Recipe: Ribeye Steak Wrap w/ Awesome Sauce

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

It’s been a while coming but after all sorts of distractions we’ve finally got around to bottling one of the most commented on sauces that we do at the banquet:

We’ve decided to call it . . . . wait for it . . . . . Awesome sauce!! 

Currently available at Castle Cary Market on Tuesdays

Here is the first quick and easy recipe suggestion for it . . .

steps

* cook red pepper

* cook steak & leave to rest

* mix salad w/ awesome sauce

* warm wrap

* slice steak & assemble

* devour

ingredients (make quick lunch for 1)

for the steak wrap

1/3 red pepper (charred)

1 steak (left to warm up to room temp before cooking)

1 tortilla wrap

25g mixed salad leaves (nice if there’s a little rocket / arugula in the mix)

6 baby plum tomatoes (sliced)

awesome sauce (to taste)

method

Slice up the red pepper and toss it in a little olive oil. Sear it in the frying pan you’re going to use for the steak. (it will give the steak a lovely flavour)

Once ready put the red pepper in a salad bowl.

Other than your choice of sauce the next most important thing is how to cook the perfect steak:

It’s really simple. 

1. Make sure sure your steak is at room temperature before you start.

If it was room temperature to start (rather than straight from the fridge) the middle won’t be stone cold when you’re done cooking it, and you’ll end up with the perfect steak.

2. Season and oil the steak in a Tupperware box. Rather than putting oil in the pan. 

This means you can get the pan a lot hotter with a lot less smoke, which in turn means you can get a great golden brown colour on your steak really quickly, and that means the middle won’t be over cooked!

3. Put a drop (literally) of oil in your pan and turn the heat up high, when the droplet starts to smoke you’re ready to cook.

4. Place the steak in the pan and cook for a minute or so until the underside it brown (or charred depending on your choice of steak), turn it and repeat.

For this post I used a ribeye. This particularly good ribeye steak was from Penleigh Farm Shop in Frome . . . thanks Owen!!

5. Once brown on both sides remove the steak and place on a warm plate to rest while you finish the rest . . .

Put the salad leaves, and tomato, in with the red pepper and add a good slug of awesome sauce (available here) and mix until everything is evenly coated.

I like to warm my wrap in the pan (w/ the juices from the steak) add great flavour!

Turn out the wrap and assemble that bad boy!!!

links

Castle Cary Market, Penleigh Farm, Penleigh Farm Shop Frome, Penleigh Farm Shop Facebook, 

More on How to Cook a Perfect Steak

Experiment Recipe: Shin of Veal

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

After 6 months being bounced around from one place to another, I've finally found somewhere I can cook!! You have no idea how much that means to me!! I didn't until this week! To be able to cook in a kitchen without being frowned at for one reason or another, gorgeous aromas emanating form my sauce pan or stock pot . . . hmmmmm; I have to say, it's nice to be able to get back to experimenting in the kitchen, vey nice indeed!! 

On that note here's and experiment I did the other day, with what looked like a rather large lamb shank, actually veal.

As you can see from the components (carrots, cabbage, potatoes), there's lots of very standard things in this experiment. It's is really about the veal shin, and how is comes out after braising. I've treated the rest of the accompaniments very simply. So if worst come to the worst, we've got some nice veggies and things to eat, think I might make a giant yorkshire pudding too, you know, just in case!! He he . . . 

Now that's a yorkshire pudding!! (The pyrex dish is 12" long)

ingredients (serves 4) 

for the veal & gravy

2 shin of veal (seasoned and seared brown)

3 onions (charred)

1 leek (cleaned and cut unto 2cm lengths)

2 star anise

2 chicken stock cubes

2L water

4g flavoured salt

for the carrots

4 carrots (pealed, and cut into 1/3's)

50g butter

1 tsp flavoured salt 

2 star anise

flavoured salt

300g salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

for the savoy cabbage

1 savoy cabbage (outer leaves off, but into 1/4's)

for the potatoes

8 medium desiree potatoes (cleaned, 1/4's skin on)

or jersey royals at this time of year

apparatus / equipment

Frying pan.

Large braising pot.

method

veal

Coat the meat in a thin film of oil - so the salt sticks - then sear it in a pan to brown the outside.

Once browned put it in the pot where it will be braised.

Peal and halve the onions, then add a little olive oil to the same pan and put the onions in flat side down, cook on a medium high heat until the flat sides are charred, then add them to the pot.

Add 2L water, bring to the boil and set to simmer 3hrs

carrots

Put all the ingredients in to a small pan, bring to the boil then set to simmer for 30-40mins

flavoured salt

Measure the ingredients and then mix well until a evenly distributed seasoning is created! Job done!

savoy cabbage

Boil in salted water, drain, leaving it as dry as possible, allow it to let off steam on a tea towel. The leaves of  a savoy cabbage will are all crinkly and will carry a lot of water, you want that to be lovely gravy instead of water, so get them as dry as possible.

You don't want lots of water diluting the gravy . . . . eeeeuuuwh!!

potatoes

Boil them in salted water, a 1.5inch diced potatoes take approx. 6-8mins (after the water starts boiling) to cook. Depending on the size of course!

thinking ahead

Put it on at lunch time, it'll be ready for tea time with very little effort!

to serve

Put each thing into serving trays and let people help themselves!!

verdict - ahem I mean conclusion:

Gorgeous!! The the meat falling off the bone and the tendon was super soft and unctuous! I bought 1 shin to experiment with, but 2 would be better for 4 people. 

RECOMMENDED!!