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| Nikhil Ghorpade |
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As a true-blue Italian, I am a total steak person. For steak-amateurs I would definitely recommend tenderloin as something that is easy to eat.
But hardcore steak lovers could opt for T-bones or like me, the ribeye, since it comes with the tough and the lean, the fat and the fibre of the meat.
One thing those cooking at home should remember is that leaving meat to rest after cooking is very important. At higher temperatures, juices near the surface of the meat are forced out.
Resting your steak after grilling allows internal juices to settle. The shorter the cooking time, the longer the resting time should be.
Place your steak on a warm plate and cover with foil for resting. Sauces that go well with steak include Barbecue (which the Americans love), Hollandaise, Green Pepper (classic European), Gorgonzola (my attempt to substitute Roquefort), Mushroom, or a more contemporary Spicy Black Pepper sauce.
Then again, you don’t always need sauce. We Italians love to have our steak simply with olive oil and rock salt (lemon, smoked or herbed) and maybe a light and fresh salad with rucola, lollo rosso and cherry tomatoes on the side.
Several European countries enjoy steak with a side of mashed potatoes, Americans love potato wedges and fries with it. I would also recommend a medium or heavy bodied red wine like some nice Merlot, or even a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon.
(As told to Shweta.Kapur@timesgroup.com)
Steak
Ingredients
• Tenderloin/ Sirloin/ T-bone/ Ribeye: 1 piece
• Heat: 365 degrees Celsius
• Charcoal grill/any grill or pan
Method
• Marinate the tenderloin steak in only olive oil for one entire day prior to cooking
• Make sure the grill/ pan is hot. Add the steak and turn once only
• Cook to done-ness. Drizzle olive oil and rocksalt on top
• Add the sauce as per your choice
Sides
Roasted baby potatoes and asparagus
Ingredients
• Olive oil: 150 ml
• Butter: 20 gms
• Rocksalt: 10 gms
• Green asparagus: 100 gms
• Baby potatoes: 100 gms
• Green pepper sauce: 100 ml
• Herbs: as per taste
Method
• Peel the potatoes or cut in half with the skin on
• Add the butter, some rocksalt, pepper and the herbs
• Roast in the oven for 45 min, or pre-boil and roast for 15 min in the oven at 200 degree Celsius
• Blanche the asparagus in boiling water for two minutes
• Remove and saute in a medium hot pan with some of the olive oil
Bacon mash
Ingredients
• Potatoes: 500 gms
• Cream: 100 ml
• Butter: 50 gms
• Smoked bacon: 150 gms
• Parsley: 5 gms
• Garlic: 1 gms
• Salt, pepper: to taste
Method
• Boil the potatoes and mash
• Chop the bacon fine
• Chop the parsley and garlic fine
• Heat up a pan add the bacon and saute
• Add the cream and garlic and bring to a boil
• Add the mashed potatoes and whisk it till creamy
• Finish with the parsley
• Season with salt and pepper
• Add the butter last and stir to let it melt
Sauces
Salsa Gorgonzola
Ingredients
• Vegetable stock: 100 ml
• Cream: 100 ml
• Gorgonzola cheese: 150 gms
• Salt, pepper: to taste
Method
• Bring the stock to a boil, add the gorgonzola cheese and melt
• Once melted, add the cream and reduce to a creamy consistency
• Season with salt and pepper
Green pepper sauce
Ingredients
• Jus (beef, lamb or chicken): 200 ml
• Butter: 30 gms
• Green peppercorns: 90 gms
• Cream: 50 ml Salt, pepper: to taste
Method
• Melt the butter and then add the green peppercorns
• Saute the peppercorns and then add the jus
• Reduce to half and then add cream
Meat feat
Head to Alto Vino at the Pune Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre for some exotic steak and wine Italian style at their ‘Raise the Steak’ festival — like the Filetto di Manzo (Tenderloin), Controfilleto di manzo (Sirloin), Lombata di manzo (T-Bone) and many more, all with delicious accompaniments. Visit 7 pm onwards till April 29, to get your meat treat.
Grill guide
(For a Tenderloin steak)
Raw
Uncooked. Unless used in special dishes, like steak tartare, steak is generally not eaten or ordered at this stage. However, it is becoming more and more popular
Blue
Almost raw inside, but hot outside. Cooked very quickly. Inside is usually cool and not warm and definitely not cooked. The steak will be red on the inside
Cooking time: 2 minutes each side. Resting time is about 9 minutes
Rare
Red inside with plenty of red juices running freely. The outside is grey-brown. The middle of the steak is warm
Cooking time: 3-4 minutes each side. Resting time is about 8 minutes
Medium rare
Same as rare, but with few free-flowing juices and still red in the very middle. The outside is grey-brown
Cooking time: 4-5 minutes each side. Resting time is about 7 minutes
Medium
Pink (fading to grey-brown) with juices in the middle. The outside is grey-brown
Cooking time: 6-7 minutes each side. Resting time is about 6 minutes
Medium well
Meat is grey-brown (or deep pink) throughout, still juicy
Cooking time: 5-6 minutes each side. Resting time is about 5 minutes. Recommended for the first time
Well done
Meat is grey-brown throughout and slightly blackened or charred, but flesh still clear and juicy
Cooking time: 12-14 minutes each side. Resting time is about 4 minutes
Very well done
Meat is beige in the middle, not many juices remaining
Cooking time: 16-17 minutes each side. Resting time is about 3 minutes
 ► Chef Christian Huber has had a rich association with good food, right from his childhood in Italy.
After 10 years as a chef, having worked extensively in the renowned Jumeirah Beach Hotels amongst other prolific places, he now bowls over food connoisseurs with his authentic Italiano cuisine at Alto Vino in the Pune Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre — when he’s not learning new Hindi words
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04:46:25 PM