Wasabi beef & plums salad

Though it sounds fancy like everything else on this blog, this is a salad very simple to make. But as you might expect it's a very special one too. The big secret lays in the dressing: an explosion of sweet, salty and spicy of which you can never have enough. Or at least I can't.



Wasabi beef & plums salad for two
2 x 150g beef steaks
1 tsp wasabi paste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bag mixed salad leaves
4 plums
1 small red onion
bunch of radishes
toasted sesame seeds

Ginger & mustard dressing
1 tbsp grated ginger 1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar (or lime juice)
1 tbsp mirin (or 1 tsp brown sugar)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper

1. Season the beef steaks with salt & pepper. Spread the wasabi on the steaks and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes at least. They will change in color but wouldn't you if you were covered in burning wasabi?

2. Slice the onion and radishes. Pit the plums and cut in eights. Toss with the salad leaves.

3. Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Sear the beef on both sides. You will need to adapt the cooking time depending on the thickness of the cut, but usually 3 minutes on each side is enough.

4. Leave the meat to rest for 5 minutes. Cut in thin ribbons and arrange on the salad.

5. Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar, replace the lid and give it a good shake. Pour over the salad. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top or go for gomasio.



Combine with rice for a very satisfying & healthy lunch.

This recipe makes 0.30kilos of pure goodness.

Japanese salmon & avocado

If you never made sushi, or especially if you have and know how much trouble it is, go for this spectacular dish that delivers all the right flavours but is put together in less than 30 minutes. The combination of raw oily salmon and lemony avocados is just too good to be true.

Using extremely fresh fish is essential, so if you're not sure about its quality, skip this recipe. If your salmon smells fishy as well, it has certainly been dead for a too long time and you can, without regret, feed it to the garbage bin.

This is the right time to invest in a good quality soy sauce. Often it's the only ingredient you need to turn a dish into something special. I used Kikkoman until they changed the recipe making it completely tasteless. Fortunately I discovered Shoda, a japanese brand that uses non-GMO soy beans to produce their sauce and a very secret recipe that has a fabulous flavour.


Japanese salmon & avocado for two
2 ripe avocados
1 sushi-quality salmon fillet
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 limes, juiced
thumb sized piece of ginger
2 spring onions
fresh coriander leaves
1 tsp wasabi
salt
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted for 2 min in a pan without oil
1 red chili

Slice the salmon diagonally into smaller rectangular pieces. Finely grate the ginger and mix with the soy sauce and the juice from 1 lime. Pour over the salmon slices and marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Peel & cut the avocados in small chunks. Sprinkle immediately with lime juice to prevent them turning brown. Add salt and wasabi to taste. Chop the coriander and 1 spring onion. Combine with the avocado.

Now you're ready to begin plating (if you're really hungry, skip this step and throw everything together on a plate - no need to be fancy everyday).

Place a cake metal ring on your serving plate and gently push inside half of the avocado mixture. Roll the salmon slices into flower shapes and arrange on top. Pour over a bit of the salmon marinade. Lift the ring. Sprinkle with finely cut spring onions, chilis and toasted sesame seeds. Repeat for the other plate.

Serve with sushi rice (if you can't find any, basmati is a good replacement) in which you mix 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp of rice vinegar & 1 tsp of salt.

This recipe makes 0.3kilos/person of pure goodness.