Steak dinner

Had mega cravings today.  I love that, when you know exactly what you want, and you get to eat it and it's good.  So today it was for hot juicy steak and lentils.  No idea why I wanted those things so badly but anyway who am I to deny myself.
It was amazing.  Haven't eaten a lot of lentils, and these were Delmaine brand canned ones, but they were delicious and creamy and so tasty.
Again pic is from my computer's camera, but I think quite well captures the deliciousness of the arrangement.

Steak Dinner
Rump steak - a great cut, full of flavour and very well priced
Potatoes
Rocket
1 x can of Delmaine lentils, or cook your own from scratch
For the lentils you will also need:
A sliced onion
Garlic cloves
Rosemary
Parsley
Splash of red wine vinegar
Splash maple syrup, or sugar whatever you have on hand.


Get the potatoes boiling.
Melt onions, rosemary and garlic in a small pot with some butter.  Season this and once the onions are transparent add the lentils and cook.  Splash in your vinegar and sugar.
At this stage get a fry pan going for your steak.  Make sure both sides of the raw meat is properly seasoned with salt and pepper - it really does make a difference to the final flavour.
Fry steak to your preferred level of doneness.
While this is frying get your plates ready with a dollop of the lentils topped with parsley, pop on the rocket and the potatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.  Once the meat is ready pile on top and pour over any cooking juices.


Eat up.

Another chocolate cake

Since I'm being transient at the moment - the rental housing market in Auckland is ridiculous with up to 200 people turning up to viewings - everything is in storage and I am sans cook book. So when a dear friend asked for a chocolate cake recipe I did not have my usual to hand. And didn't till after the fact remember that the recipe is right here on this blog. Anyway this ended up as a happy discovery of a new and delicious way to make chocolate cake. The secret ingredient is sour cream - no butter required just sour cream. This means no beating of butter and sugar and less time till cake eating can commence.


I recently made this as a treat for my lovely hosts Mark and Sam, who are kindly looking after me in my backpacking phase. I think of this cake as American style, must be the sour cream and the giant size of the cake.


Sour cream chocolate cake


3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups sour cream
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa

1 tablespoon of instant coffee
1/3 cup water (or espresso if not using the instant above)


Beat eggs and sugar together until light; add sour cream and dry ingredients. Dissolve cocoa and coffee in warm water and add to batter.

Pour into a large baking tin. This recipe makes a big, very moist cake.

Bake at 180°F until the cake springs back about 40mins or so?  I didn't ice this puppy. 

Since my camera is in storage here's a pic taken on my computer's camera.

Next time - this cake would make a great layer cake, big enough for three layers sandwiched together with cream and topped with Choc icing and whole strawbs.  Also I might try using melted chocolate in place of the cocoa to get some more flavour in there.