Photograph: Alan Benson
It might seem indulgent but as well as tasting delicious, this steak dish will provide you with a range of powerful health benefits. Serve it with green vegetables like spinach and broccoli for even more nutritional wins, including fibre.
- Energy hit: You’re no doubt already aware that beef is high in protein but you may not know that it also packs a big dose of vitamin B12, which is involved in energy metabolism and aids cardio health.
- Healthy heart: The consumption of resveratrol, a phytonutrient found in red wine as well as grapes, cranberries and blueberries, has been associated with reduced heart attack risk.
- Garnish gains: Parsley isn’t just for show. It contains flavonoids that function like antioxidants, counteracting the negative effects of oxidative stress caused by intense exercise.
Chef Mike McEnearney Says…
“Steak bordelaise is delicious made with most cuts of steak. One of my favourites is flank steak, otherwise known as bavette. It has a lovely grain and good marbling and is very well priced because it’s considered a second-class cut of beef. The trick with flank is that it can’t be too rare and it certainly cannot be cooked past medium or it becomes chewy.”
“The cooking times I have given will work well if you use steaks that have been cut across the grain into 225g (8oz) portions before cooking. I’m sure your butcher would be happy to help you with the cutting.”
“You’ll notice that the recipe calls for 500ml of good-quality red wine, preferably Bordeaux. This allows you to share the remainder of the bottle between two glasses and enjoy it with your steak.”
RECOMMENDED: How To Cook The Perfect Steak
Ingredients (Serves 2)
- 4 French shallots, finely diced
- 40g butter
- 500ml good-quality red wine, preferably Bordeaux, cabernet or merlot
- 2tsp red wine vinegar
- Salt and white peppercorns
- 2 stems of bone marrow (ask your butcher)
- 2 flank (bavette) steaks, at room temperature, cut 2cm thick, or Scotch fillet
- 1tsp olive oil
- 1tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
Method
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, sweat the shallots in half the butter until translucent. Add the red wine and reduce to a glaze consistency. This should be a glossy, shiny sauce, not like watery wine. Add the red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and a grind of white pepper. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Place the bone marrow stems in an ovenproof frying pan. Sprinkle with salt, place the pan in the oven and bake for ten minutes until the bone marrow is soft. Remove from the oven, transfer to a plate and keep warm (reserve the bone marrow fat in the pan).
- Allow your steaks to sit at room temperature for an hour before cooking. Season the steaks on both sides with salt.
- In the same ovenproof frying pan over medium heat, warm the remaining butter and the olive oil with the bone marrow fat.
- Pan-fry the steak for three minutes on one side, then two minutes on the other. Transfer the steaks to the plate with the bone marrow to rest in a warm place for five minutes.
- Place each steak on a warm plate with a piece of bone marrow next to it. Tip the steak juices from the resting plate into the shallot and wine glaze and add a spoonful of the cooking fat from the pan. Stir and spoon over the steak.
- Garnish with the parsley and serve. Provide a lobster pick or a thin fork to pick out the bone marrow.
Real Food By Mike: Seasonal Wholefood Recipes For Wellbeing by Mike McEnearney (£20, Hardie Grant) is available now. £20, buy on amazon.co.uk
