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

Well, so, that is the question.

When a great cut of meat is involved do you sauce it or not?

Denny Howell over at MLive.com gives us one option . . .

Sauce or no sauce?
That’s a big question when you have a good cut of steak. I waiver back and forth depending on the occasion and the rest of the menu, I think a sauce can truly finish the flavors. This was the case on Saturday when cooking for a dinner party.

Now I’m not talking about A.1. Steak Sauce. I’m talking about classic finishing sauces; a Merlot reduction, a Mushroom sauce or Bearnaise. Saturday happened to be a Creamy Cognac Peppercorn sauce with Morel Mushrooms.

I really liked the sauce and the rest of the dinner guests thought it was great! Not only did it go well with the steak but I thought the flavor of it with the mashed potatoes was really harmonious.

Dinner Menu:
Grilled Romaine with Spicy Caesar Dressing
Mushroom Stuffed Filet Mignon with Cognac Peppercorn Sauce
Boursin Mashed Potatoes
Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Serves 6

Grilled Romaine with Spicy Caesar Dressing
The Spicy Caesar dressing is very quick and easy. Just take your favorite creamy caesar dressing and add one or two finely chopped chipotles and about 1 Tbsp of the adobo sauce.

For the Grilled Romaine, cut the romaine heats in half lengthwise brush the cut side with olive oil, salt and pepper then place on the grill until slightly charred.

Serve with anchovies, croutons and grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Tri-Mushroom Stuffed Filet w/ Creamy Cognac Peppercorn Sauce
– (6) 6-8oz filet mignon steaks
– 1 1/2 oz. dried portabella mushrooms
– 1 1/2 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms
– 1 1/2 oz. dried chanterelle mushrooms
– 2 cups cognac (I used Hennessy)
– olive oil
– 1/2 Tbsp butter
– 4 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 cup shallots, minced
– 3 tsp. fresh thyme
– Salt and Pepper

Place all the dried mushrooms in a large bowl. Pour heated, either microwave or stove-top) cognac over mushrooms. Let stand 1.5 hours. Drain mushrooms, while saving liquid for the peppercorn sauce.

Chop the garlic, shallots and mushrooms. Heat olive oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, saute 1 minute. Add chopped mushrooms, saute another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, cool and add fresh thyme.

Cut a small slit into the side of each steak and move the knife around in the middle to make a pocket. Press the cooled mushroom mixture into each steak. You can secure the pockets with toothpicks. Season the steaks with salt and pepper.

Outside – Prepare Grill. Arrange coals to have hot section to sear and medium section to finish cooking. Place steaks on hot section and sear for 1 minute, rotate 45 degrees and sear an additional minute, on each side. Move steaks to medium section and grill for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and let rest 5 minutes covered with foil.

Inside – Preheat over to 350. On High heat place the steaks in a grilling pan and sear for 1 minute, rotate 45 degrees and sear an additional minute, flip the steak, sear for another minute, rotate 45 degrees and place in the over for 5-10 minutes depending on steak temp. I recommend Med-Rare.

Creamy Cognac Peppercorn Sauce
– 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
– 4 Tbsp. chopped shallots
– 4 Tbsp. crushed green and pink peppercorns
– 1cup cognac-mushroom liquid (drained from mushrooms)
– 1cup heavy whipping cream
– salt and pepper to taste
– 4 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
– Optional
(18) morel mushrooms

In a saute pan over medium heat, melt 3 Tbsp butter. Add shallots and peppercorns. Saute until shallots are soft. Add cognac-mushroom liquid and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add cream and simmer until sauce slightly thickens, add optional morel mushrooms. Turn off heat and slowly whisk the remaining 1/2 to 1 Tbsp of butter in the sauce, season to taste with salt and pepper and dill.

Spoon over the top of the filet mignon steaks set over the mashed potatoes. Make sure to get some morel’s on each plate!
Boursin Mashed Potatoes
– 3 pounds potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks (peeled if you don’t want the skins)
– 1 package (5.2 oz.) Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs
– 1/4 cup whole milk
– 1/4 cup heavy cream
– Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander. In a bowl, mash the potatoes until they are smooth. Add the Boursin cheese and continue mashing until the cheese is thoroughly mixed. Add the milk and cream and beat in to the potato mixture and salt and pepper to taste.

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
– 1 pound fresh green beans
– Olive oil
– Salt and pepper
– 1/2lb to 1lb Bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Blanch green beans for 3 minutes. Toss them in olive oil and salt and pepper. Bundle about 5-7 green beans and wrap a piece of bacon around the bundle. Place in a roasting pan and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until bacon is cooked.

Enjoy….

Photo and excerpt courtesy of Denny Howell at MLive.com.

I always like winter recipes that make me feel warm and satisfied.

And this one does not disappoint.

It’s a different take on the typical lasagna recipe. It’s got arugula and spinach mixed in with tasty ground beef.

Try this one on those freezing, wintry nights!

Beef, Arugula and Spinach Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1-1/4 tsp. salt, divided
• 3/4 tsp. pepper, divided
• 4 cups prepared pasta or spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups loosely packed fresh baby arugula (about 1-3/4 oz.)
• 2 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach (about 1-3/4 oz.)
• 1 container (15 oz.) fat free ricotta cheese
• 2 egg whites
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
• 9 uncooked, oven-ready (no boil), lasagna noodles
• 1-1/2 cups reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Heat oven to 375°F. Brown ground beef with garlic in large nonstick skillet over medium heat 8-10 minutes, or until beef is no longer pink, breaking up into 3/4-inch crumbles. Pour off drippings; season with 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Stir in pasta sauce. Set aside.

Combine arugula and spinach. Set aside. Combine ricotta cheese, egg whites, basil, oregano, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper in small bowl.

Spread 1 cup meat sauce over bottom of 11-3/4 x 7-1/2-inch glass baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, half of the ricotta mixture, half of the spinach mixture, 1/2 cup mozarella and 1-1/2 cups meat sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 3 noodles and meat sauce.

Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in 375°F oven 45 to 50 minutes, or until noodles are tender and sauce is bubbly. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Bake uncovered 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand, loosely covered, 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8.

Suggestions

Oven-ready noodles and prepared pasta sauce makes this a breeze to prepare. Make double and freeze for future meals.

Photo and recipe courtesy of TxBeef.org.