Grilled lamb steaks with lemon, honey and mint

Grilled lamb steaks with lemon, honey and mint from Meat and Two Veg from Fiona Beckett

What did I make? Almost nothing actually, because I was so upset and p$%*ed off after leaving my LighterLife meeting that I just couldn't be bothered to cook any dinner. After some super losses (9lbs (week 1), 3lbs (week 2), 5lbs (week 3)), this week I lost a measly 2lbs! It just seems so unfair when I haven't cheated *at all* over Easter. Worse still, my LighterLife counsellor first blamed it on the *full moon* (sigh) and then the fact that I was stressed (I was only stressed *after* my weigh-in actually). Okay, I know that *any* loss is better than nothing and one person in my group only lost 1lb this week, but it is hard not to feel down about it, especially because the whole LighterLife process can be very hard, and often my motivation for the whole week comes from the positive reinforcement I receive from my weigh in. It is the Easter holidays though for my school, and so I suppose it could be to do with the fact that I'm not as mobile as usual. Unless you call watching Jeremy Kyle on the sofa for 2 hours straight good exercise (and if you do, I want to come to your exercise class!). To combat the potentially deleterious effects of the holiday, I'm planning on doing the exercise DVD which we were all given at our meeting. The thing was though, that I had already marinated the lamb chops before I left and weighed out the potatoes etc, so I did think that it would be a real shame to let them go to waste.

Chris had a really bad experience with lamb a few months ago. He was sick after eating some lamb and then - as a Pavlov's dog - associated the lamb with the illness; lovely! I am determined to "cure" him of this aversion though, not least because I love lamb and am really looking forward to eating it once again when I have reached my target weight (which, at this rate will be in 2009 and I will have forgotton what conventional food tastes like!). Not only that, but Chris really likes the marinade ingredients (and so do I for that matter!). Lamb steaks marinated in honey, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and fresh mint; what could be nicer?

Fiona says that "pan roast potatoes (p116) and a dark leafy green salad go well with this" and so I am being a dedicated scholar and making both. Well, I went a bit free-form with the salad and included yummy things like cherry tomatoes and red and yellow peppers - well, I can eat vicariously can't I?

The original recipe serves 4 people, so I am quartering quantities to feed just Chris, except for the potatoes where I am halving quantities.

Where did I get the ingredients from? I brought most of the ingredients from Sainsburys (honey, lemon and mint), apart from the lamb which I brought from the butcher. I couldn't get any lamb steaks of 150g, so I brought two smaller ones to add up to 150g together. I don't suppose it matters, because you are instructed to slice the steaks anyway.

(The lamb steaks marinated in olive oil, honey, lemon juice, garlic and fresh mint)

How easy was it to make? Really easy actually. You only need to marinate the lamb for 30-45 minutes, but because I had my LighterLife meeting from 19:00-21:00 and then had to pick Chris up from work, I had to marinate mine much earlier. They probably had about 3 hours worth of marinating in all, but I hardly think that that matters much. The marinade by the way, smells absolutely fabulous. My God; it was lemony, minty and just so fresh and alive. I could have eaten the marinade on its own! (oh dear!).

Cooking the lamb is so easy. You basically heat a ridged griddle pan until almost smoking and then flash fry the lamb for 2-3 minutes per side. Logic prevailed and of course, the tender lamb steaks smelled and looked great. Because the grill pan was so hot, they had these great crispy, crusty black grill lines on each side. I just love food that looks like that - where the cooking method really imprints itself (quite literally!) on the quality of the food.

The potatoes were bloody irritating. I don't know about you, but I have never actually cooked potatoes in this way before. Heat up some olive oil in a casserole dish and then add the baby new potatoes, clamp the lid down and leave for 25minutes-40 minutes, constantly shaking the pan. Well, firstly mine made the most God awful sizzling and popping and sounded as if the pan was going to explode for the first 10 minutes (yes, I did prick the potatoes and yes, the pan was on a moderate heat as instructed). When they finally calmed down, I found it really hard to cook the potatoes beyond any more than hard little rocks. Forget the 40 minutes (and certainly the 25 minutes!), our baby potatoes took nearly an hour before they were tender enough to eat. Plus, I had to keep adding water as the olive oil melted away very quickly, so that when the potatoes were finally done, they were practically swimming in pan-juices.

Right at the last minute I sliced and served the lamb, piled on the pan-fried potatoes and arranged the salad. I also chucked the marinade into the pan, let it bubble up for a while and poured all that gloriously scented liquid over the meal. Bliss!

