During a recent set visit of her cooking show in Hout Bay, Siba Mtongana said her aim is always to create easy dishes with a twist, that also look appealing. “I’m known to make things easy and accessible,” she says. “Whenever I meet people in the street or at festivals they always say I make it look so easy. I want to make it easy, but I also want people to try it so they can see how easy it really is."
Surf and Turf
(Serves 8)
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Marinade
1 cup soy sauce
6 cloves garlic crushed
1 tbs freshly grated ginger
¼ cup coriander chopped
4 spring onions, chopped
2 T honey or brown sugar
1 t chilli flakes
2 t white sesame seeds
½ cup sesame oil
Surf and turf
2kg beef fillet (centre cut)
1 kg calamari, whole
60 g butter
4 cloves garlic
1 T freshly grated ginger plus
1 t extra salt and pepper
¼ c coriander chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 c good quality beef stock
Garnish with coriander
Surf and Turf by Siba Mtongana PICTURE: Supplied
For the marinade: whisk the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Stir in the sesame oil. Using cocktail sticks, pin the bottom of the meat to creating a round shape (quicker than to truss with a roasting string). If nicely round cut, may not need to do this.
Place the meat in a freezer bag and pour the two-thirds of marinade over it, gently rubbing the meat. Marinate in the fridge for at least two2 hours.
Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
Shake off the marinade juice from the meat and pat dry it gently. Rest it for five minutes to come to room temperature.
Heat a non-stick frying pan or flat griddle until hot and sear/seal it for 1½ minutes each side.
Place on a baking tray, drizzled with oil and roast for five to eight5-8 minutes medium rare.
Remove, place on a board and cover with foil, allowing to rest for 10 minutes. Keeping the juices in the pan
Heat the butter over high heat in a large frying pan and sauté the garlic and ginger. Add the calamari and cook for two minutes until the legs curl up and cooked. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and stir in the coriander and squeezedsqueeze of a lemon.
Remove calamari to plate and cover to keep warm. To make a sauce, add the meat juices into the calamari pan – add the meat juices. Add the remaining marinade and cook for eight minutes. Pour in the stock and simmer until slightly reduced.
Grate in a teaspoon more ginger and strain through a sieve to serving jug.
Carve the fillet and arrange on a board, put the calamari on the board, garnish with coriander, serve with the gravy alongside.