Having spent so much
of this year having a bit of a moan about the weather, I feel rather bad about
having had nothing to say (on the blog at least) since the summer came good,
but what with a week’s holiday, the Olympics
and starting a new job since last I
posted, I don’t seem to have much time to cook, let alone write it up. I certainly haven’t been cooking very
much that’s new, and although that makes for less interesting blogging, it
really isn’t a problem. Innovation
is all very well, and there’s always a place, indeed a need, for it – but old
favourites are good too. After
all, revered as the likes of Ferran
Adria and Rene
Redzepi are, there’s nothing the world of foodiness loves more than
culinary tradition (to the point of tedious dogma, at times, it
must be said, but still…), and you simply wouldn’t get culinary tradition without
the repetition of old favourites.
Where would we be if every Greek grandma felt under pressure to deconstruct
her Kleftiko,
if every Marsellaise fishwife couldn’t serve up a fish stew because the family
have had bouillabaisse
before. Sorry, I know I’ve said all
this before too, but it is, appropriately enough, an old favourite topic of
mine…
Becca and I had dinner
in the garden earlier this week – the first time, I think, that we’ve eaten al
fresco at home this year. I served
up a variation on a dish so old and favourite that I’ve already written up two
distinct versions of it before – once with asparagus,
once with beans
and beetroot. I make no
apologies for that, because the steak salad is so good on so many levels. Three at least: It’s a great way to
make dense red meat into a light summery meal; it makes a little meat go a long
way; and it’s ideally made with those lesser known - every bit as tasty, but
mysteriously much cheaper than the regular - cuts of steak, known
variously as flank, feather, skirt,
hanger
or butcher’s steak, so it’s doubly cheap. Oh, and it’s thoroughly delicious.
This version was as
simple as can be – another great reason for doing it. And quick, too – and the last
thing you want to be doing on those rare occasions we have the chance to eat
out in the garden in this country is spend hours sweating away in the kitchen,
pushing your culinary envelope. Just
new potatoes and green beans, tossed in a mustardy, lemony vinaigrette, with a
few fine shavings of garlic and fresh chilli, fennel fronds and celery leaves,
with a 330g feather steak (a whole £3.30’s worth for the two of us), salted,
peppered, seared and rested, then sliced into thin strips and laid over the
top. Served with a crunchy salad
of celery, tomato, cucumber and fennel.
Eaten outside in the last of the evening sunshine with a chilled bottle
of light
and fruity red.
Try as I might, I
really can’t imagine I’m likely to get bored of that any time soon…
