Paper Palate

The very simple recipes are usually the ones I ignore in cooking magazines, so to redress the balance I made one of Olive’s 30 Minute Meals, the “Steak with Spanish Tomato Salad”.

As I was only cooking for one I halved the meat portion, buying a very nice piece of Argentinean organic sirloin steak. Fresh coriander, red onion and tomatoes were to hand and I have a tin of Sweet Smoked Paprika in the pantry. This is my favourite winter spice - a whiff of its warm, muggy earthiness always seems to loose a little sunshine into the kitchen.

The recipe was easy to follow and quick to make. It was indeed ready in 30 minutes, and that included the time spent locating and unpacking ingredients. The end result was filling and pleasant but the combination of tomato and raw red onion might be a little too sharp for some people. In that circumstance, adding to the salad some cubes of a cheese, such as Spanish Manchego, might make it more appealing. It’s also a good way to get some greens into those mainly-carnivorous vegetable-eschewing members of your household.

I accompanied the meal with a glass of Fino sherry and I encourage you to also drink a dry sherry with the salad - it’s the ideal complement. My only caveat is that the vegetables must be very fresh and the steak a good quality one, otherwise I think this would be a fairly dreadful salad - though perhaps that’s just my revulsion for watery tomatoes and wilting coriander talking. All in all, this is a recipe to add to your ‘quick dinner’ repertoire, although not really anything to write home about (unless you’re me of course!).

Steak with Spanish Tomato Salad
20 minutes
Olive February issue

sirloin steaks 2
smoked paprika 1 tsp
olive oil
small red onion 1/2, sliced into half moons
cherry tomatoes 200g
coriander small bunch, roughly chopped
red wine vinegar 1/2 tsp

Rub the steaks on both sides with half the paprika and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Season and then grill or fry for 2 minutes each side. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing into strips. Combine the onion, tomato, coriander, remaining paprika and 1 tbsp olive oil, vinegar and some seaoning. Mix well and toss through the steads. Serves 2

Cost for two: £5.55 ($10.20) Argentinian Organic Sirloin Steak 240gm £3.36, Organic Cherry Tomatoes 250g £0.89, Red Onion £0.20, Small Bunch Fresh Coriander £0.58, Smoked Sweet Paprika £0.12, Olive Oil £0.50, Red Wine Vinegar £0.07, Seasoning £0.02.

Good value!