Seafood and Meat Recipes - Beef Steak with Tomato and Cognac Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 shallots

• 1/2 bunch chives

• 4 large tomatoes

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 15 g/1/2 oz (1 tablespoon) butter

• 8 beef steaks (about 750 g/1 3/4 lb)

• salt

• freshly ground pepper

• 3 tablespoons Cognac

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) beef stock (broth)

Serves 4

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Method:

1. Peel the shallots and cut into very thin slices. Wash the chives and chop finely. Pour hot water over the tomatoes. Peel, remove the stalks and chop coarsely.

2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a pan, season the steaks with salt and pepper and fry on both sides over a high heat but do not overcook the meat. Remove from the pan and keep in a warm place.

3. Take the pan from the heat, pour away the excess fat, add the cognac, set light to it and return to the heat until the flames have died down.

4. Soften the shallots in the pan. Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock (broth), salt and pepper. Stir and bring to the boil.

5. Return the steaks to the frying pan and finish cooking. Arrange the steaks on a plate, reduce the sauce a little, add the chives and pour the sauce over the steaks.

Note: This dish owes its piquant taste to the addition of Worcestershire sauce and cognac. As soon as the cognac is flambéed, the alcohol disappears but the aroma comes to the fore.