Seared beef with mushrooms and sage nut butter sauce on watercress salad
{ SERVES 2 }
I love to express my creativity in the kitchen, but at heart I’m very content with a protein and salad dinner. My only requirements are meat of the best quality, and vegies grown with love and organic principles. This really amps up the flavour.
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 rib-eye steaks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
40 g (1½ oz) or 2 tablespoons butter olive oil
180 g (6¼ oz/2 cups) sliced mushrooms
Sage nut butter sauce
60 g (2¼ oz/¼ cup) nut butter
60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) coconut milk
large handful sage leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Watercress salad
120 g (4¼ oz/4 cups) watercress
1 orange, peeled and cut into segments or unpeeled and sliced
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice (see tip)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon rice malt syrup or stevia to taste (optional)
To make the sage nut butter sauce, gently melt the nut butter and coconut milk in a small saucepan over low heat and add the sage. Cook very gently for 5–8 minutes, taking care not to let it boil. Season with salt and pepper.
To make the watercress salad, combine the watercress and the orange segments in a medium bowl. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, pour over the salad and toss.
Rub the sesame oil all over the steaks, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with sesame seeds, pressing down to ensure they stick. Heat half the butter in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Sauté the mushrooms for about 8 minutes, until browned, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate.
Heat the remaining butter in the same frying pan over medium–high heat, then cook the steaks to your liking. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and slice on the diagonal using a sharp knife.
Share the salad between two plates. Top with steak slices and mushrooms, and serve with the sage nut butter sauce on the side.
Note: For a photo of this dish, see here.