Ingredients
- Steak with Grains of Paradise with a Peanut-Ginger Garnish and Mashed Plantains with Collards
- Grains of Paradise is a spice often used in West African cooking. The spice is from the seeds of a plant from the ginger family and has a pungent peppery kick with a citrus overtone that is really nice on steak. You grind or crush it like you would peppercorns and sprinkle it on the steak before you cook it. You can buy it at some gourmet stores or find it online.
- Serves 2
- 2 top sirloin steaks, at room temperature
- 1 ripe plantain, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- ½ bunch collard greens, kale or spinach, washed and roughly chopped
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons peanuts, chopped
- 1 1-Inch piece ginger, grated or finely minced
- 1 teaspoon grains of paradise, crushed (use the bottom edge of a pot or small mallet)
Instructions
Over high heat, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the plantains and cook 10-12 minutes or until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain and return plantains to the pot and add butter, lime zest, salt and pepper to taste and mash well. Taste for seasoning. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a skillet with olive oil over medium high heat, add peanuts, ginger, salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally for 1-2 minutes or until the lightly browned. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
In a cast iron skillet or 10-inch skillet, add olive oil and place over medium high heat. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and sprinkle the steaks with grains of paradise, salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes per side for medium rare or longer for your preference. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Add more oil to the skillet and turn to medium high heat and add the collard greens, 3 tablespoons water, salt and pepper and cook until your desired doneness, about 3-4 minutes. Remove steak.
In a small dish, combine parsley, lime juice, salt and pepper and mix well.
To serve: Slice the steak crosswise against the grain. Divide the mashed plantains on 2 plates, cooked collard greens and sliced steaks and garnish with the ginger peanuts and serve with the herb sauce on the side.
