Sirloin steak with puy lentil and puffed barley risotto

Dice the butternut into 1.5cm cubes.

Cut the bacon in lardons and pan fry until golden, but not crispy, remove from the pan leaving the fat behind, add in the diced butternut and saute until just tender, set aside with the bacon.

Halve the mushrooms and saute in a hot pan with a little oil and butter, season and set aside.

Thinly slice onions and place in a large saucepan with oil and 40g butter and brown over a medium to high heat for 20 minutes stirring often until well coloured.

Add in the thinly sliced garlic, carrot, thyme, rosemary, and lentils, cook for 3-4 minutes until well coated, then deglaze the pan with the white wine.

Reduce the wine until it is almost gone then add in the 1L of the hot beef stock, cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes.

Stirring occasionally, add in the puffed barley and quinoa and remaining stock and simmer for a further 20 minutes, season with salt, black pepper, and brown sugar.

Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Heat a large heavy-based frying pan over a high heat (or barbecue).

Rub steaks with a little oil, season well, and place in the frying pan.

Avoid over crowding to ensure the steaks don’t stew.

Pan-fry for 3-4 minutes on each side for medium-rare.

Place the steaks onto a plate and leave in a warm place to rest for 5 minutes.

To finish the risotto, heat the risotto and gently fold through the bacon, mushrooms, butternut and chopped parsley, serve with steaks.

This is a rich wintery dish that can easily be adapted to a regular risotto by switching the grains for rice.

We would recommend Vialone Nano rice and adjusting the cooking time.