You will need the following ingredients:
2 x Sirloin Steaks, 8oz (225g) each
Bunch of Fresh Asparagus
Garlic Powder
Salt
Parsley
Utensils Needed:
Chefs Knife
Chopping Board
Griddle Pan
Saucepan
In total, this meal costs roughly £3 per person, proving that you don't have to spend a lot, to get a lot.
One of the most important things about cooking any kind of steak, is *never* cook it straight from the fridge. The meat needs to be at room temperature before you start working with it and cooking it. I took really cheap, value steaks, to illustrate just how well even a cheap steak can be turned into a work of art, given the right prep.
Take your griddle pan, and put it on a high heat straight away. This is very important. You want to sear the meat and seal the moisture and fat inside, rather than let it escape into the pan. Put the saucepan on with some water in for the asparagus at the same time, you want it to a rolling boil by the time you've finished the prep.
Score the fat on the back of each steak. This stops the steak from 'curling up' when you place it face down in the pan. Season them with the garlic powder and parsley at this point. You do *not* need to add any extra fat.
Never add oil to the pan, or the steaks themselves - you end up with a far greasier steak that way, and you only need a small amount to stop the meat from drying out or sticking to the pan.
Set to one side while you deal with the asparagus.
This is the easy bit - all you need to do with the asparagus, is trim about an inch off the bottom of the stalks, removing the thicker, more fibrous parts. The amount pictured, is usually enough for one person.
By now, the griddle pan should be searingly hot (so be very careful!), and the saucepan will be on a nice, rolling boil. Add the asparagus to the pan, and take each steak and with your hands, press the FAT edge into the griddle for roughly 30 seconds. This renders the fat from the steak, crisps up the edge and adds all you need to stop the steak from sticking to even a cast iron griddle.
Once this is done, place each steak seasoned side down, on the griddle pan.
Pay attention to the griddle pan - each steak should take no more than 3 minutes on each side. Only ever turn the steak ONCE. There's no need to poke it, threaten it, interrogate it, or ask it about the fundamentals of life - just 3 minutes per side will do! Flip the steak over, and again, season with salt, garlic powder and parsley just as before.
The asparagus will be ready at the same time the steak will be, so to avoid overcooking it and ending up with a green, amorphous mush, take it off the heat, drain and plate up.
Take the steak off the heat and place on a board to rest. Unfortunately, i no longer have a chopping board with a carving groove around the edges for the juices to collect, so i cheated, by using a wire cake cooling rack, and a plastic chopping board underneath.You should rest the steak for roughly a minute before putting it on a plate, you'd be surprised at the amount of juices that end up coming out of the steak - and you don't want a soggy steak on your plate now, do you? :)
See that below? That is perfectly pink in the middle. If you press it with your finger, it's not too soft and not too hard, with a decent amount of spring left in it. Serve with some wholegrain mustard, or bearnaise sauce. Give yourself a pat on the back, because you just made a perfect steak dinner in less than 15 minutes.
Some of you probably noticed i made no mention of anything potato related - it's purely personal preference. I find a baked potato tends to be too heavy, and you come away from the meal feeling bloated. Mashed potato would be fine, but increases the prep time considerably - but again, if you want to add either, go right ahead, just work out your timings beforehand so you don't end up with either cold steak & asparagus or cold potato!
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