(Frying the lamb steaks on the ridged griddle pan)

What did Chris think? Chris absolutely loved it! He loved the lamb especially. He said that when you first taste it, you are hit by the fresh breath of the mint (okay, he didn't say it quite like that!) and then the lemon and garlic. The texture of the lamb was perfect. Pink, but not rare and the outside of the lamb was almost caremalised by the sweet honey in the marinade.

Chris liked the potatoes, but I think we reached the unanimous decision that they just weren't worth it. He also liked the salad, but that isn't as rare as it may sound - he generally likes salad (bless him!).

He, very graciously!, said that I can make lamb for him again. Geee...thanks.

(The pan-roast potatoes....finally cooked in the olive oil and pan juices)

Was I tempted to cheat and eat some? I was NOT tempted by the potatoes! They were lucky I didn't throw them out of the window! The salad....yawn! I am so not craving salad at the moment. I was tempted to try a lickle piece of the lamb because it did smell lovely but if I only loose 2lbs when I'm being good, I can only imagine that a piece of lamb may cause me to gain 2 lbs (seeing as my weight is so mercurial!)

Did I cheat? No....and fingers crossed for a better weigh-in next week.

(YUM YUM!)

Steak Diane

Steak Diane from Meat and Two Veg by Fiona Beckett.


What did I make? After a lot of contemplation I decided on steak Diane from your favourite and mine - Meat and Two Veg (again) by Fiona Beckett. Oh by the way, I completely forgot to thank Gayle so much for bringing my attention to this super book. Thanks Gayle :) It may sound bizarre to engage in philosophical debate over a steak, but there was a good reason why I just wasn't sure whether to make this or not. It is because Christopher's brother's ex-girlfriend ("S") would only *ever* order steak Diane from a restaraunt. I think the exact words were "steak Diane with extra cream please." Think Vicky Pollard from Little Britain in a boob tube and you have her! This grey and soggy limp steak would invariably arrive, drenched in cream and brandy. Eugh! Understandably, this put me off from making it myself, but of course I know that there is a world of difference between that which one might begrudgingly accept in a steak and omelette house and that which one makes at home. Anyway, Fiona Beckett told me to "ressurrect it - it's a great steak dish for two" (p18) and I feel almost obliged to listen to the woman who provided the recipe for those sexy, albeit forbidden, sauted potatoes of Monday night fame. Plus, this recipe for steak Diane looks rather different from that perhaps expected. Being a good scholar I researched this dish and it is apparent that there are both cream based and creamless (if that is indeed an adjective) recipes for steak Diane. This is a creamless recipe and also doesn't contain any brandy, but rather Madeira (just lovely!).


Anyway, Fiona says that chips/saute potatoes/baked potatoes and green beans go well with this. I was sold on the green beans (Chris loves them and they are so easy to make) and I decided to opt for the baked potatoes (I honestly don't know if I could womanfully withstand the temptation once again from those rather gorgeous little saute potatoes).



The recipe in its original form serves two, so I applied my advanced degree in Higher Mathematics (joke) to halve recipes for one.



Where did I get the ingredients from? Most of the ingredients I brought from Tescos. Luckily, I didn't have to fork out for a new bottle of Madeira as we already have a bottle at home, left over from Christmas. - Oh the joy of Christmas when I was actually putting conventional food in my mouth and chewing and swallowing! - when I made Simon Hopkinson's roasted goose stuffed with mashed potatoes. For this recipe I also brought some of that foil-packed fresh liquid beef stock that you can sometimes get from the posh section in some supermarkets. Aside from anything else (time/emotional resources), I just do not have the energy required to make my own stock from scratch at the moment. I brought the steak from the butcher where I had *the* most bizarre conversation:


Me: Can I have a thinly sliced sirloin steak about 7 oz please?

Her: I've got some that I sliced earlier, but I think they're all 9oz

Me (Pointing to one): That one looks about 7 oz

Her: Yes, I'm almost sure that they're all 9oz. There may be one 7oz there.

Me (still pointing): I think that one might be 7oz.
Her: No, that's okay. I'll slice you a fresh one. Wooops..I sliced that one too big. Let me check the weight. No, that's 10 oz. I'll slice another one. Oh dear, did a too-small one now. Oooops that's 5oz.
Me: The one over there looks like it may be 7oz
Her (weighs it): Oh yes it is; what do you know?





(Said steak!)


