Ingredients

Flank Steak

• 200 g (7 oz) beef flank steak
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
• 30 g (approximately 2 tbsp) cooking margarine
• Le Gusto Zeezout met kruiden herb sea salt (Aldi), to taste
• White pepper, to taste

Primitivo Red Wine Sauce

• Approximately 100 ml Primitivo red wine
• 100 g (3½ oz) homemade sauce espagnole
• 40 g (1½ oz) caramelised Tropea red onion
• Up to 200 ml water, added gradually as needed
• Approximately 5 g honey
• Approximately 2 g balsamic glaze
• Approximately 0.5 g ground allspice
• 2 g cornstarch
• 8–10 ml cold water, for the cornstarch
• Salt and white pepper, to taste

Rustic Two-Colour Mash

• 220 g (7¾ oz) sweet potato
• 150 g (5¼ oz) broccolini (bimi)
• 10 g butter
• Salt, to taste

Finishing

• 10 g garlic-rocket cream
• 3 small broccolini florets with stems, reserved from the 150 g above

Preparation

1. Prepare the Primitivo Red Wine Sauce

Gently caramelise the Tropea red onion and reserve 40 g.

Pour approximately 100 ml of Primitivo red wine into
a saucepan. Simmer over moderate heat until reduced by half.

Add the caramelised onion and 100 g of homemade sauce
espagnole. Stir thoroughly and continue cooking over low heat.

Add a small splash of water and allow the sauce to reduce.
Repeat as necessary, tasting between additions.
Use no more than approximately 200 ml of water in total.
Add the water little by little, never all at once.

Stir in approximately 5 g of honey and 2 g of balsamic
glaze to balance the acidity of the wine.
Season with salt and white pepper.

Dissolve 2 g of cornstarch in 8–10 ml of cold water.
Briefly remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in
the mixture, then return to a gentle simmer until
the sauce thickens.

When the sauce is nearly ready, add approximately
0.5 g of ground allspice and simmer for another
2 minutes.

The finished sauce should be concentrated, balanced
and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

2. Prepare the Rustic Two-Colour Mash

Peel the sweet potato and cut it into pieces.
Clean the broccolini and reserve three small florets
with their stems for garnishing.

Cook the sweet potato and the remaining broccolini
separately until tender. Drain thoroughly.

Cook the three reserved broccolini florets briefly,
keeping their shape and colour.

Mash the two vegetables separately, keeping a slightly
coarse texture.

Combine them gently, add 10 g of butter and season
with salt. Mix just enough to distribute the butter
while preserving the contrasting orange and green colours.

Keep warm until serving.

3. Organise the Mise en Place

Remove the flank steak from the refrigerator
approximately 20–30 minutes before cooking.

Prepare the sauce, the vegetable mash and the
garlic-rocket cream before cooking the steak.
Clear the work surface and arrange the utensils
needed for cooking and plating.

If preparing the sauce ahead, cool it promptly,
refrigerate and reheat thoroughly before serving.

4. Cook the Flank Steak

Season the flank steak with Le Gusto herb sea salt
and white pepper.

Heat 30 ml of extra virgin olive oil and 30 g of
cooking margarine together in a frying pan.

Add the steak and sear until a well-browned crust develops.

Once the surface is nicely browned, tilt the pan
slightly to collect the hot cooking fat on one side.

Using a spoon, repeatedly pour the hot fat over
the upper surface of the steak while it continues cooking.

Continue basting and cook until the desired degree
of doneness is reached, aiming for a pink,
medium-rare centre. Adjust cooking time according
to the thickness of the meat.

5. Slice and Rest

Remove the flank steak from the pan and immediately
cut it into diagonal slices against the grain.

Leave the sliced meat uncovered to rest for
approximately 4 minutes while arranging the mash
on the plate.

6. Plating

Arrange the rustic two-colour mash in a ring
on the plate, preserving its natural orange
and green marbling.

Place the sliced flank steak in the centre.

Spoon the warm Primitivo sauce around and over the meat.

Finish with 10 g of garlic-rocket cream on the steak.

Garnish with the three reserved broccolini florets,
gently reheated before serving.

Notes

A Rustic Presentation

For this first interpretation, I chose a rustic
presentation, keeping some texture in the vegetables.

I prepared the two mashes separately and combined
them gently, without passing them through a fine sieve.
I wanted to preserve their natural colours and a
little texture in every bite.

Three small broccolini stems were enough for
the garnish. The plate already had plenty of colour.

The Importance of Mise en Place

I prepared the sauce, the garlic-rocket cream and
the vegetable mash before cooking the meat.

In a small kitchen, organisation is essential.
Once the preparations were finished, I cleared
my work surface and put away the utensils I
no longer needed.

This allowed me to concentrate on cooking the
steak and plating the dish.

Balancing the Primitivo Sauce

I wanted a concentrated red wine sauce without
excessive acidity. A little honey and balsamic
glaze helped round out the flavour.

The allspice, added during the final two minutes
of cooking, gave the sauce a particularly
interesting aroma.

I prefer adding water gradually, reducing and
tasting between additions. This gives me better
control over the final concentration and flavour.

Seasoning the Steak

For this dish, I used Le Gusto Zeezout met kruiden,
a herb sea salt grinder from Aldi.

It contains sea salt with rosemary, oregano,
parsley, bay leaf, thyme, basil, dill,
ginger and lemon peel.

Because the mixture consists mainly of sea salt,
it should be used sparingly.

Allergens

Potential allergens depend on the ingredients used
in the homemade sauce espagnole, cooking margarine
and garlic-rocket cream.

This recipe contains butter (milk) and may contain
gluten, celery and sulphites, depending on the
composition of the sauces and other ingredients.
Check all ingredient labels before preparing the dish
for anyone with food allergies.