Late home from work this evening, so a quick meal; but nevertheless a perfect low-carb delight!

Two courses:

A starter of padron peppers sauteed in olive oil with Roman Spianata salami & parmesan shavings.

Padron peppers are a new discovery and a thing of wonder! One in ten is fiery like a chilli-pepper; the other nine are sweet and pleasing like their more pedestrian cousins; the classic and reliable capsicum. So what to do with them?

Heat a good quality olive oil in a sautee pan. Tumble in the peppers, enjoying the sizzle as they hit the pan. Sautee for a few minutes, turning regularly until they have panda-spots of brown and a fine blister! Add a good pinch of maldon salt, a grind of pepper and hey presto! Don Bob’s your uncle!

They are wonderful served up to guests as an accompaniment to drinks. The ‘one in ten’ thing can provide much needed conversation, should the guests err on the tedious! They are also that little bit different, so enough to make a refreshing break from the norm.

Here, they are served as a starter, with a little salad-leaf, slices of salami and parmesan. Very quick and easy, plus a little bit of fun!

For the main course, rump steak with creamy celeriac mash and french-greens in vinaigrette (mange-tout & sugar-snap peas). We are not huge steak eaters, but it serves when time is short. Also, because we do not eat it often, I need the practice of cooking it once in a while.

Celeriac-mash – peel ‘the big ugly’ and dice into half-inch chunks. Boil until tender. Add a lewd amount of butter, double-cream and seasoning. A dash of horseradish will equally not go astray. Pulverise with a stern masher, or set the electric whisk onto it until smooth.

Steak – no explanation needed (you are probably a lot better at cooking it than I).

French-greens tossed in home-made vinaigrette (recipe to follow in a separate strand). Steam or boil the vegetables, making sure to retain that all important bite. No-one likes a wimp; that equally applies to limp vegetables. Add a spoonful of vinaigrette, season and serve.

All in all, a low-carb masterpiece.

And yes; Keto-Kat did have some steak.

Thank you for reading,

A.