Tag Archives: Wagyu

March 19, 2013

Rare Breeds Steaks Challenge #5 Australian Wagyu (with tagliatelle, ceps and truffle oil)

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It’s stage five of the Rare Breeds Steaks Challenge. The breed up for the challenge this week is my benchmark steak….AUSTRALIAN WAGYU

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The Breed: Wagyu translates as ‘Japanese cow’, the most famous of which is Kobe. This is pretty nigh on impossible to get hold of outside Japan, unless you remortgage your house, but fortunately, Australia farms the breed and exports all over the world. I source mine from a butcher who supplies some of London’s best restaurants. It doesn’t come cheap, but in my opinion, it is so superior to any other beef I’ve tried that it’s worth the extra expense. Wagyu cattle are genetically predisposed to intense marbling of fat, which contains a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids than typical beef. The increased marbling also improves the ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats. In other words, as red meat goes, it’s very good for you!

The Cut: This cut is striploin, also know as sirloin. It has a thick belt of exterior fat which can be trimmed off and rendered down to make dripping.

Price: Around £25.00 per steak, from a company such as Fine Food Specialist.

Appearance: So intensely marbled with creamy cobwebs of at it is virtually white in places.

Trimmage: Weight before removing exterior belt of fat: 300g; weight after: 225g.

Cooking: Heat a cast iron pan until it’s white hot. Oil the steak, not the pan. Cook for exactly 2 minutes each side for medium-rare. Season the steak after the first 2 minutes. Leave to rest for 2 minutes. Carve.

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Tasting notes: A very crisp, sweet, caramel crust yields to a juicy interior that delivers astonishing mouth feel. Rich, deep, beefy fat explodes onto the tongue. This is eyeballs-rolling-into-the-back-of-the-head ecstasy. Beyond compare.

Marks: 10/10

• I’ve served this with homemade tagliatelle, tossed in Parmesan and butter-fried cep mushrooms, then finished with a few drops of truffle oil.

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•  Click here for Rare Breeds Steak Challenge #1 Hereford 

• Click here for Rare Breeds Steaks Challenge #2 Belted Galloway

• Click here for Rare Breeds Steaks Challenge #3 Aberdeen Angus

• Click here for Rare Breeds Steaks Challenge #4 Dexter

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November 10, 2012

Recipe Shed: Luxury Surf ‘n Turf (Hand-Dived Scallops & Seared Wagyu Striploin) with Ginger, Garlic & Chilli Noodles

This is about as decadent a cosy dinner for two can get – but my wife is worth it. She works her socks off for our family and the only way I know how to repay her is to treat her to something more than a bit special at the end of the week. THIS is more than a bit special: Wagyu Striploin steak with diver-caught King Scallops.  

For the surf

12 king scallops, orange foot removed, and black stuff cleaned off

For the turf

1 tsp sunflower oil
1 sirloin steak, trimmed of outer layer of fat
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the noodles

2-3 nest dried medium egg noodles
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 long red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp sunflower oil
Knob of butter
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, to garnish

 

1. Heat a large pan of water and cook the noodles according to packet instructions, approx. 3 mins.

2. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and gently cook the garlic, ginger and chili for around 4-5 mins, until soft. Drain the noodles and toss in the garlic/butter mixture.

3. Heat a large frying pan until nearly smoking hot. Oil the steaks and then cook for 1-2 mins on each side. Season with salt and pepper and set aside on a warm plate.

4. Add the scallops to the frying pan and cook for about 45 secs each side.

5. With a sharp knife, cut the steak into thick slices. Pile the steak and scallops on top of the spicy buttery noodles.

 

 

 

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August 15, 2012

Recipe Shed: Fillet Steak with a Hazelnut Crust, Blue Cheese-Stuffed New Potatoes and Asparagus

It was our second wedding anniversary the other day. I didn’t forget it – I just didn’t get round to doing anything about it because I’d taken my sons to visit their granddad in Manchester.  Hopefully I made up for it with this anniversary steak dinner which I made for my wife when I got back yesterday. 

2 thick-cut fillet steaks, around 5cm thick
20g hazelnuts
1 slice of white bread
1 tsp mustard (English or Dijon)
1 tbsp olive oil
6 Charlotte new potatoes
20g blue cheese, such as Stilton or Roquefort
Bunch of asparagus spears, with the woody ends trimmed off
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. First make the hazelnut crust by putting the nuts, bread, mustard and oil in a food processor and whiz until to a coarsely-textured crumb.

2. Parboil the potatoes in boiling water until very tender, approx. 15 mins. Drain and leave to cool slightly. Using a very sharp knife and slice three-quarters of the way through each potato, making 4-5 cuts. Think toast rack! Push slices of the blue cheese into each slot. Put on a roasting tin and cook in a preheated oven at 180C/Gas 4 for 15-20 mins, until the potato skins crisp and the cheese has melted.

3. Oil the steaks, then in a large smoking hot frying pan, sear them for around 1 min each side. Transfer to a roasting tray, then press in a handful of the hazelnut mixture. Put in the oven for approx. 10-15 mins, depending on how well done you like your steak.

4. Meanwhile, steam the asparagus. Here’s a tip: Put some bunched up tin foil in one side of a small saucepan. Fill with water and only immerse the stalks, not the tips. This boils the stalks and steams the delicate tips so that they don’t become soft and floppy.

5. Serve the crusted steak with the potatoes and asparagus.

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June 18, 2012

Recipe Shed: Stove-top sirloin with pan-roasted potatoes and Tuscan kale

Apologies for the pretentious title of this dish, but there’s a reason for it. This was originally going to be plain old roast beef and roast potatoes – a manly, meaty feast for Father’s Day. 

But then my bloody oven broke! One of the setting buttons went kaput in a blue flash of light putting one of the best eating opportunities of the year into serious doubt.

Cue the cavalry in the form of my trusty Sous Vide, a saucepan and a frying pan.

1. First I vac-packed a hunk of truly beautiful wagyu sirloin and put it into the Sous Vide water bath at 55c for 2 hours.

 

2. Next I par-boiled some peeled King Edward potatoes for 12 mins, then pan-roasted them in a combination of butter and olive oil for 10 mins.

3. Next, I removed the beef from the Sous Vide and sliced it into thick steaks. Then I ‘roasted’ these in a white hot frying pan for 2 mins each side.

4. While the steak was resting for 7-10 mins, I made a gravy from the beef juices, 2 sprigs of thyme, homemade chicken stock, red wine and 1 tsp english mustard.

5. Then I sliced the Tuscan kale and steamed it for 3-4 mins.

6. Finally, I sliced the steaks into thick slices and served with the potatoes, kale and gravy.

And the results? Superb. Who needs an oven?

 

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