Most meat eaters would enjoy a nice, good quality steak as a treat every now and then. It is especially delectable when serves with oven chips or mashed, and garnish it with just the right quantity of blue cheese or peppercorn sauce (why spoil a delicious cut of meat by letting it swim in the sauce?). The thought of it is enough to make me drool!
Personally I favor sirloin and rib eye over fillet or rump. Majority of us avoid animal fat like a plague because it was drummed into us that it is bad for our health, but when it is consumed in moderation, it is not as bad for you as hydrogenated fats (yes, real butter is better than vegetable spread!). Moreover, a little bit of fat really helps to enhance the overall flavor and the texture.
As steak means to be a treat, why would you deprive yourself with supermarket prepacked steaks that have been sweating in plastic wrappings for days? Pay a visit to your local butcher. You will be surprised by the price, as it is often no more expensive (or cheaper) than supermarket, but the quality always outshine the former. Most importantly, you have a choice over its thickness in accordance to the individual appetite.
I bought 2 slices of locally sourced sirloin from my local butcher (approximately 250g in weight) and it costs only just over £10. Very modest indeed.
Serves 2
A knob of butter
2 sirloin steaks (approximately 250g each, depending on appetite)
1 punnet of mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled, halved then quartered
3 potatoes, peeled, chopped, boiled and mashed
Marsala Peppercorn Sauce:
50g butter
1 banana shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp whole peppercorns, roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
200ml Marsala wine
50ml double cream
1. Peeled the potatoes, chopped into chunks and boil them with lightly salted water until they are soft enough to mash. Keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan or small saucepan but make sure it is not burnt.
3. Cook the banana shallot until soften.
4. Add in the crushed peppercorns, cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Turn up the heat and pour in the Marsala wine. Season with salt & pepper then leave it to cook and simmer under low heat. If the liquid is running low then top it up with more Marsala wine.
6. Steam the prepared carrots and keep warm.
7. Now for the steaks. Place a griddle pan on a high heat. When it is hot enough (not smoking), place the steaks on it.
8. The steaks were about 1 cm thick and for medium rare, cook each side for 2 minutes. Note: Be sure to use a timer, guesswork does not work well with steaks!
9. Add a small knob of butter into the griddle pan and spoon the juice over the steaks.
10. Place the steaks on a plate, cover them with a foil and let them sweat whilst the mushrooms are being cooked.
11. Fry the mushrooms in the same griddle pan until they are cooked.
12. Now, let's finish the sauce. Stir in the cream and bring it close to near boil.
13. If there are any meat juice from the sweating-steaks, mix them in with the peppercorn sauce to enhance the flavor.
14. Well, everything should be ready to serve now! Enjoy.
Serves 2
A knob of butter
2 sirloin steaks (approximately 250g each, depending on appetite)
1 punnet of mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled, halved then quartered
3 potatoes, peeled, chopped, boiled and mashed
Marsala Peppercorn Sauce:
50g butter
1 banana shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp whole peppercorns, roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
200ml Marsala wine
50ml double cream
1. Peeled the potatoes, chopped into chunks and boil them with lightly salted water until they are soft enough to mash. Keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan or small saucepan but make sure it is not burnt.
3. Cook the banana shallot until soften.
4. Add in the crushed peppercorns, cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Turn up the heat and pour in the Marsala wine. Season with salt & pepper then leave it to cook and simmer under low heat. If the liquid is running low then top it up with more Marsala wine.
6. Steam the prepared carrots and keep warm.
7. Now for the steaks. Place a griddle pan on a high heat. When it is hot enough (not smoking), place the steaks on it.
8. The steaks were about 1 cm thick and for medium rare, cook each side for 2 minutes. Note: Be sure to use a timer, guesswork does not work well with steaks!
9. Add a small knob of butter into the griddle pan and spoon the juice over the steaks.
10. Place the steaks on a plate, cover them with a foil and let them sweat whilst the mushrooms are being cooked.
11. Fry the mushrooms in the same griddle pan until they are cooked.
12. Now, let's finish the sauce. Stir in the cream and bring it close to near boil.
13. If there are any meat juice from the sweating-steaks, mix them in with the peppercorn sauce to enhance the flavor.
14. Well, everything should be ready to serve now! Enjoy.
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