Sautéed Beef and Courgette, Made with Dish Symphony No.4

Thinly sliced beef — komagire — is a fine thing. It is cheap, it cooks through fast, and above all the edges go crisp. One pan, 20 minutes. Sear it, bring it together with courgette and mushrooms, and shake something over at the end. That is the whole dish.

That final shake is everything. Dish Symphony No.4 is coarsely ground, so shaking it over once the heat is off leaves the grains whole rather than dissolved. The pine-like sweetness of pink pepper and the coniferous aroma of juniper rise over the fat of the seared beef.

Pink pepper, incidentally, has pepper in its name but is no relation to it. It belongs to the sumac family.

Time needed: about 20 minutes

Ingredients (Serves 2)

• Dish Symphony No.4: 1/2 tsp
• Thinly sliced beef (komagire): 250 g
• Courgette: 1
• Mushrooms: 6
• Onion: 1/2
• Garlic: 1 clove
• Butter: 10 g
• Oil: 1 tbsp
• Salt: 1/3 tsp (to season the beef)
• Salt: 1/2 tsp (for the vegetables)
• Black pepper: a little
• Lemon: 1/4 (optional)

Preparation

1. Cut the “courgette” into 1.5cm-thick half-moons.
2. Trim the stem ends from the “mushrooms” and cut them in half lengthways. Do not wash them — wipe any dirt away with damp kitchen paper. Once they take on water they will not colour however long you cook them, and end up tasting steamed.
3. Cut the “onion” into 1cm wedges.
4. Slice the “garlic” thinly.
5. Sprinkle the “salt: 1/3 tsp” over the “beef” and rub it in lightly.

Instructions

1. Put the “oil” and the “garlic” into a frying pan over a low heat, and once the aroma rises, take the “garlic” out.
2. Turn the heat to high and lay the “beef” in, spread out. Leave it untouched for about 1 minute to sear, and once it has coloured, turn it, break it apart and take it out for the moment. Not moving it, and turning it only once, is what keeps the dish from going watery.
3. Put the “onion”, “courgette” and “mushrooms” into the same pan and cook over a medium heat for about 4 minutes. Wait without moving them, until the cut faces of the courgette have coloured and the mushrooms have begun to give up their moisture.
4. Only once they have coloured, sprinkle the “salt: 1/2 tsp” over everything. Salt them any earlier and the courgette gives up its water, and it will take no colour at all.
5. Return the “beef” to the pan, add the “butter” and mix everything together. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat.
6. Shake the “Dish Symphony No.4” over the whole pan, return the “garlic” you set aside and toss quickly. Shaking it over once the heat is off leaves the coarsely ground grains whole rather than dissolved.
7. Serve, and grind over the “black pepper”. Squeeze over the “lemon” if you like. It is good as it is, with nothing added.

Dish Symphony No.4 is salt-free, so your usual seasoning will do. Better still if the beer is cold.