Vic Williams: Sliced beef with mushrooms

Sliced beef with mushrooms.

Serves 4

450g white button mushrooms
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 spring onions
2 sirloin steaks (approx 1kg)
salt and pepper
2 tbsps pure olive oil
4 tbsps pine nuts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
mesclun or young lettuce leaves

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel and trim the stems if necessary. Slice thinly, place in a bowl and drizzle the lemon juice over the top. Trim the spring onions and finely slice the white parts and a little of the green. Add to the mushrooms and toss.

Trim the steaks of any fat. Heat the pure olive oil in a heavy frying pan until it just begins to smoke. Add the steaks and cook until rare or medium-rare but, ideally, no more, seasoning as you turn them. Remove, allow to cool for five minutes, cut into 5cm-wide strips with the grain, then slice thinly against the grain. Add to the mushrooms.

Drizzle the extra-virgin olive oil over the top, saving a little to use on the green salad, then toss well to mix.

Stand until it reaches room temperature, but don't refrigerate.

Meanwhile, toss the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until lightly coloured. When ready to serve, season the beef and mushrooms to taste with the sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Arrange the salad greens on individual plates or in a communal bowl, drizzle with the reserved olive oil, then spoon the beef and mushrooms on top. Top with scattered pine nuts.