The Thirty-Nine Steps

Yet another lovely week has come and gone And I am proud to announce that this week was both delicious and disaster free! We had the great pleasure of devouring Steak Indian-Style, Spinach & Paneer Salad, Naan Breads and Mango Dessert. It was a really lovely, fresh combination of dishes this week  - complemented perfectly by good wine and even better company! Here is how we pulled it off...

First up, the steak. Once again, the beef was treated to some love and care before we cooked it up. It had about a half hour to marinate in some jalfrezi paste (yummy indian curry paste) and soak up all of that flavour. Then it was as simple as throwing it into a hot pan, cooking it til it was just right and then letting it have a little rest on the board before we styled it up and served it at the table. The flavour is so wonderful - it doesn't become to overbearing on the meat, it just permeates it nicely and gives it a little bit of a kick. I only wish we had marinated it earlier, I can't even imagine how yummy it would be if it'd had a day to really take on the indian flavours.

The salad was a lovely, interesting mix. When DH and I first saw the paneer on the list of ingredients we both looked at each other a little confused and went back to old faithful (google!) for some answers. As expected, it is similar to halloumi in that it is a solid cheese and doesn't melt down too much when you cook it - and it is pretty yummy too! It was a fairly basic salad - a mix of greens, carrot, alfalfa sprouts and a dressing of lemon juice. Fresh, simple, fuss-free and yum!

The meal was served with little sides - including a simple curry sauce made from jalfrezi paste and some coconut milk, some naan breads we toasted in the oven and a yoghurt tip, in case the flavours got too overwhelming. They were only small accents to the meal but they really helped to make the plate feel full and the meal more satisfying and complex. So basically, what I have learned from this is - if the table/plate  is looking a little bare, fluff it up with some dip bowls, bread, dressings and anything else you could pass off as part of the meal!

The mango dessert was dead easy and the perfect sweet, fresh end to the meal. By the time you've chowed through all the steak, bread and salad you don't really need a lot more to eat so having a small portion of mango, sweetened with some icing sugar and flavoured with some mint and lime juice, was all you could ask for. The most exciting part of the dessert was that it is officially mango season again and they are popping up in supermarkets and fruit shops everywhere - so this dish was just a lovely little reminder that the warmer weather is approaching and summer is just around the corner. Bliss!

Next week looks like the perfect blokey dish. And though I am not a bloke, I do intend to enjoy it immensely. We're looking at Meatball Sandwich, Pickled Cabbage, Chopped Salad and Banana Ice Cream - and I am absolutely looking forward to it!

Til next week - Bon Appetit!