May 5, 2017
Since moving in with my partner, I’ve noticed a few changes in what I’ve been eating. For one thing, my popcorn consumption has gone down (sadly, this was something that my best friend and I used to eat by the bucket load when I lived in Melbourne). I’ve also started eating a lot less salad, and my partner seems to really have something against salad (I don’t know what it ever did to him) and seems to have made it his mission to stop me from eating so much of it. This has meant overall that I have definitely been getting more creative with my cooking. I guess this comes down to having another person to cook for and with. When you live on your own, it’s so boring cooking for one, and so I seemed to always default to salad. It’s quick, easy and healthy, and I could just chuck whatever meat I had on hand in for some protein. Minimal cooking effort, minimal cleaning effort, and super cheap. So it has been good moving in with my partner to get me out of my comfort zone and trying new things.
One thing I’ve noticed that I’ve been eating a lot more of is steak. I never really ate steak in Melbourne. I know this because I don’t even have a category for beef on my blog! I don’t know why this is. Perhaps it’s that I don’t feel as confident cooking steak as I do cooking something like chicken. I have a million recipes in my head when it comes to chicken, but steak I don’t really know what to do with, other than grilling it! I also get super confused by all the cuts of steak that you can buy, and which one I should be using. Seriously, I really don’t know the difference, and so the prospect of going into a butcher and deciding on one terrifies me a little! There is so much choice, and I have no idea what the best one is for what type of cooking. As a result, I haven’t ever really gotten into cooking it.
So now that I live with my partner, who seems to have a pretty good handle on navigating a butcher, my world has been opened up to steak. We’ve been probably eating it about once a week, cooking different recipes here and there, and it’s been awesome learning some new recipes and trying out some new things. I never realised how versatile it was, and that you can go beyond basic grilling if you want to. So I thought I would share one of the recipes I came up with myself.
One night I decided to cook with some steak and pull together the leftover vegetables that we had in the fridge. I decided on making up some beef fajitas, as I’m a huge fan of the chicken type, and we even had some tortillas that needed to be used! It was meant to be, especially because we had a whole heap of capsicum and onions that needed to be used. I have to say, my partner was quite impressed that I whipped this one up without a recipe (as I was with myself) and he enjoyed it so much that I felt I was on to a winner that I should share with you all.
- 1 rump steak (about 300 grams)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 large capsicum, sliced
- 1 brown onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 packet flour tortillas
- 2 handfuls lettuce leaves of choice
- 100 grams tomatoes of choice
- hot sauce (to serve)
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Lay your steak out and season each side with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the smoked paprika, cumin and oregano, and then rub this mix onto the steak on both sides.
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Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a fry pan on a medium heat. Once hot, add the steak and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes. Once ready, remove from the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into small strips.
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Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and the onion. Allow to brown for 2-3 minutes, and then add the capsicum, garlic and chilli flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the capsicum has softened, about 4-5 minutes.
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Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add your avocado flesh and mix together with the lemon juice using a fork, until the mixture is smooth. Set aside for serving. Also pop the lettuce and tomatoes into bowls and place with the avocado, along with the hot sauce.
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In another fry pan, add the tortillas over a medium heat one at a time, and give about 2 minutes in total in the pan, or until lightly browned. Set aside tortillas once they are cooked.
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When the capsicum is done, add the sliced steak to the pan. Stir to combine, and cook for about 1-2 minutes.
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To serve: place all ingredients on the table including the tortillas. Leave the steak in the frypan and placing on a heat proof mat.
This recipe was absolutely delicious. I could tell it was good because we didn’t have any leftover steak, which makes it a winner in my book (although I wish I’d made more for lunch the next day). The steak was packed full of delicious, punchy flavour from the dry rub, and it went perfectly with the capsicum and onion mix. What I also love about mexican cooking is that you can add whatever you have on hand. If you didn’t have fresh tomatoes, you could use cucumbers, or another fresh vegetable of choice. You could also add cheese and sour cream if you wanted the recipe to be a little more naughty. You don’t even need to add tortillas if you don’t want, I had mine on it’s own and it was still delicious! It’s really up to you which is what makes it so great, as you can just use up whatever you have on hand!
I loved how quick this recipe was too, honestly it was finished in under 30 minutes and ready to go, which you really can’t go wrong with. We all know how much I hate marinating, so the fact that you just dry rubbed the spices onto the steak made it the perfect weeknight meal. Really the prep time comes out of cutting up the vegetables, so you could easily cut it down by doing this while the steak cooks. Just be careful not to let it overcook when you initially put it on the pan, as it will cook further when you put it back in with the capsicum and onion mixture.
Also, if you’re cooking for more people, or want leftovers, the recipe is really easy to double. Just add another steak into the mix along with extra vegetables and follow the same steps. This is a great meal to have with friends as you can put all the ingredients on the table and let people serve themselves. That way you don’t need to worry about serving sizes or anything, people can just sort themselves out. It makes it so easy when you have guests!
What’s your favourite steak recipe? I’m keen to try out more, and beef up the beef section of my blog (get it?)
Until next time, happy eating!
Ella xx
