Peppered Steak

This is my favourite steak recipe, I make this a lot. The spicy peppercorns marry perfectly with the cream and brandy to create a truly luxurious sauce. Serves 2.

2 rump or sirloin steaks, about 225g each
15g butter
100 ml beef stock (can be made from a stock cube or gravy granules)
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed or grated
2 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or whatever mustard you fancy)
150 ml double cream
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
Oil for frying

Remove the steaks from the fridge at least 30 minutes before you want to cook them. Pat the steaks dry with a piece of kitchen paper and season with salt. Put the crushed peppercorns onto a plate and press the steaks into them on both sides. 

 Heat the oil and butter in a pan until very hot. Use tongs to transfer the steaks to the pan and fry over a high heat for a minute each side. Lower the heat and cook for a few more minutes until the steaks are cooked to your liking, turning once.

Remove the steaks to a plate, cover with foil and keep warm.

Using the same pan that you cooked the steaks in, fry the garlic for a couple of minutes then pour in the brandy and allow it to bubble over a high heat until it's reduced by about half. Lower the heat slightly. Pour in the beef stock then add the Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Season with salt and pepper and stir well. Add the cream and heat gently for about 5 minutes.

Serve the steaks on warmed plates with the sauce poured over or in a jug on the side of the plate. Serve with new potatoes or chips and some green vegetables of your choice, or a salad.

Steak in Red Wine Sauce

Steak and red wine is always a great combination. The rich, dark sauce goes very well with the steak. Perfect for a romantic meal for two.

2 fillet steaks, about 225g each
1 tablespoon of oil for frying
15g butter
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
175 ml red wine
Salt and pepper

Heat half the oil and all of the butter in a non stick pan. Fry the chopped onion until it's softened and has started to turn dark brown at the edges. Remove the onions from the pan and put onto a plate. Set aside. Pat the steaks dry with kitchen paper and season well with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and when it's very hot add the steaks. Cook over a fairly high heat to form a browned crust on the outside, about 5 minutes altogether. (Remember, fillet steak should be cooked rare or medium.) Remove the steaks from the pan, cover and keep warm.

Pour in the red wine and return the onions to the pan. Boil rapidly for a few minutes until the wine has reduced down a bit and looks almost like syrup.

Serve the steaks with the red wine sauce poured over and some nice, chunky chips on the side. And, of course,  some more red wine to drink with your steak.

Steak Diane

Another retro dish popular in the 1970's, tender sirloin steak in a rich, creamy mushroom sauce. One of my favourite steak recipes. This was also my dad's favourite dish, I used to cook it for him all the time. Serves 4.

4 sirloin steaks, about 2.5cm thick
50g butter
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
100g closed cap mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brandy
150 ml double cream
Salt and black pepper
A squeeze of lemon juice (about a tablespoon)
Chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Heat half of the butter in a non stick pan until melted and sizzling. Add the steaks and cook for 3 - 4 minutes each side. This should give you a medium steak. If you like it well done, cook for 2 minutes a side longer. Remove the steaks from the pan and keep warm. (Cover with foil and place in a low oven.)

Melt the rest of the butter in the same pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes over a medium heat, until the onions have softened. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes. 

Add the brandy to the pan and increase the heat, allowing the alcohol to boil off and reduce down. Now pour in the cream, add the lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce and stir well. The sauce should thicken very slightly.

Serve the steaks on warmed plates with new potatoes or fries and the sauce poured over. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley. 

Beef Stroganoff

This steak recipe is unashamedly rich and luxurious. Originally from Russia, it has been popular in England for many years. I love the taste and have tried many different recipes. This is my favourite. If fillet steak is a bit too expensive for you, feel free to use rump or sirloin. This will serve 4 hungry people.

2 tablespoons of flavourless oil, such as sunflower or rapeseed
A knob of butter (about a teaspoon)
650g beef fillet or 4 rump or sirloin steaks, weighing about 175g - 200g each
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
200g chestnut mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
50 ml brandy
150 ml hot beef stock
300 ml soured cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley to garnish

Cut the beef into thin strips about 1.5 cm thick. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the beef strips. Fry over a fairly high heat for 2 minutes. You may have to do this in two or even three batches but it's important not to put too much beef in the pan at once. You want the meat to brown, not stew. Remove the beef strips from the pan onto a plate and keep warm.

Melt the butter in the same pan and fry the onions over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until softened and a light golden colour. Add the garlic, mushrooms, tomato puree and paprika and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the brandy and turn up the heat so that the liquid reduces by half. Add the beef stock and cook for a further 2 -3 minutes until reduced by about a third. This makes the flavours more concentrated.

Stir in the soured cream, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and heat through for 3 - 4 minutes. Tip the beef strips back into the pan, along with any juices on the plate and heat for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir well and it's ready to serve.

I like to serve this with some rice or tagliatelle, sprinkled with the chopped parsley.

Best Steak Sandwich

This is the ultimate sandwich, tender, juicy steak, caramelised onions, tangy blue cheese and warm, crusty bread. Enjoy! Serves 2.

Crusty bread of your choice - baguette, ciabatta, sourdough
200g sirloin steak
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
100g stilton or any other tangy blue cheese
1 tablespoon of olive oil
A handful of rocket or watercress
Butter for spreading
Salt and pepper

Heat a non stick pan until very hot. Season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper and fry for 3 minutes a side until cooked to medium. Remove from the pan and keep warm, covered with foil.

Add the oil to the pan and fry the onions over a high heat until starting to brown. Lower the heat and cook for 10 - 15 minutes longer until the onions have turned a dark, golden brown. Don't allow them to burn or they will taste bitter. Remove the onions from the pan into a warmed bowl and set aside.

