Meat Meals
Let’s face it, most men believe that there’s no substitute for red meat and Luke believes this passionately too! But increasingly we are being told that with our relatively recent sedentary lifestyle, too much red meat is a bad thing. So keep red-meat eating to a minimum. Make sure every bite is 100 percent delicious, and 100 percent additive free, by trying to buy organic. The taste difference is worth it and the health difference could be a life-and-death one.
The Classic Burger with Extras
THERE’S something so tasty about a burger in a soft, chewy bun with fresh top-1 pings, no wonder it’s so many meat-lovers’ favorite meal. It’s easy to buy ready-made burgers, but if you’ve ever read the list of ingredients on one of the packets, you’ll understand why it’s important—considering it’s so simple—to make your own. Make sure to use all the extras for true enjoyment.
The Burger
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 pound organic chopped beef
yolk of 1 free-range egg
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
The Buns
3 cups white spelt or organic wheat flour
1 teaspoon wheat-free baking powder
¾ cup water or rice, oat, soy or cow’s milk
The Extras
2 tablespoons Harissa (page 171)
8 slices organic cheese
salad leaves
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise (page 168)
Homemade French Fries (page 50)
Aioli (page 168)
- If you’re making Fries, get them on first, so you can keep them warm.
- Mix first 4 burger ingredients together and season generously with the salt and pepper. Split the mix into 4 pieces, roll into balls, then flatten into burgers about ¾ of an inch thick.
- Warm half a tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the 4 burgers and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes each side or until done to your liking.
- If you are making buns, mix all the ingredients together to form a soft dough. Divide into 4 balls, and flatten to ½-inch thickness. Put another frying pan on medium heat and sprinkle with flour. When the flour starts to brown, put the buns on for about 4 minutes per side or until puffed up.
- To assemble, slice the buns in half, spread each half with Harissa, plonk on the burger, add a couple of slices of cheese, a twist of pepper and salt, a few salad leaves, and some Aioli. Serve with Homemade French Fries.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Spicy Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
MEATBALLS do take a little time to prepare, but they are truly worth it. The spices make this one of the most heart- and tummy-warming dishes you could imagine. If you’ve stopped eating meat, find a good organic butcher—you can even find one online these days. Yes, the meat is more expensive, but just buy a little at a time and savor the difference. If you can’t take meat in any shape or form, substitute red lentils or organic tofu, both of which are available in health food stores. Cook the meatballs carefully, as you don’t want them to crumble.
The Meatballs
1 pound organic chopped beef
yolk of 1 free-range egg
2 teaspoons each ground turmeric and ground chili
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
The Sauce
2 onions, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons each ground cumin, turmeric, and coriander
2 teaspoons ground chili
2 8-ounce cans of tomatoes, chopped
1 cup tomato passata
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water
1 cup organic bio-live natural yogurt
Chapati (page 160) (optional)
- For the sauce, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until they are golden. While they are cooking, mix together the first four meatball ingredients, seasoning well with salt and pepper, and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
- Divide the meat mixture in half, then halve again, then again, then once more. You should end up with 16 pieces. Roll each into a meatball roughly the size of a walnut.
- The onion and garlic mixture should be cooked by now, so put it to one side of the pan and add the meatballs and the spices from the sauce ingredients.
- Cook for 7-8 minutes until the meatballs are nicely browned all over. Now add the tomatoes and passata. Season generously, stirring all the ingredients together very gently so as not to break up the precious meatballs. Cook over a low heat for approximately 40 minutes.
- Ten minutes before the meatballs are cooked, pop the basmati rice and water in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and cook over medium heat. If your timing’s good, the meatballs and rice should be at the same time.
- Adjust the seasoning of the meatballs and serve on top of the basmati, together with a dollop of yogurt and perhaps a few Chapati.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Luke’s Steak with Sautéed Onion Gravy
VEGETARIANS may feel aggrieved when they read this, but we think that there is no real substitute for meat. Be sensible, though, and eat only organic meat bought from a reputable farm or butcher. You’ll really notice the difference in flavor.