How easy was it to make? Super easy! I started off making the baked potatoes and it is rather a revolutionary cooking method for me, because Fiona takes issue with those huge-beyond-all-senses baked potatoes, and instead instructs us - her willing disciples - to do away with them and instead bake medium/small potatoes for fluffier insides. This may be old news - culinary speaking - for you, but I found it really interesting and if only I had made such small but sensible changes to my diet a few months ago, I may not now be in LighterLife lumpy shake territory! This is what Fiona says about them: "One of my pet moans is why shops sell such enormous baking potatoes. They take an age to cook and make it really hard to get the centre soft and fluffy and the skin nice and crisp. Buy medium-sized ones and have two if you feel short-changed." Indeed Fiona!

Anyway, about 10 minutes before the potatoes were due to come out, I started on the steak, which simply involves bashing the steak around with a rolling pin (just imagine my LighterLife counsellor......!) until flat and then frying it super briefly (1 1/2 mins on one side and 30 seconds on the other). The sauce is made while the steak is resting in the same frying pan and consists of a shallot (and by the way, I am *not* "very finely chopping" a shallot - yawn - that's what the food processor is for dahhhhling), Worcestershire sauce, Madeira, fresh beef stock and red wine vinegar. A sinful amount of butter is then whisked in to make the whole thing more "saucelike."

Right at the end, I cooked the green beans in boiling salted water for a really short time. Even though I didn't eat them (of course), I can't *face* overdone veg. Both my parents and Chris's parents are infamous for boiling vegetables to death and I *hate* the limp, soggy end product so much so that I tend to rebel the opposite way and serve veg so "al dente" that they are practically raw (I am trying to find a happy medium Dr Freud!).

So, there we go; picture the scene - a perfectly done juicy steak with a rich gorgeous smelling sauce, sprinkled with fresh parsely and served with baked potatoes and green beans. (Then picture my LighterLife mushroom soup and cranberry bar!)

(Frying the steak in olive oil and butter)

What did Chris think? He cleared his plate and LOVED it! He loved the steak and said that it was cooked to perfection - slightly pink in the middle, but not raw. I was most intrigued to know what he thought of the sauce - it just smelled so sexy (oh dear, sorry "L" my LighterLife councellor, I *must* stop associating frood with eroticism. It just shouldn't be so damn erotic then!) and he said that it was thick, rich and substantial and tasted meaty and of the shallots and red wine with the real richness and booziness of the Madeira. He said that this was *nothing* like the steak Diane that we have vicariously experienced and that he will definately be eating this again.

He also loved his green beans, which is always good to know and of course the baked potatoes. They did look a bit boring though, just halved and spread with a knob of unsalted butter. In future, I think that I will spread a little creme fraiche over each awaiting half and maybe sprinkle a few snipped chives over (a traditional partnership, but a good one nonetheless).

Chris said that this meal deserved 5/5.





(Making that lovely sauce - Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, shallot, Madeira, beef stock and butter)





Was I tempted to cheat and eat some? Everything looked really good, but as far as temptation goes, baked potatoes seem to be less tempting to me than those sauted numbers! The green beans looked good.....but meh! Not bothered. I was quite keen to try the steak though, but I think that my curiosity was more intellectually driven (i.e. I wanted to know what the sauce tasted like from a culinary perspective) than hunger-based.



(Who am I to resist another picture?)



Did I cheat? No way....My week 4 weigh-in is tomorrow and I'm way to scared to jinx myself! And just to strengthen that concept for myself.....here is a picture of me nearly at my heaviest (taken just 3 days into LighterLife);





(Crap! At least my double chin and hampster cheeks are going...going...gone!)

Seared fillet steak with asparagus and mushrooms

Seared fillet steak with asparagus and mushrooms from Meat and Two Veg by Fiona Beckett.

What did I make? Happy Easter everyone! Obviously I couldn't eat anything chocolatey for Easter, but I do hope that you did (and ate double for me!). I thought that I would make something yummy for Chris to eat on Bank Holiday Monday and so I chose this recipe from Fiona Beckett - seared fillet steak with asparagus and mushrooms. Fiona says that "saute potatoes go well with this" and so I decided to try them as an accompaniment (yes, this meal will consist of meat and 3 veg!). I must confess that I have never made saute potatoes before and so am looking forward to trying them out. This recipe contains another first for me - the asparagus is pan fried. Well, it is microwaved for 3 minutes until tender and then pan fried with the mushrooms. I have steamed, roasted and boiled asparagus before...but never pan fried it, so am excited about trying it a different way. So, the recipe is for pan-fried asparagus with pan-fried mushrooms with just a little balsamic vinegar, Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper stirred through at the end. The fillet steak is rolled in a mixed pepper, Maldon salt, dried rosemary, flour and then seared briefly on all sides before being transfered into a blisteringly hot oven for 10-15 minutes (depending on how rare you like your steak). The saute potatoes are chopped into little cubes and then cooked in a crazy amount of groundnut oil in a wok (more on that later) and then drained on kithen paper and sprinkled with salt.

