Steak Piperade

Piperade, a basque-style mixture of sweet peppers and onions, is an excellent topping for quick-cooking steaks. Searing the steaks in a pan leaves some meaty flavor for the peppers, but you could also fire up the grill.

 

Steak Piperade

 

1 1/2 lb. (750 g.) skirt or flank steak

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

3 red or yellow bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml.) dry white wine

1 can (14 1/2 oz./455 g.) diced tomatoes

 

Season the steak generously with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat. Add the steak and cook, turning once, for 4-6 minutes for medium-rare, or until done to your liking. Transfer the meat to a carving board and tent with foil.

 

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same pan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers, garlic and thyme and saute until the onion is barely softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, stir to scrape up any browned bits on the pan bottom, and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and their juice and simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Cut the meat thinly across the grain on the diagonal. Arrange the slices on a warm platter, spoon the pepper sauce over the slices, and serves. Serves 4.

 

Find more simple one-dish dinners in our cookbook One Pot of the Day by Kate McMillan.