Raneen Joudah’s table full of tasty treats to invest in her hobbies

Raneen Joudah started off as a businesswoman but quickly realized she wanted to do more than just be a dedicated wife once she was home after work. She was looking of ways to invest in her hobbies, something she thought she would enjoy.
Her love for photography made her start a freelance business using a quality camera to do photoshoots of people and products. Joudah later realized her business did not match her passion for high-resolution photos. She did not like the fact that she was always stressed out about clients and deadlines, and so her hobby turned into a full-time job.
Joudah later decided to end her photography business and search for a new path. She then discovered her love for food, not any food, but home cooked meals that are made with love. “I love cooking, I always make sure to provide my husband and daughter a quality meal that I enjoy cooking and they enjoy eating,” she said. “This then extended to small gatherings with friends and extended family, who recognized my quality of cooking and encouraged me to share it with the world,” she added.
She later decided to become a food vlogger and blogger by starting her own social media pages, which go by the name ‘Raneen’s Table’, to share her knowledge about making quality food and serving it. “I use my professional camera and light to deliver the whole experience to my followers on Snapchat. I cook live on my social media platforms every day and share inside tips with my viewers, encouraging them to do the same. They then send their cooking results to me,” she added.
Joudah’s Snapchat is not only centered around her kitchen, but she also takes her followers to the supermarket and fish and vegetable markets. “My goal is to show them how to choose their ingredients and how to be inspired 
“I want to inspire people, to try new things, to explore unusual flavors, and to give a twist to traditional food. Also, I want people to know that cooking is easier than what it seems to be. I am also focusing on cooking methods and techniques not just recipes, to help people to master them,” said Joudah.
Who doesn’t like a good piece of steak that is juicy enough to satisfy your tastebuds, and perfectly cooked? Arab News asked Joudah to share her secret recipe for the perfect steak.

Choosing your meat:
You might want to consider choosing a good piece of meat, I like beef tenderloins as they are the most tender section in a cow, and the fat around it is easily removed. Wagyu (from Japan) is definitely the ultimate choice with its beautiful marbling and of course, expensive price! You could also go with Angus beef, which is easily available in your local grocery shop, with a lower price tag and also good quality. Or you can simply choose the local variety, which is also a good choice and has the cheapest price among the three. If you want something that has more fat, go with the T-bones or sirloin.

Cooking pans:
For juicy steaks and easy application, I would recommend frying your steak, although you can grill it in the oven if you wish to. If you choose either method, you will need a non-stick heavy pan and preferably one that leaves grill marks. We need a pan that gets really hot — ideally to achieve a beautiful brown crust.
It is important not to over stack your pan with too many steaks as it will reduce the pan heat and you will end up with pale steaks that have no grilling marks.

Oil:
I like to use olive oil or canola oil, you can use any other oil you prefer. Some people may use butter with olive oil, you can do that as well, but I prefer to finish the steak with a nice chunk of flavored butter — no guilt! One major thing you have to keep in mind is, not to place your steak on the pan until you make sure your oil is hot. If the oil and the pan are not hot enough, you will lose the brownness and the grilling marks.
Seasoning:
Salt and black pepper, that is it! Easy and straight forward, right? Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper do wonders here!

Cooking the steak:
Here comes my favorite part and the most important one. It all depends on how you like the steak to be done. Most like their steak medium, some like well-done, and some like it medium rare. I will do my best to explain the method.
But before that, one important thing is that your meat should always be at room temperature.
Leaving your steak to cook once on each side or flipping it over and over? Well, both techniques are right. Choose the one you are comfortable with. I like flipping my steak and cooking it for about a minute on each side for a total of 8 minutes (that is for a 2 inch thick piece), I believe that cooks it equally and gives it the perfect grill marks without burning it.
You can always use a thermometer to check for the right temperature that will make your life easier.

55-57 degrees Celsius - Rare
60-63 degrees Celsius - Medium
65-68 degrees Celsius - Medium well
68-70 degrees Celsius - Well done

Resting the steak:
Resting the steak is very, very important! Cutting your steak too early without resting will cause you to lose all the good juices and flavors of the meat. Give your meat a good five minutes to rest before serving. Cover it in foil to keep it warm.
Recipe:
Cooking time: 10 mins
Preparation: 5 mins
Serves: 2 persons
Ingredients:
2 pieces tenderloin beef (2 cm in thickness)
Sea salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
4 tbs olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 rosemary sprig

- Season each of your steaks with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season well with salt and black pepper on each side.
- Heat a cast iron pan over high heat for at least 2 minutes or until extremely hot.
- Add the remaining olive oil along with the garlic cloves, and rosemary to flavor the oil.
- Place your steaks in the pan, cook for 4 minutes on each side.
- Try to spoon some of the oil in the pan and pour it over the steaks to keep them moist and to flavor them, repeat this a couple of times.
- Turn the steak to the other side and cook for
another four minutes, repeating the oil spooning method.
- Remove the steak from the pan, let it rest for 5-8 minutes and serve.

Source: Arab News