The original quantities were for 4, so I quartered them for Chris apart from the quantities of saute potatoes which I kept the same for 2-3 (okay, that was a mistake, realised as soon as I had peeled and cubed the potatoes! - he ate them all though!).

(Searing that beautiful piece of fillet rubbed in mixed pepper/salt/dried rosemary/flour - drool)

(and the other side.....)

Where did I get the ingredients from? I brought all of the veg and other various items from Tescos before Chris and I went shopping where - by the way - I brought the sexiest pair of shoes known to man (see pic!). I brought the fillet steak from the butcher and I rather naughtily brought a 250g piece, even though to honeslty quarter the recipe, I would have only needed 150g! It looked so good I could have eaten it raw (oh dear, I hope my LighterLife diet isn't turning me into a psychotic ravenous carnivore!).

(Pan-frying the asparagus - this photo doesn't do justice to just how crispy brown the asparagus went)

How easy was it to make? Really easy :) The steak is no trouble at all and literally only needs rolling in a delightfully scented mixture and sealing (briefly) on all sided before being transfered into the oven for as long as you want. I took it out after 20 minutes, but Chris was not convinced, so I cooked it for a further 10 minutes. Grrrrrr....that is where Christopher and I differ. I like my steak practically still quivering on the plate, whereas Chris likes his well done. Seeing as I am the one not eating, I suppose I must allow him his culinary voice (just this once!). The asparagus and mushrooms are so quick and easy to make that I will probably do them again for him and my God; the asparagus is so easy and looks so good that I will definately try that one for myself when I am a slinky 9 stone 5 lbs (my target weight). Basically one just microwaves the asparagus for 3 minutes until tender and then pan-fries it in oil and melted butter until it stars crisping up and going a delightfully golden brown. I was brought up all my life without a microwave and so I can't help being a bit dubious about its culinary properties, but it saved so much time that I will certainly do this again. Right at the end of the cooking process, when the steak was resting, one cooks the mushrooms in oil and melted butter, stirs in the pan fried asparagus and then seasons with balsamic vineger, salt and pepper. The potatoes were a bloody nightmare, but that was all my fault because I forgot that the wok had rusted and was therefore unusable - beyond any hope of seasoning! I therefore had to fry the little cubes of potaotes in a deep frying pan, which unfortunately had the annoying habit of making the potatoes stick to the bottom of the pan like glue, which meant that I had to be super vigilant and keep moving the potatoes about with a wooden spatula. 350g of cubed potatoes are sauted in 200ml groundnut oil, which is a lot by anyones' standards! However, I must begrudgingly admit that this cooking method made for the most wonderful crispy dark brown little cubes of oily and crispy crunchy potatoes!

(Pan-frying the sliced chestnut mushrooms in oil and melted butter)

What did Chris think? Chris thought that this was a really nice meal. In fact, I overheard him say that it was the best steak that he has ever eaten. The beef was really tender, with a mleting texture like butter. It tasted aromatic of the mixed pepper and the dried rosemary. The asparagus and mushrooms were really good and he said that he would definately eat them that way again. The potatoes were really good and it was interesting to have them this way. I must admit that we have really got into a "roasted-rosemary-and-garlic-potato" rut as of late! All in all, Chris said that this was a real 5/5 meal!

(DING DONG; Check out these sauted potatoes!)

Was I tempted to cheat and eat some? Hell yes! Everything looked so good. The steak smelled very fragrant (obviously because of the rosemary-mixed pepper rub), but luckily I wouldn't eat steak so well done (yes, even fillet!). The asparagus and mushroom mixture looked glossy, burnished and sexy as, but I could have taken or left them (especially as I had the delight of a LighterLife mushroom soup food pack to look forward to!). The potatoes really were calling my name though. I haven't eaten carbs for nearly a month now and those little heavenly golden crispy and crunchy cubes of goodness really were tempting....but I live to give! ;)

Did I cheat? No way, I still have another 4 stone, 13 lbs to loose! And plus I have a will of steel, baby!

(How do I love thee? Let me count the ways; 1.) You are glossy and brand new 2.) You have the highest heel known to man 3.) You have a sexy toe platform a la The Spice Girls 4.)You have a peep-toe 5.) I have yet to scuff you........)