Fancy!

 
Sometimes, inspiration can come from unexpected places, such as the back of a carton of impossibly beautiful and controversial micro-greens. I saw these for sale at my local 'organic' store known for their unwavering devotion and commitment to all things sustainable and wholesome. Therefore, my logic goes, that if they are selling these things, it must be OK.

The controversy is not particularly strong, merely a muttering from some quarters that these are a complete waste of seeds. I, however, always being drawn to the pretty and different, bought two packs at $5.99 each. Once I had gotten over the mild guilt I felt at buying them solely for aesthetic purposes, I was happily surprised to find the most beautiful kind of 'food-art' on the back of each carton, with the added bonus of the recipes having come from a very good restaurant in the city which I have eaten at. (Check out their site here).

Now I had a purpose, a recipe to re-create from image alone. Unfortunately it required an ingredient not easy to pick up locally and infinitely more expensive: Ahi Tuna.

So, another trip to Steveston, the little fishing village about 30 minutes drive from Vancouver, where boats loaded with sea goodies arrive everyday to sell their wares, was required. The tuna was actually bought from the seafood shop at Steveston, as the boats only had huge whole fish, which, although a great challenge to buy and fillet, are too big for my freezer. The piece I bought was already cut and a great bargain, (only $15), so I was armed with my recipe ingredients, plus the trip to Steveston always necessitates a visit to the British food shop to stock up on bacon, sausages, pies (for Neil), etc.

Back at home, I set about assembling the dish using Tuna Tataki, (a Japanese dish) as my basis.

I think my final dish looked pretty similar to the one on the back of the carton, so I considered it a success, plus, I did get to use all the micro-greens, realising they are great thrown onto just about anything. Now, I need to go to Boneta again for some more inspiration.

Recipe (serves 4)

1 piece of Ahi Tuna (or other), raw

oil

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp mirin

handful of micro-greens

Sear the tuna on all sides in a hot pan with 1 tbsp oil for around 30 seconds or until the edges are just cooked.

Slice the tuna into thin slices and arrange on a serving platter.

Mix the mayonnaise, soy sauce and mirin together well until emulsified and drizzle over the fish.

Sprinkle with the micro-greens and you have a restaurant- quality starter.

part 2

The remaining micro-greens from one carton were used with the main course I made that day.

Recipe: Marinated Flank steak with golden beet and Halloumi stacks.

1 piece of flank steak

Marinade

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp sugar or 1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

juice of half an orange

1 large golden beet, sliced thickly

1/2 block Cypriot Halloumi cheese, sliced thinly

oil

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and pour into a Ziploc bag.

Make some slashes in the beef, against the grain and place into the bag with the marinade.

Seal the bag and squish with your fingers to coat the beef. Marinade for at least 30 minutes.

To make the stacks, simply roast the beets in a 375oF oven drizzled with a little oil for around 30 minutes until soft.

Fry the Halloumi in a little oil in a frying pan until browned on each side. (Halloumi cheese keeps its shape and doesn't melt).

Arrange the stacks by layering one beet slice, one Halloumi slice until you have used half. repeat with the other stack.

To cook the beef, Remove from the marinade and wipe dry (keep the marinade to make your sauce).

Fry the beef in a hot pan with 1 tbsp oil for around 8 minutes per side. This is flank steak so it should be served medium rare or it will be tough.

You may need to wipe the pan with kitchen towel as the remaining marinade can burn and smoke quite badly. Let the meat rest, covered in foil, for 5-10 minutes.

Slice the beef thinly against the grain and lay onto a plate.

To make the sauce, simply place the marinade in a saucepan, add 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup cream and allow to simmer down for about 10 minutes on medium heat. (The sauce will be very rich, so add more cream or water as you wish).

Pour the sauce over the beef and lay a 'stack' next to the meat.

Sprinkle everything with micro-greens.