Tamarind Marinated Bavette Steak Food

TAMARIND-MARINATED BAVETTE STEAK

Steps:

• Put the tamarind paste, soy and hot water into the smallest saucepan you have, and stir over a low heat to dissolve the tamarind. When it's as smooth as you think you can get it--the tamarind paste I use says it's without pits, but I do find the odd one, and I don't bother to get rid of them--remove to a bowl or jug, whisk in the oil and honey, and leave to cool. Do not use until it is cold.
• Put the bavette steak into a resealable freezer bag, pour in the cold marinade and squelch it about so that the thin steak is covered on both sides, then seal, lay on a plate and put in the fridge overnight or for 1 day.
• Bring it back to room temperature, prepare a large piece of kitchen foil, then heat a ridged griddle till very, very hot. Lift the steak out of its marinade, letting any excess (and there will be a lot) drip back into the bag and then slap the meat on the griddle and cook for 2 minutes a side.
• Immediately (I use tongs for all this) transfer the steak to the piece of foil and make a tightly sealed but baggy parcel, and let the meat rest, on a chopping board, or any surface that is not too cold, for 5 minutes. Then unwrap the foil, transfer the steak to a board, and carve in thin slices against the grain.

TAMARIND-MARINATED BAVETTE STEAK

Steps:

• Put the tamarind paste, soy and hot water into the smallest saucepan you have, and stir over a low heat to dissolve the tamarind. When it's as smooth as you think you can get it - the tamarind paste I use says it's without stones, but I do find the odd one, and I don't bother to get rid of them - remove to a bowl or jug, whisk in the oil and honey, and leave to cool. Do not use until it is cold.
• Put the bavette steak into a resealable freezer bag, pour in the cold marinade and squelch it about so that the thin steak is covered on both sides, then seal, lay on a plate and put in the fridge overnight or for 1 day.
• Bring it back to room temperature, prepare a large piece of kitchen foil, then heat a ridged griddle till very, very hot. Lift the steak out of its marinade, letting any excess (and there will be a lot) drip back into the bag and then slap the meat on the griddle and cook for 2 minutes a side.
• Immediately (I use tongs for all this) transfer the steak to the piece of foil and make a tightly sealed but baggy parcel, and let the meat rest, on a chopping board, or any surface that is not too cold, for 5 minutes. Then unwrap the foil, transfer the steak to a board, and carve in thin slices against the grain.
• MAKE AHEAD NOTE: The steak can be marinated 1 day ahead. Store in fridge until needed.
• STORE NOTE: Transfer leftover cooked steak to a container, then cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours. Will keep in fridge for up to 3 days.
• FREEZE NOTE: Leftover cooked and cooled steak can be frozen, in airtight containers or resealable bags, for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in fridge before using.

MARINATED BAVETTE STEAK

Steps:

• For the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Place the steaks in a shallow dish, pour marinade over to coat the meat completely. Cover, chill and leave to marinate overnight.
• Scrape the marinade off the steaks and rub each steak with a drop of sunflower oil. Heat a griddle pan until very hot, then rub the steaks with the reserved lemon half and cook with the rosemary sprig for 3-4 mins each side for medium-rare, 1 min longer if you prefer it cooked more. Rest for 5 mins before serving with mash or chips.

BAVETTE (FLAP) STEAK WITH BEURRE ROUGE & ROASTED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Place the potatoes on a heavy-duty baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then spread out cut-side down on the pan. Drape with the rosemary or thyme sprigs, then roast for 15 minutes without stirring, until crisp and brown. Pierce with a knife and if not yet tender, roast for about 10-15 minutes longer. Discard the herbs, or use as garnish.
• Meanwhile, combine the wine, broth, shallots and bay leaf in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Keep at a low boil until reduced to 1/2 cup. This could take 25-30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and set aside.
• (If the steak is too large to fit in one pan, cut it in half to separate the thicker part and the thinner part. Use 2 skillets to cook the steak.)
• Season the steak well on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil shimmers, add the steak and cook until browned, about 1 1/2-2 minutes per side. Transfer the meat to a baking sheet and roast in the oven until cooked to your liking, about 10-12 minutes for medium-rare on the thicker part.
• Remove from the oven, tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes.
• If the wine reduction has cooled, reheat gently. Remove from the heat, and add a little of the cold butter, whisking until it melts. Continue adding the butter a little at a time, reheating gently for a moment if necessary, until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
• Slice the steak thinly against the grain. Serve with the beurre rouge and the potatoes.

BAVETTE STEAK WITH TAHINI-VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• Pull the steak out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking to come to room temperature. About 5 minutes before cooking, generously season steak all over with flaky sea salt (this helps the salt retain some crunch).
• Heat a cast-iron or other heavy-duty skillet over medium-high until hot enough that a drop of water will sizzle on contact. Add ghee to the skillet and let it melt.
• Add bavette steak and cook, flipping every 2 minutes, until medium-rare, about 8 minutes total, or until medium, about 10 minutes total. (Bavette steak has a tendency to puff up as it cooks, taking longer than the average steak to reach medium-rare. You'll want to reduce the cooking time if using flank steak.) Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the salad: In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lime zest and juice, olive oil, cold water and 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt until smooth. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
• In a large bowl, toss together strawberries, rhubarb, cucumber, turnips and radishes. Add just enough dressing to coat, then taste and add more salt, if needed. Add the greens, mint and basil to the bowl and toss gently, adding more dressing and salt, if needed.
• Slice steak against the grain and serve with salad.