STEAK
Fillet is for girls. The only manly choice is the rib-eye, whose marbling of fat gives it far greater flavour. Allow about 200g per person. Bring your steak to room temperature and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan until it is very hot, add a little oil and cook the steak for about two minutes on one side. Turn it, add a knob of butter and, once it is foaming, spoon over the steak, cooking for a further two minutes for rare. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.
BURGER
The secret of the perfect burger lies in its simplicity. You can add finely chopped onions, breadcrumbs, egg yolks, Worcester sauce, mustard, etc, if you like, but it all distracts from the main event — the meat. Buy the best beef mince you can (allow about 125g per person), not too finely ground — and none of that low-fat nonsense or your burger will be dry and flavourless. Season with salt and pepper and mould into shape. Heat the barbecue or a ridged pan as hot as it will go, place the burger on it and allow to cook for a minute or so. Flip over and cook for a further minute, then turn down the heat, flip again and cook for another 2 minutes. Flip a final time and cook for another 2 minutes. Then allow to rest.
Advertisement
CHILLI CON CARNE
For six people, finely chop two onions, two carrots, two garlic cloves and two sticks of celery. Put in a pan with olive oil and a teaspoon each of chilli powder and cumin. Fry gently, stirring occasionally for about five minutes. Add two large tins of chopped tomatoes and 500g minced beef. Season and simmer with the lid on for about an hour, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if it is drying out. Ten minutes before it is ready, add two tins of red kidney beans. Serve with rice and plain yoghurt mixed with chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime juice.
MARTINI
Advertisement
Everyone has their favourite variation — dry, dirty, 50-50 — but let’s be traditional about this. Take 2½oz gin (vodka is a 1940s upstart) and pour into a mixing glass filled with ice. Add ½oz dry vermouth and stir (James Bond was soooo wrong — shaking dilutes the alcohol and makes the drink cloudy). Strain into a Martini glass and garnish with a green olive or a twist of lemon. Most importantly, drink when still icy cold in two or three sips. There’s only one thing worse than a shaken vodka Martini, and that’s a warm Martini.