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Steak with Pineapple Salsa

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The thin slices of Steak, with a fresh, fruity Salsa accompaniment create a range of flavours and textures that you don’t see very often, but create a dish suitable for such a wide range of tastes and preferences.

Steak and Pineapple Salsa

Using Fresh Pineapple instead of Canned will help the flavours blend easier and better, but make sure you don’t leave any of the skin or core in, or these pieces will become quite tough and hard.

To Serve2
2 cups of Peeled, Cored and Chopped Fresh Pineapple
300grams Mandarin Orange Sections, Drained
½ Cup Chopped Red or Green Sweet Peppers
1/3 Cup Picante Sauce
350grams Beef Flank or Boneless Sirloin Steak, cut ½ Inch thick
½ tsp Chilli Powder
1tbsp Olive Oil
6 Cups Mixed Salad Greens

1.       For the Salsa, mix the Pineapple, Mandarin Oranges, Sweet Peppers and Picante Sauce in a blender, before setting aside for at least an hour to allow flavours to mix

2.       Trim the fat from the Steak, and slice across the grain in the Meat, and sprinkle the Steaks with Chilli Powder.

3.       In a large pan, cook half of the steak over a medium-hot heat for around five minutes, before cooking the other half of the meat.

4.       Arrange on the plate, with the Steak on top of the Salad Leaves and Salsa over the top of the Steak.

This meal goes very well as part of a larger spread – very nice with a fresh made Potato Salad, Cous Cous or as part of a picnic meal.

Photo Courtesy of: Galant

Crispy Fried Duck

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Crispy Fried Duck PancakeThese pancakes are crispy, juicy and full of flavour, all in the same mouthful. They are great as a posh snack, part of a party menu, or as part of a themed dinner night. When preparing the Cucumber and Spring Onion, try to get it as close to serving time as possible to make sure that they’re fresh, and you can keep the pancakes warm in over steam in order to make sure they keep their softness.

You can buy the pancakes pre-made, and just heat them up before serving, but if you’re going to make it all yourself, you really should make it all – otherwise it’s cheating really! (p.s., I won’t tell if you do use pre-made ones!)

To serve 16

1 Duck (1 ¾ to 2kg)

Oil for Frying

5 cups Chicken Stock

2 ½ cups Dry Sherry (not white Wine)

7tbsp Light Soy Sauce

4tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

4tbsp Hoisin Sauce

4 Onions, Sliced

6 slices fresh Ginger

1 ½ tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Five Spice

1 ½ kg Beef and Pork Bones

16 Mandarin Pancakes

5-6tsp Hoisin Sauce

4 Cucumbers, peeled and cut into thin strips

5 Spring Onions, cut into strips

For the Mandarin Pancakes

½ Cup Flour

½ Cup Hot Water

1 tsp Oil

1 tsp Sesame Oil

1.       Boil the duck for ten minutes, before draining.

2.       Mix the Chicken Stock, Sherry, Soy Sauce (light and dark), Hoisin Sauce, sliced Onions, Ginger, Sugar, Five Spice and Beef and Pork bones, and simmer for thirty minutes, then remove the bones.

3.       Add the duck to this sauce, and simmer on a low heat for 1 ½ hours, turning it over every so often. After an hour and a half, remove the duck, and place on an oven grill tray, and leave to completely cool and drain – it will need at least two hours.

4.       Heat up a large amount of Oil in a wok or pot, and fry for around eight to ten minutes. Remove from the oil, and dry with some absorbent paper towels, and shred.

For the Pancakes

1.       Mix the Flour, hot Water and the teaspoon of Oil. Empty the mixture out onto a floured surface, and knead until it becomes smooth and tight.

2.       Create 16 even-sized balls, and spread out until small and paper-thin. Spread Sesame Oil onto the surface of each pancake.

3.       Heat a non-stick pan, and lightly brown each side of the pancakes.

Serve with the thin slices of Spring Onion and Cucumber, and a bowl of Hoisin Sauce.

Photo Courtesy of ItJournalist