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A Little Luxury For Me

Cooking

Steak School with Miller & Carter

May 15, 2015 by Erica Hughes 26 Comments

steak schoolThis week I went back to school, Steak School that is to learn all about steaks and how to cook them.  Miller & Carter organised the event to celebrate their recent Eblex award win for England’s Best Sirloin steak.  Miller & Carter are owned by Birmingham based Mitchells & Butlers and it was great to find out more about a local firm.

So who are Eblex?  They are the organisation for the beef and lamb industry and they introduced the awards this year to recognise and reward quality, innovation and excellence in beef and lamp production.  There are 3 different competitions: Best Sirloin Steak, Best Innovative Steak and Best Steak Pie.  Miller & Carter entered its 12oz sirloin steak to win the best ‘Foodservice’ category.

meat skills expertWe found all about how Miller & Carter source their steaks and it taught us a lot about steak as we went along.  I was brought up as very much a carnivore and meat was an important part of our family’s life.  I spent a lot of time in butchers’ shops (or so it seemed) and the freezer was always full of meat.  My husband isn’t quite such a dedicated meat-eater and isn’t as keen on beef as I am.  Hence, I don’t very often cook steak, but I often choose it when we go out for a meal. It was good to hear that Miller & Carter source their meat very carefully and it is all reared on British farms. It’s important to me that my meat is produced ethically and I think it tastes better when a bit of care has gone into producing it.  I was impressed with the care taken with the steaks in the kitchen and it certainly makes sense when you think it takes so long to produce the product, it deserves respect in the kitchen too.  Traceability goes all the way to the table too, which is fantastic.

perfect diamonds on steakNext up we learnt how to cook our steaks and get the perfect diamond shape.  It was very simple and I’d like to do it at home, but apparently using a griddle pan is not the way as it doesn’t heat evenly.

So some of the key tips I picked up were:

  • Choose good quality meat.
  • Let your steak breathe for 20-30 minutes before cooking.  Letting it come up to room temperature will help it stay tender.
  • A good coating of oil (rapeseed ideally) and a seasoning of rock salt and pepper will get your steak ready for the pan or grill.
  • Cook on a high temperature as this will help seal the meat to lock in the flavour.
  • Let it rest before serving.

perfect accompaniment to steakI loved that all the Miller & Carter steaks come served with parsley butter, seasoned fries, a slice of moreish onion loaf and a balsamic glazed beef tomato.  They also come with your choice of lettuce wedge and steak sauce.  It’s good that all these come included – I don’t like being charged extra for things that I feel are part of my main course.

Filed Under: Cooking, Food

Pan Fried Tuna with Stir Fried Vegetables and Rice Noodles

April 12, 2015 by Erica Hughes 13 Comments

pan fried tuna with stir fried vegetables and rice noodlesWe love cooking and eating fish in this house, so we were delighted when The Saucy Fish Co had asked me to take part in their Amazing Together campaign.  I picked out the tuna steaks to work with and they come with a sweet soy and chilli dressing.  Working with this classic combination of the meaty tuna with the soy sauce, I’ve created a quick and easy Asian style dish using a range of stir fried vegetables teamed up with ever so easy rice noodles.

ingredients for pan fried tuna

Ingredients

 

  • 1 packet of Saucy Fish Co fish and sauce: seasoned tuna with sachet of sweet soy and chilli dressing
  • 300g of straight to wok rice noodles
  • 200g pak choi (cut into halves)
  • 200g broccoli stems
  • 120g oyster mushrooms (roughly chopped)
  • 120g shitake mushrooms (roughly chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 egg
  • handful dry roasted peanuts (crushed)
  • 4 tablespoons of sesame oil
  • 4 teaspoons of soy sauce

Serves 2 as main course

 

pak choi with tuna amazing togetherMethod

1. Heat 1-2 tbsp of sesame oil in a large non stick wok over a high heat and pan fry the pak choi and broccoli with this and a couple of teaspoons of soy sauce plus the crushed garlic.  Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and keep warm.

2. Adding a little more oil and soy as  needed, pan fry the mushrooms for a couple of minutes and then add in the rice noodles for another minute.  Add the egg and mix in thoroughly for the last minute of cooking.Transfer to serving bowl.

3.  Clean out the pan with some kitchen paper and add more sesame oil.  When hot, pan fry the tuna for 30 seconds to one minute each side depending on how you like your tuna done.  Meanwhile heat up the sauce sachet following the pack instructions.

4. Serve up vegetables and noodles with tuna on the side with the sweet soy and chilli dressing.  Garnish with the crushed peanuts.

Summing Up

This is a delicious dish inspired by Asian flavour combinations, which are amazing together.  Ideal for a weekday evening meal as it’s so quick to prepare and cook.

Filed Under: Cooking

Marley Spoon

February 11, 2015 by Erica Hughes 5 Comments

Meal pack from Marley SpoonMarley Spoon is a bespoke recipe kit delivery service that launched in the UK in December. Each week, there are seven new dishes to choose from, created by a team of professional chefs. Marley Spoon have also created a special Valentine’s Day kit (starting at £26) so that you can impress your loved ones with a home-cooked meal. The kit even comes complete with rose petals to decorate!

I was surprised by the range of recipes available and it’s  amazing to think that this will change each week.  Many of the recipes are globally inspired and use ingredients that might not be that easy to source if you were buying in your local supermarket.  It’s very easy to order and you get your kit delivered by courier.  They make sure it’s kept nice and cool during the delivery process and my food was still cold to the touch when it was received.

We tried the glazed salmon with wasabi peanut potatoes and bok choi. 

I cooked the Devonshire pork nasi goreng.  What I particularly liked about this dish is that it gave me the chance to try out new ingredients like ketjap manis and mirin without having to source a supplier and buy a big bottle of something that I might not use again.  It really was delicious and we will probably make this again if we can find the things we need to make it.  If there is a downside, it is a bit pricey at £9 per meal, but the packs are carefully put together and good quality ingredients are used.  There is quite a lot of packaging involved too, but a lot of it is recyclable and the insulation used to keep the food cold in transit is compostable. Marley Spoon is well worth considering for a special home cooked meal or just for trying out something new and different.

Filed Under: Cooking, Food

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About Me

ericaI’m Erica Hughes: interested in beauty products as well as being a keen foodie and amateur cook. I write here about my passions in life including good food, fine wine, beauty plus all the little luxuries that make life worthwhile.

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