Sunday Dinner Series, 17-February

(Aileen)
Sunday’s dinner was a deferred Valentine’s dinner. I was stuck down in Worthing on Valentine’s day, so the goodies we picked up last weekend had to patiently wait for a week. For Valentine’s we opted for a very romantic pair of chunky sirloin steaks cooked simply in butter, traditional fixins, and a beautiful St Julien.

Menu
Dove prime sirloin steaks
Sauteed wild mushrooms
Creamed spinach
Baked potatoes

Wine
2001 Chateau Branaire, St Julien

Sauteed wild mushrooms
- Saute shallots and crushed garlic in butter until golden
- Add mushrooms, and sauté until done. Season with salt and pepper (and thyme and/or parsley if you have them on hand)

Creamed spinach
- Steam spinach then chop finely
- Saute shallots in butter until golden, add small teaspoon of flour and cook for a minute or two (like a roux)
- Add splash of cream and cook briefly
- Add chopped spinach and cook till heated through

Steaks
- (Use a good stainless steel pan) Heat pan till hot (almost, but not quite smoking), then add splash of olive oil, and 2 tbsp butter
- Add steaks and cook on high heat, for about 2-3 minutes (depending on size of steak and desired done-ness), then turn, and cook other side until desired doneness.