Baked potato, broad beans, and sirloin steak. Although I now live in Oz, I haven't yet succumbed to the bizarre notion of using a barbecue (everyone has a perfectly good kitchen over here, so why do they insist on cooking in the open air?) as, and this is a secret that aussies really don't like to talk about, barbecues don't work. There, I've said it. You either get meat black as night on one side and raw on the other, or completely encased in charcoal whilst still being bloody on the inside. Your typical aussie (male especially) simply can't cook, but as there is alcohol involved in 'throwing a barbie', everyone's standards are sufficiently blurred not to notice. Until the next day's horrendous digestive problems.
For any aussies out there who would actually like to see how good meat can actually taste, here's a simple steak dish:
Get a frying pan on the go, with a little olive oil until it's almost smoking. The frying pan will be on the oven, not in the yard.
Season your steak with a little salt and pepper. I love sirloin steak, but any decent cut will do.
Into the frying pan and leave it alone! Don't keep picking it up and turning it over and using your stupid bbq tongs just so you can. Give it 4-5 mins and then turn over and leave it alone!
Another 4-5 mins and remove the well-done meat to a warm plate. Yes, shoot me, I said well-done.
Throw about 100 ml of red wine into the still hot pan and start skwooshing around with a wooden spoon, getting all the gorgeous bits and bobs off the botom of the pan. When it's reduced a little bit, it's your sauce. Or your 'jus' as these poncy restaurants will have us believe. Onto the steak, bit of parmesan on the baked potato (you won't die if some parmesan finds its way onto the steak either), bit of butter on the beans, heaven on a plate.
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