a “platter for two” of sorts - though, I ate both portions myself… over two nights haha - before you judge me!
I went for breakfast once somewhere in Constantia - one of the wine farms… I forget which one - but that is irrelevant. I love tomato with breakfast! I won’t lie, my preference these days leans towards fresh tomato, but when somebody knows how to make a cooked tomato properly… it truly can be the most heavenly flavour experience. On that particular morning… the tomatoes served with the breakfast were so absolutely spectacular that I got up to go have a quick chat with the chef behind the deliciousness which landed itself on my plate.
I was educated to the fact that the tomatoes were not fried at all - as most of us would do for a cooked breakfast tomato - no, they were baked. Not only were they baked… but they were SLOW baked. It all suddenly made sense! So, whilst there are many other components to this dish, I just want to say that for me… the tomatoes here, are the biggest take away for you, haha!
Slice em, lay them out - sprinkle them with salt, pepper, Oreganum (fresh if you have), sugar - yes, sugar (get over yourself! you won’t die!) and then some olive oil. Give them a good toss in all of that and pop them into an oven at 160 degrees celsius for about an hour. Yip… an HOUR! Haha. Obviously every oven differs slightly, ,but what you want to see is them bubbling and shriveling into syrupy tomato heaven… and a little charring… perfect!
So, the baby potatoes… well, nothing life changing here… just me, being lazy as usual - bring a pot to the boil… throw the halved and rinsed babies into boiling water and cook for approx. 12 to 14 min. (check them) When they are “al dente” (tender but firm) they are good to go. A little butter (or a LOT), salt, pepper, garlic, and a heavy dose of freshly chopped basil. Done.
The steak - easiest part of the meal. Make sure it is room temp and don’t season it more than 30 min to cooking… because the salt will draw out all the fluids from the meat making it dryer. For this meal, I went to one of my favourites for steak… Rosemary and black pepper. The rosemary MUST be freshly chopped, the pepper must be heavy and then a little salt and olive oil. Cook it how you like it. I like mine rare… I actually would have preferred it a little more rare than it ended up being on this evening… but I was filming, photographing and yeah… there was a lot going on - but I was still happy!
The one impromptu thing I did at the end, which I have not done before… but will TOTALLY do again, was cut the fat off after the steak was done - chop it up into little cubes and throw it straight back into the griddle pan to crisp it up really nicely! Well, it didn’t just “work”... it was spectacular.
The only thing I have not mentioned yet… is the peas. Something which so many loathe and I will never understand why. When peas are cooked properly they are literally little bright green super stars! Problem is… most people cook them to oblivion!
Personally, I only ever buy baby peas. The outer skins are softer and they are just more pleasant on a plate. Peas… interestingly enough are literally the ONLY thing I cook in a microwave… haha! Straight from the freezer, into a pyrex dish with cold water and a bunch of fresh mint if you have any on hand… and into the micro for 5 min - nothing more. When you eat those babies, they are like natures popcorn in your mouth… it is just delightful!
So, I think I have covered it all. You know me… you will seldom get an ingredients list and a method. My cooking is always an adventure and a little bit of a story… so if you want to know how to do it, you will have to read all about the adventure, haha! This one was an ABSOLUTE win! I thank Jamie for the inspiration… but commend myself for spinning it my way - and if you try it…I hope you enjoy it too!
❤❤❤
Until next time...
Much Love from Country Bumpkinland, South Africa xxx
Jaynielea
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Yum! I should really go eat... It's 11:15am here in the States, and all I've had is coffee, but now I want steak, potatoes and eggs for breaksfast! Or lunch. Or whatever...
xo
lol go eat!!! haha!!
Curated by: @fombae