4 organic beef steaks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Homemade French Fries (page 50)
4 teaspoons organic butter
2 onions, peeled and sliced into rings
4 cups Veggie Stock (page 77)
green beans (optional)
- First, marinate the steaks. Rub the meat with a pinch of salt, lots of pepper, 1 of the garlic cloves, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Leave for half an hour while you prepare the onions, etc.
- Heat a large frying pan over a medium flame and drizzle the pan with the rest of the olive oil. Pop the steaks on to cook. We cook our steaks for about 6 minutes per side, as we like them quite well done, but you may feel more or less is better. Follow your taste buds. If you are making Homemade French Fries, put them on now.
- When the steaks are almost cooked, dab each one with some of the butter and add the onions and remaining garlic clove to the pan. Cook the steaks for another minute and then take off the pan. Put the steaks on a plate and keep warm.
- Continue to cook the onions and garlic until soft and brown, then add the Veggie Stock, some more butter, another pinch of salt, and another few twists of pepper. Put a lid over the pan to prevent all those yummy juices from escaping. Cook for 3-4 more minutes, or until the stock has reduced by roughly half.
- Taste the gravy, adjust the seasoning if necessary. Pour the gravy into a serving dish.
- Serve immediately with the Fries and perhaps some green beans. Enjoy your carnivorous feast!
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
“Hearthy” Beef and Thyme Stew
WALKING past a cafe one day, we saw the sign: “Hearthy Beef Stew served all day.” Who are we to quibble? “Hearthy” sounds even more wholesome than “hearty,” and this is surely one of the most fortifying meals—excellent on cold winter nights as comfort food. And don’t worry about the amount of garlic; each clove will be mellow and delicious by the time you eat it. There really aren’t any accompaniments to “Hearthy” Beef Stew other than hot crusty bread for mopping up the juices.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 teaspoons organic butter
2 onions, peeled and sliced into rings
1 leek, root cut off and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
¾ pound organic beef, cut into cubes
10 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
6 cups Veggie Stock (page 77)
2 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Farls (page 156)
- Heat a large saucepan over a low flame and splash in the olive oil and 2 teaspoons of butter. Sauté the onions and leek for 5-7 minutes. When they’re soft and translucent, add the carrots and potato. Cook for another 5 minutes. Now push the mixture to one side of the pan.
- Add the beef and the rest of the butter and cook until the beef has lost its meaty color. Throw in the garlic cloves, mix all the ingredients together, and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Stir gently so all the ingredients are well coated in juices.
- Next, add the stock and thyme and season with pepper and salt. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and let cook on a low heat for 45-50 minutes, until beautiful, bountiful smells are arising from the pot and you can’t wait another minute.
- While your stew is doing its thing, make the Farls. Eat your stew hot with plenty of Farls smothered in butter if allowed. Not very sophisticated, says Luke, but damn fine.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Peruvian Steak
WHEN Mom and Dad were first married, they spent eighteen months in Peru, regularly traveling from the Altiplano down to the selva, or jungle, and the old rubber towns along the Amazon—Iquitos and Pucallapa—where all the local restaurants served this delicious version of steak and onions. Dished up with generous plates of piping hot patatas fritas, you can transform a small, and maybe not completely stunning, piece of meat into a funky feast in minutes.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 onions, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 pound good organic steak cut into strips
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon organic butter
Homemade French Fries (page 50)
Aioli (page 168)
Harissa (page 171)
- Heat a heavy-bottomed sauté/frying pan over a low to medium heat. Pour in the olive oil followed by the sliced onions (you can’t have too many fried onions, so be generous). Sauté the onions until soft, gold, and translucent, about 10 minutes. Then add the garlic and sauté for another minute or two.
- Now move the onion and garlic mixture to one side of the pan. On the other side, pop in your sliced steak pieces. Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning to cook all sides while making sure the onion and garlic mixture doesn’t burn.
- When your steak pieces are cooked to your taste, with a wooden spoon or spatula mix all the ingredients together. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, top with a teaspoon of butter, and cook for another minute or so, until the butter is completely absorbed.
- Then onto the table with the whole pan (if it’s a pretty one!) and allow everyone to help themselves. Serve with a big bowl of Homemade French Fries, a bowl of Aioli and Harissa. Ay Caramba! You’ll be beating them back from the table?...
MAKES 4 SERVINGS