Seared Steak with Pesto, Pine Nuts and a Pea and Broad Bean Salad

The sun is out, the night's are getting longer and I don't know about you but I'm ready for some light, fresh meals full of flavour!

This dish is vibrant, quick and easy  and, with few ingredients and very little preparation, you can have it on the table in about 10 minutes. This recipe serves two people so it's great midweek but feel free to double or triple it to serve a crowd - you could even cook the steak on the bbq if you fancy it!

Seared Steak with Pesto, Pine Nuts and a Pea and Broad Bean Salad

Serves 2

For the steak:

oil

250g rump steak

1 tbsp pine nuts

2 heaped tsp green pesto

15g Parmesan cheese

For the salad:

200g frozen broad beans

200g frozen peas

15g fresh mint, finely chopped

1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped

1 lemon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat a griddle pan or frying pan to high. Bash the steak out between two sheets of greaseproof paper using the heel of your hand or a rolling pin until 1cm thick. Rub with a little oil and season well with salt.

Meanwhile, cook the beans and peas in a pan of salted boiling water for 4 minutes. Place the mint and chilli in a bowl, finely grate over a little lemon zest, then squeeze in all the juice. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, mix, taste and season with salt and pepper. Add a little of the cooking water to the chilli mixture, then drain the broad beans and peas and add to the bowl. Toss everything together to coat.

In the meantime, cook the steak in the hot pan for 1 minute on each side. Remove and wrap in tin foil to rest. Take the pan off the heat and add the pine nuts to let them lightly toast in the leftover beef juices. After a minute or so, thinly slice the steak and add any resting juices to the peas and beans.

Spread the pesto on two plates, top with half a steak each, pile the pea and bean salad alongside then grate on the Parmesan and scatter over the pine nuts.