Last month, when we were planning yet another World Cup evening in front of the telly, no one ever really questioned the menu. It would inevitably be pizza. Again. And rightly so, because it is perhaps the ultimate convenience food. Pizza was made for television in so many ways: it is easy to heat up, easy to divide and easy to eat in agroup. It is easy to enjoy, easy to digest and easy-going. It is so Italian!
Trouble is, the Italians were knocked out of the tournament so early on that pizza seemed rather inappropriate. We were scratching our heads, lost, when the obvious answer suddenly came to mind – steak, of course. Atribute to the beef-loving South Americans was as unavoidable as the unavoidability of aSouth American team in the final (how wrong we were on thatscore).
But before we were all outside barbecuing steaks, one little adjustment was needed – after all, there is no way you can eat a proper steak dinner while engrossed in the game. And that tweak turned out to be as straightforward as the choice of meat itself: the good old steak sandwich. OK, it's not quite as convenient as apizza: for one thing, it doesn't just turn up at the door on a scooter, accompanied by a fizzy drink; and you can't shove it down without hardly noticing it was ever there. But, done properly, a good steak sandwich – well-aged meat, a fresh, crusty bread roll and all the right condiments – is one of the most glorious things you can eat with your hands, whether the TV is on or off.
The bread rolls
Making your own crusty bread rolls is a perk for those with time and long-term vision, because you need to start them a day in advance and go through various proving stages. Agood ciabatta or similar hearty bun makes an OK substitute.
50g Italian 00 flour, plus extra for dusting and rolling
2½ tsp quick polenta
2 tsp dark brown sugar
100ml tepid water
¾ tsp salt
Olive oil
For the biga
1 tsp active dry yeast
180ml tepid water
200g Italian 00 flour
175g strong white bread flour
A day ahead, make the biga. Put the yeast and water in the bowl of an electric mixer and stir to dissolve the yeast. Once some bubbles begin to surface, add the flours and mix with a dough hook on low speed for a few minutes, until you have a tight ball with no lumps. You may have to stop the machine once to bring everything together by hand. Transfer to alarge bowl brushed with olive oil, cover with clingfilm and leave at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
Next day, put the flour, polenta, sugar and water in the bowl of afood processor. Use scissors to cut the biga into small pieces and add to the bowl. Mix with a dough hook on low speed for two minutes, add the salt, then mix on high speed forfiveminutes. You will end up with glossy and very sticky dough.
Wet your hands with olive oil and transfer the dough to another bowl that's been brushed generously with more oil. Cover with a damp cloth and leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes. Using your well-greased hands, lift the edges of the dough from the bowl and collect around the centre of the ball. Repeat this motion a few more times, gently to knead the dough in the bowl. Cover again with the cloth and leave for another 30 minutes. Repeat the process once more, then leave to rest for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare for baking. Heat the oven to 230C/450F/gas mark 8 and place an ovenproof dishfilled with boiling water on the bottom shelf. Put a roasting tin upside down on the middle shelf. Dust a large, flat baking sheet generously with flour.
Scatter plenty of flour over a work surface and gently tip out the risen dough, trying to lose as little air as possible. Gently roll the dough in the flour, so that it is dry on the outside and manageable. Using a sharp knife, divide into four or six equal-sized rolls, depending on how large you want them (any uneaten rolls will freeze well). Shape into uniform rectangles and transfer to the baking sheet, spacing them well apart. Tuckthe edges underneath each roll, to lift them up a bit. Leave to rise for 30 minutes. Place the baking sheet directly on the upturned base of the now hot roasting tray and bake for about 20 minutes, until the rolls brown and sound hollow when you tap them. Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack.
The steak sandwich
Choose a decent piece of well-aged rump steak for your sandwich, because it will be both full of flavour and quite tender, though sirloin (orentrecote) or fillet would be acceptable substitues. If you prefer (and assuming it's not raining), grill the steaks outdoors on the barbecue.
About 2 tbsp olive oil
700g rump steak, cut into four 2cm thick steaks
Salt and black pepper
1 large onion, cut into 1cm thick slices
4 bread rolls, cut open
8 tbsp mustard mayonnaise
About ½ a head of iceberg lettuce
4 tbsp chilli and coriander jam
2 tomatoes, sliced (optional)
Place a ridged griddle pan on a high heat and leave it for several minutes until piping hot (or stoke up the barbecue). Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the meat and season generously with salt and pepper. Rub the seasoning into the meat, then place in the hot pan. Cook for about three minutes on each side formedium, or longer if you prefer itthe Brazilian way – thatis, rather well done. Remove the steaks from the pan and keep them somewhere warm while they rest.
Spread out the onion slices in thepan and drizzle with some oliveoil. Turndown the heat to medium and cook them for a minute on each side. Use metal tongs to break them up into separate rings, and continue cooking and stirring for another minute. Lift the onion rings from the pan, put on a plate and keep warm.
Now place the rolls cut side down in the griddle pan and toast them fora few seconds – take care they don't char too much.
To assemble, spread mayonnaise on both halves of each roll. Line the bottom half with lettuce, spread thechilli and coriander jam over it, and place a few fried onion rings ontop. Slice the meat on an angle and arrange over the onion. Sprinklewith salt and pepper. Finish with more lettuce and tomato, if using, cover with the other half of the roll, and get your teeth into it..
The chilli and coriander jam
I wouldn't skip making this delectable condiment. It is so good, you'll find you want to spread it over just about everything: meat, fish, pasta, jacket potato, couscous – the list is endless. This is why I've made sure there'll be some left over.
400g chopped tinned tomatoes andtheir juices
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1½ tbsp sunflower oil
½ tsp salt
40g caster sugar
½ tsp ground turmeric
2½ tbsp red wine vinegar
15g chopped fresh coriander
Put all the ingredients apart from the coriander in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer forabout 35 minutes, until thick. Remove from the heat, fold in the coriander and transfer to a clean jar. Once cool, seal with a lid and refrigerate – it will keep for a few weeks (though it's unlikely to last that long!).
The mustard mayonnaise
You can really taste the difference between a shop-bought and a good homemade mayo. Of course, you could simply mix a good commercial mayonnaise with grain mustard, but you'd be missing out. Again, this will make more than you'll need for the sandwich.
1 free-range egg
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp grain mustard
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 crushed garlic clove
½ tsp caster sugar
⅓ tsp salt
350ml sunflower oil
Put the egg, mustards, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt in a small food processor bowl, start the machine and, while the motor is running, start adding the oil in a slow, steady trickle. Once all the oil is inand themayonnaise is smooth and thick,transfer to a clean jar, sealandrefrigerate. It should keep for up to a week.
Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi in London.
