I can’t say I’m one for British food. I’ve been to England . . . and I starved.

But, seriously, can you mess up a grilled steak? I think not.

So let’s give our friends across the pond a chance and try out this recipe for grilled steak, red wine lentils and salsa verde.

It sounds good, right? And it looks good, too.

If they’d had this readily available in the pubs I frequented over there I wouldn’t have complained!

This comes to us from Allegra McEvedy via The Guardian:

When ordering steak, you generally do better for your money by getting one large slab and sharing it out. Thick steaks also cook better so going Dutch on a big portion means you’re more likely to get a perfectly turned-out piece of meat.

Grilled steak, red wine lentils and salsa verde
Serves two

1 rib-eye steak, about 450g, room temperature

150g puy lentils

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 stick celery, sliced

2 small carrots, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

100ml red wine

2 bay leaves

600ml beef stock (if using a cube, make half a litre of stock and dilute with 100ml water)

Pinch of sugar

Sea salt and black pepper

For the salsa verde:

1 large handful of flat-leaf parsley

1 smaller handful of mint

1 tbsp capers

2-3 anchovy fillets

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped

3 cornichons

Healthy splash of red-wine vinegar

½ tsp dijon mustard

About 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Black pepper

For the salsa verde, chop the herbs, capers, cornichons and anchovy very small. Put them in a bowl and stir in the mustard, garlic, vinegar and some pepper. Then coat it all with the olive oil.

Gently heat one and a half tablespoons of olive oil in a thick-bottomed wide saucepan, then tip in the celery and carrots. Soften, covered, for about five minutes (don’t let them brown), stirring occasionally, then remove the lid and add the garlic. Keep stirring, turn the heat up and, after a minute, add the lentils. Another minute later, add the wine and bay leaves.

Reduce the wine by half, then add the stock. Once boiling, turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Then let the lentils finish cooking with the lid off for about another 15 mins. When the lentils are half way there, season the steak with salt and pepper (no need to oil it). Just place on to a hot griddle or under the grill for about three minutes each side on the griddle, or five per side if grilled, plus a five-minute rest. Once the lentils are done (they should retain a bit of bite), finish with salt, pepper, the rest of the olive oil and a pinch of sugar.

Excerpt courtesy of guardian.co.uk. 

Photo by Frank Baron/Guardian

All right, that was my attempt at sounding British.

Successful?

Perhaps not.

At any rate, try this recipe for prime rib with Yorkshire pudding and your whole family might be saying things like,

“This meal is spot on!”

“I’d fancy some milk with this, Mum!”

“Darling, this is so brilliant I’m tickled down to me knickers!”

Traditional Roasted Prime Rib Au Jus w/ Yorkshire Pudding

(serves six to eight)

1 5 lb. Prime Rib Roast

2 Tablespoons neutral Oil such as Canola or Safflower

1 Cup Red Wine

1 Cup Beef Stock

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

½ white Onion, minced

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Milk

4 Eggs

1 tsp. Salt

Salt and Pepper

Cover the prime rib liberally with salt, pepper, onion and garlic and sear in a hot pan with the oil over high heat. Transfer the pan to a 250 degree oven and continue cooking for about two and a half to three hours, about 30 minutes per pound, or until an internal read thermometer reads 130 degrees. Towards the end of the roasting time, combine milk, flour, eggs and salt. Whip with a whisk or hand mixer to incorporate air and set aside. Remove pan from oven and place the prime rib on a platter to rest for 20 minutes. Bring oven temperature up to 450 degrees. Drain off liquid from roasting pan and reserve. Return pan to high heat and add wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape all of the drippings up. Reduce wine by half and add beef stock and reduce by half. Separate the fat and the liquid from reserved drippings. Add liquid to the Au Jus and whisk in the mustard and Worcestershire and set aside. In a muffin tin, add equal portions of the reserved fat into the bottom of each muffin tin. Add the flour mixture to each tin and fill half way. Place into a 450 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Be careful not to open the oven while the pudding is baking or it could fall. Remove and serve.