Warm the bread in the oven for 5 -7 minutes. Lift onto a board and slice in half horizontally with a sharp knife if using ciabatta or cut into 2.5cm slices if using sourdough. Baguettes can be cut almost all the way through along their length then cut into two pieces.

Slice the steak as thinly as possible. Butter the bread generously and fill with the sliced steak. Crumble over the blue cheese and top with the onions and the rocket or watercress. The heat from the bread and the meat should be enough to melt the cheese. 

*If you don't like blue cheese, feel free to replace it with your favourite kind of cheese. You can also add mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, pickles or anything else you fancy. Dress up your sandwich and make it your own.

Lemon and Pepper Steak with Tomato Salsa

This tastes absolutely amazing! The marinade helps to tenderise the meat and the salsa is a lovely, refreshing accompaniment. This is even better with the steak and tomatoes cooked on the barbecue. Serves 4.

Marinade
Grated rind of 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed or grated
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (not ready ground ones)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon dried thyme
A pinch of salt
Half a teaspoon of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon olive oil

Salsa
6 ripe tomatoes
1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
Juice of one lemon
A handful each of fresh mint and fresh coriander, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 x 200g sirloin or ribeye steaks

First of all, make the marinade. To remove the zest from the lemons, use a fine grater. Be careful not to grate any of the white pith under the skin as this will make the marinade taste very bitter.

Place all the marinade ingredients into a pestle and mortar and crush finely. If you don't have a pestle and mortar then put everything into a strong plastic bag and give it a good bash with a rolling pin or any heavy object. Spread the mixture over both sides of the steaks and rub it in well. The marinade will seep down into the meat and give it the most delicious flavour.

Put the steaks on a plate, cover loosely with kitchen foil and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours. Overnight is even better. The longer you marinate them for, the more intense the flavour.

For the salsa, cut the tomatoes in half and cook under a hot grill, skin side up, for about 10 minutes, or until the skins have turned black in places. Don't worry, you haven't ruined them - the charring will add to the flavour. Allow the tomatoes to cool then peel off the skins (they should come off very easily) and discard them. 

Mix the tomatoes with the rest of the salsa ingredients and cover. Season with salt and pepper and chill in the fridge until needed.

To cook the steaks, heat a non stick pan until very hot and cook the steaks for the required amount of time per side, depending on how you like your steak. Serve with the salsa spooned over the steaks.

*To cook on the barbecue, cook the tomatoes skin side down for 5 - 6 minutes until the skin is charred. Skin and chop as above.

Cook the steaks for about 3 - 5 minutes on each side, or longer if you like them more well done.

Beef and Blue Cheese Wraps

These make a lovely lunch, especially sitting outside soaking up the sunshine in summer! Marinating the beef in bourbon is unusual but really good and the alcohol makes the meat very tender. Serves 4 - so ideal for sharing with friends.

400g thinly cut sirloin steak
3 tablespoons bourbon, such as Jack Daniels
Half a teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
8 small flour tortilla wraps or pitta breads
150g creamy blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola or Dolcelatte, diced
Rocket leaves to garnish

Cut the steak into strips about 2.5cm wide. Tip into a shallow dish. Mix together the bourbon, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and garlic and pour over the steak strips. Leave to marinate for a minimum of one hour but overnight is better.

Heat the oil in a non stick pan and quickly fry the steak strips. They should only take a couple of minutes. Warm the wraps or pitta bread in a dry pan for a few minutes then fill with the steak strips. Add the blue cheese and top with some rocket. Serve immediately, washed down with some ice cold beer.

Steak Pizzaeola

This is a very quick and easy sauce for steak with some lovely Italian flavours. Serve with tagliatelle for a fast midweek supper. Serves 2.

2 x 200g rump or sirloin steaks

110g chopped tinned tomatoes

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon green pesto sauce

Salt and pepper

Olive oil for frying

Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a pan and when very hot, add the steaks. Cook over a high heat for 2 minutes per side then lower the heat and cook until done to your liking. Remove onto a plate and keep warm

Fry the garlic in the same pan for a minute or two. Add the tomatoes, pesto sauce and seasoning and cook gently for 5 -7 minutes until reduced slightly.

Transfer the steaks to warmed plates and spoon the sauce over the top. Serve immediately.

Flavoured Butters

Here is a selection of different flavoured butters to top your steak. It's entirely up to you whether you use salted or unsalted butter. The flavoured butter will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks, so make more than you need and you have it ready for whenever you need it. 

Garlic Butter

100g softened butter

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

To soften the butter, measure out the amount you need and leave it at room temperature for several hours. If you're in a hurry, fill a bowl with hot water then sit the bowl containing the butter in the hot water bowl for about 5 -7 minutes.

 Then you simply mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge until needed. It can also be wrapped in foil and frozen.

*This is good spread onto toasted bread, melted over vegetables or pasta and it goes wonderfully with shellfish. 

Herb Butter

175g softened butter
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Mix all of the ingredients together, cover and chill in the fridge until needed. Lovely with steak but it goes well with other meats and is also good melted over vegetables or even stirred into soup before serving.

All of the herbs can be found in packets in the supermarket, or you can buy pots of herbs and keep them in the kitchen window.

Lemon and Pepper Butter

120g butter, softened

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

Put the peppercorns in a pestle and mortar or in a plastic bag. Bash with a rolling pin (if using a bag) until the peppercorns are coarsely crushed. Don't make them into a fine powder. Mix the peppercorns with the remaining ingredients, cover and chill until needed.

Blue Cheese Butter

120g softened butter

75 - 100g blue cheese

Allow the butter and cheese to soften at room temperature then simply mash them together in a bowl until blended.

*Blue cheese goes really well with steak. But don't just use it with meat - it's great on potatoes, melted over pizza, pasta or corn on the cob, or spread onto warm crusty bread.