salad Archives - Page 2 of 2

It may be a touch early in the year for this dish but I got a real craving for this earthy yet refreshing combination. The citrussy crackle of coriander with the deep earthiness of cumin can’t be beat when matched with a full-on red meat like this rump steak. Couple it with a refreshing and zingy salad and you’ve got something I could eat every day. This is a steak that should definitely be on the rare side, for succulence and fresh flesh flavours. Try and match it with a herby and peppery leaf mix for a very satisfying combination.

Cumin and coriander steak salad:

300g rump steak

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

For the salad:

Mixed leaves

1 tablespoon rapeseed oil

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Dash of soy sauce

Heat a griddle pan to dead hot. Pound the seeds together with a couple of black peppercorns in a pestle and mortar until crumbly (but not dust). Sprinkle this mixture over both sides of the steak and press in with your fingers.

Lay the steak on the pan and allow to cook, unmoved, for 2 – 3 mins. (At this point I like to turn 45 degrees ish for a criss-cross pattern). Turn over and cook for another 2 -3 mins, or until browned but with plenty of give when pressed with a finger.

Remove the steak to a hot plate to rest while you make the salad dressing. Whisk all the liquid ingredients together and toss with mixed leaves.

Sprinkle sea salt over the steak and lay on the salad leaves. Dribble any remaining dressing over the lot.

caesar salad

One of my absolute favourites. Regular readers may have twigged that I adore dishes that totally celebrate their ingredients, and allow each one to stand up and be tasted whilst adding to each other simultaneously. This is my take on a classic Caesar salad.

I hope Mr. Cardini will excuse me altering his recipe, but his core flavours are still there. As our house is veering away from raw egg at the moment, I can’t get the oil / egg emulsion so instead the sauce is a blend of garlic, good olive oil, white wine vinegar, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and white wine vinegar. I add a few flakes of parmesan to help give the sauce some thickness, where the egg usually would help. I whizz all this up in a blender.

I’ve used turkey here, simply because it was on offer, which is griddled alongside some bacon until those pretty brown stripes appear. When done I whip those off to one side and then lay some thinly sliced bread drizzled with oil on the pan, soaking up meat juices and charring slightly. I then chop some cos lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes and toss this with the Caesar sauce. The rest of the ingredients go in, then top with parmesan. Crunchy, satisfying and tasty.