“Johnny fell in love with a dish like this while filming in Cape Town. If you’re looking for something to cook for a super-special occasion, it definitely has the wow factor. It’s certainly not something you’d eat every day and is quite cheffy in method, but utterly joyful to eat. Do try flambéing – it adds an amazing depth of flavour. ”
Ingredients
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- olive oil
- 2 x 150 g centre-cut fillet steaks , ideally 2.5cm thick
- 100 g chestnut mushrooms
- ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley , (15g)
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 10 ml brandy
- 50 ml red wine
- 100 ml single cream
- 1 teaspoon wholegrain or French mustard
- 1 teaspoon English mustard
- PEPPER SPRINKLE
- ¼ of a red pepper
- ¼ of an orange pepper
- ¼ of a yellow pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Strip the rosemary and thyme into a pestle and mortar with a good pinch of black pepper, bash to a paste, then muddle in the red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Rub all over the steaks and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Deseed and finely dice the peppers, then dress with extra virgin olive oil and put aside. Quarter the mushrooms, then pick and finely chop the parsley leaves.
- Get all the other ingredients measured out and ready to go, as you want everything to happen within 6 minutes once the steaks hit the pan – read to the end of the next paragraph before you start cooking so you know what’s coming.
- Place a large frying pan on a high heat to get screaming hot. Brush the herbs off the steaks, then place the steaks in the pan with a drizzle of olive oil and the butter.
- Cook for 6 minutes in total, turning regularly and keeping them moving in the pan, making sure to sear the edges and baste with the juices, as you go.
- Within this time, as soon as the butter turns dark golden and the steak has good colour and character, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper, jiggling the pan to keep things moving.
- Pour in the brandy, then carefully tilt the pan to catch the flame (or light with a long match) and let it flambé – stand back! When the flames subside, add the red wine and reduce by half (if you need to put the flame out, swiftly place a large metal lid over the pan).
- Drizzle in the cream, turning the steaks in the sauce until they are nicely coated (briefly remove the steaks from the pan at this stage if your sauce is taking a while to reduce, to avoid overcooking).
- Sprinkle over the parsley, then stir through the mustards. Slice the steaks in half, place on a warmed plate and drizzle with the sauce, then scatter over the dressed pepper sprinkle and tuck in. Delicious served with shoestring fries.
Source: Jamie Oliver
