STEAK SANDWICH WITH COLESLAW & TOMATO CHILLI RELISH

SERVES 4

Try to use really good bread. It’s the basis of any great sandwich. This is great with a cooked crumbed chicken breast or some shredded roast chicken.

4 x 100 g (3½ oz) beef fillets

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 slices of sourdough, toasted until golden

1 garlic clove, peeled

40 g (1½ oz) baby rocket (arugula) leaves

TOMATO CHILLI RELISH

4 ripe tomatoes

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

½ small brown onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

½ red capsicum (pepper), seeded and cut into 1 cm (½ inch) dice

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

100 ml (3½ fl oz) cider vinegar

2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

3 fresh bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped

COLESLAW

small wedge white cabbage, finely shaved

small wedge red cabbage, finely shaved

2 teaspoons sea salt

100 g (3½ oz) whole-egg mayonnaise

juice of 1 lemon

1 small handful flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves, finely chopped

sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the relish, blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 10 seconds, then refresh quickly in iced water. Peel, halve, remove seeds and chop into 2 cm (¾ inch) pieces.

Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, capsicum and ginger and stir over low heat until the onion is soft and lightly browned. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour or until the mixture thickens, being careful that the relish does not stick to the base.

For the coleslaw, combine both cabbages with the salt. Mix well and allow to sit for 30 minutes or until the cabbage has started to wilt and soften. Rinse and drain well. Combine with the mayonnaise, lemon juice and parsley and season to taste.

Use a meat mallet to pound each steak gently to a 3–4 mm (¹/₈–¼ inch) thickness. Brush each steak with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a chargrill or non-stick frying pan and grill the steak for 1–2 minutes on each side. Rest the steaks for 5 minutes.

Toast or chargrill the bread until golden then rub with the garlic clove.

To serve, place a slice of toasted sourdough on a plate, top with some coleslaw, a steak, rocket leaves and a generous spoonful of tomato chilli relish and finish with a second slice of sourdough.

NOTE: For a lighter slaw, replace the mayonnaise with red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. You can increase or decrease the chilli in the relish if preferred. If you want to make it even simpler, use a bought chilli or barbecue sauce.