Grilled Steak with a Mushroom Sauce & Avocado Pasta Salad

Dinner today is grilled steak with a mushroom sauce, avocado and pasta salad, and chips. This sounds like quite a

Grilled steak with mushroom sauce, salad, & 'healthy' chips.

lengthy process, however, it is not. In fact, it was chosen because I felt particularly lazy, and so I didn't bother cooking earlier, and therefore needed to throw together something quick and delicious for dinner. The steak should be marinated one hour prior to cooking time to allow the flavours to infuse. (My mother always tells me that when making a marinade for steak, vinegar and pepper are essential.) Grilling the steak rather than frying, and cooking the chips in a health fryer ensures that this recipe makes for a somewhat healthy meal (discounting the sauce). On a side note, Aromat is a season-all that is incredibly salty. if you do not own it, simply replace Aromat with salt. you may need slightly more salt though, because, as I have mentioned, Aromat is incredibly salty. The chipotle spice mix can be brought at your local Asda store.

INGREDIENTS


L-R: Vinegar, Aromat, Chipotle,
Mixed peppercorns, Worcester sauce

500g Steak fillet, thinly sliced

FOR THE STEAK MARINADE:
3-4 Cloves garlic, crushed with a garlic crush
3tbsp Malt Vinegar
1tsp Chipotle chilli spice mix, finely ground
1tsp Aromat
1tsp Freshly ground peppercorns
Olive oil
Salt to taste

METHOD

1. Marinate the steak in a marinade of the above ingredients for at least 1 hour.
2. Grill until done to your preferred level.
3. Serve with mushroom sauce, grilled chips, and avocado and pasta salad.
4. For the avocado and pasta salad, simply add approximately 85g pasta, (cooked to al-dente in salted water) to the salad (recipe here), and omit the dressing.

FOR THE MUSHROOM SAUCE
1 1/2tbsp plain flour
1 1/2tbsp butter
100ml water
284ml/10floz single cream
1 1/2tbsp Worcester sauce/Soy sauce (Optional)
2tsp freshly ground black pepper
Aromat, or salt to taste.
300g fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced.

METHOD

1. In a heavy-based saucepan, cook the flour over a low heat until browned slightly.
2. Add in the butter, and stir thoroughly. the mixture may form lumps.
3. Whisk in water until the lumps break up and the mixture is smooth and lump-free.
4. Add in the cream, salt, pepper and Worcester sauce, and cook until the sauce thickens.
5. Remove from heat and stir in chopped mushrooms. If the sauce becomes too thick, simply add more water.
6. Serve with the steak.

Here you go! Quick, easy, flavourful, and appetizing! The steak can also be used as sandwich filling, which too is very tasty. On a side note, did you know that 'marinade' technically means 'a mixture of oil, wine, spices, or similar ingredients, in which meat, fish, or other food is soaked before cooking in order to flavour or soften it', whilst 'marinate' means 'soak (meat, fish, or other food) in a marinade.' So technically, you would say 'marinate the steak in the marinade.' Well. I learnt something new today. Or well, clarified something I was unsure about but lets not be picky about details.

Avocado Salad with Zingy Lemon Dressing

For now though, all plums aside, lets talk about salads! Salads are wonderful, are they not? Fresh crispy and delicious, they make a wonderful accompaniments to almost all dishes, from grilled chickens, meats and veg to lasagnes and rice dishes. They can also be a whole meal of their own, with shredded grilled chicken pieces, chunks of tomato, pasta, and crunchy croutons, flavoured with a zingy dressing. This salad, however, is a personal (and family) favourite, and can be eaten as a side with almost anything (try it with tuna jacket potatoes!), although it makes a perfectly filling and healthy meal with fresh crusty bread. So here it is, give it a try, you'll be hooked!

AVOCADO SALAD WITH ZINGY LEMON DRESSING:
The avocados go wonderfully with the cheese. Using only slightly ripe avocados is preferred, although you can make do with ripe. Although it can be missed out, I strongly recommend adding the basil, as it makes it tasted fresher and altogether more delicious.

So incredibly healthy, is it not?

2 fresh Avocados, peeled and cubed
1 large Tomato, cubed
1/2 Cucumber, cut into medium sized cubes.
1/2 head Lettuce, sliced
50g Cheese, cut into cubes
Handful of fresh, rinsed Basil leaves, shredded.

FOR THE DRESSING:
2tbsp olive oil.
Juice of half lemon
2tsp sugar
1tsp salt
Pepper to taste.

METHOD:

1. Toss all the ingredients of the salad together.
2. To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together, then drizzle over the salad.
3. Serve as a side to a main meal, or with crusty bread for a quick and satisfying meal.

Salad for breakfast? Whyever not?

NB: This will serve approximately seven people as a side. To make a lesser quantity, simply reduce the amounts.