Simple supper: Steak, mushrooms, bread.

I know, another post today, but actually this blog is being ported over from elsewhere. So these actually took much more time to make ! But now, a simple dinner. Steak, stuffed mushrooms and garlic bread. Fast and easy. I used springbok steak here, which is amazingly flavorful. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find it too. Here in NL, we can find it at Albert Heijn now and then.

Lets talk about meat a little first. The ideal temperature when meat is done should be 51.5°C for rare, 54.5°C for medium-rare and 60°C for medium ( Note no 'well-done' ) in the center. A normal cooking surface is about 120 - 160 degrees, you need to be careful to get a steak cooked just right, which many many people I know overlook or never even think about. Luckily beef and game can be eaten fairly raw. However, i've read many pro chefs saying that a steak has to be medium-rare to be right, allowing the marbling fat to melt. Which is hard to take for a rare lover like myself. Now some tips;

1. Take the meat out of the fridge about an hour before cooking. So its room temperature. This helps it cook.
2. You don't need to fry the steak at ridiculously high heat to 'seal' it at all. This really can only work if your meat has been cooked "sous-vide" style, ( which ill talk about later )
3. Resting meat in between frying will help heat diffuse through to the center, and cool the exterior. Frying it constantly until the center is done will result in a burnt/over cooked exterior.

Recipe after the jump !!



So ! You'll need

Button Mushrooms
Garlic bread ( Yes, I bought it, sue me)
A good steak, mine being springbok fillet.
A meat thermometer if you have one would be great.
Garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper

Start with the garlic, dice it up nice and small. For the lazy ones, its easy to buy already chopped ! Now your shrooms. Simply pull out the stalk and quickly clear out the mushroom, place some garlic in and some olive oil, like a mini soup bowl :) and then into the oven, just keep checking when they are done. Chuck in your garlic roll when the meal has about 4mins left to go.

On a stove top of 9 - 0 I start frying my steak at 7. Trying to make sure I only need to turn it once. About 3 mins each side was perfect for me, but I did have my trust thermometer. Once you turn the steak once, grind some salt and pepper. Turning it again will just burn the spice. Not so nice. I rested my steak in between for a minute for it to cool down and diffuse heat nicely. Once the center is at the temp you like (*check below for a handy tip) remove it. Let it rest again as you gather your mushrooms on the plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper and get your garlic bread, slice and plate. Finally, plate your meat, as is, or sliced.

Really simple bread, simple mushrooms, simple meat, simple meal... could be made much more glamorous, but for a mid-week meal, great ! I always combine this with my cream of mushroom soup, which is actually easier to make. Will post soon !

*touch your thumb to your pointing finger and feel that big muscle on your thumb, thats raw. The middle finger rare, and so on!  Great huh ?