SERVING 4

When entertaining, it is always nice to be able to rustle up a quick and tasty appetizer, or hors d’oeuvres, to start off a fine meal. Here is one made with beef that really fills his slot quite splendidly.

The beef fillet
21 oz / 600 gr beef fillet
Salt and ground pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tbs oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Vegetable oil

Start by seasoning the pieces of fillet with salt and ground pepper, rubbing the seasoning in a little. Then mix together the cumin, oregano, garlic powder and onion powder. Scatter the mixture over the fillet and rub it in a bit. Do this on both sides. Now pour a little soy oil onto a hot pan and cook the meat on each side for 1 to 2 minute, or until it is medium rare. When the meat is done, put it aside for the heat to seep in and the juices to settle.

The dressing
1 cup skyr or Greek yogurt
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Juice from half a lemon
1 medium sized cucumber

Put the skyr, or Greek yogurt, in a bowl and pour in some of the heavy cream. Mix thoroughly to an even blend seasoning the mixture with a bit of salt and pepper. Add some more cream, squeeze in the juice from half a lemon and mix again. Peel the cucumber, with e.g. a potato peeler, and cut it lengthwise into strips. Then cut across the strips making small cucumber dices. Season the cucumber dices a bit with salt and pepper and mix the dices in with the contents of the bowl.

Roasted pumpkin seeds
½ cup / 120 ml pumpkin seeds
1 tsp salt

Put the pumpkin seeds in a hot and dry pan and roast them until they turn golden brown. Season the seeds a bit with salt, pour them onto a separate plate and put them aside.

Serving
Make a long bed of the dressing on a plate. Cut the cooked beef fillet into rather thick slices and push them lengthwise onto a skewer. Lean a few pieces of the meat against the ribbon of dressing on the plate and finally sprinkle some roasted pumpkin seeds over the whole arrangement. This is a nice tit bit – very savory and fresh in taste.