Dinner Party #1: Part One

Saffron Orange Marinated Steak with Chimmichurri and Pomegranates

This meal was shared amongst a small group of my friends at my most recent dinner party. Weirdly inspired by both a magic shop and a Persian feast my mum and I tackled at this year’s Christmas dinner. This will be a multi post meal so you will just have to stick around to hear about the correlation between witches and quite possibly the best potatoes of your life.

First off I’m going to walk you through a steak that will have your guests questioning how you turned the cheapest cut of beef into one of the best meals they’ve had. No reinventing of the wheel happening here but a good understanding of salt, fat, acid, and heat will ensure a delicious and balanced meal. Using an acid-based marinade is going to help the bond between protein bundles break and allow the protein to unwind. This will lead to a tender, flavour packed cut of steak that is still budget friendly. This marinade is influenced by a similar one my mum and I made over Christmas that was inspired by one from Chef Ottolenghi. I cook authentic to myself and whoever I'm sharing said meal with so if you're looking for ethnically authentic food this dinner may not be for you.

Everything included here I prepped the night before. Not only does this let the flavours to marinade and maximize it allows the host, talking about you, more time to enjoy the actual experience of hosting and cooking for loved ones.

Orange Saffron Marinated Steak with Chimichurri

Ingredients

I'm a measure with your heart girl so add and subtract to your preference

Marinade and Steak

• 1 tsp saffron

• 1 large orange (I used Seville as its more bitter)

• 1 shallot

• 300ml water roughly

• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 3 skirt steaks

• Kosher salt

• Fresh cracked pepper

• High smoke point neutral oil such as refined avocado oil

• 1 pomegranate

Kind of Chimichurri

• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

• 1/4 cup finely chopped mint

• 2 tbsp thyme leaves

• 2 tbsp finely chopped oregano

• 1-2 red Thai chilli finely chopped (with or without seeds depending on preference)

• 1 small shallot

• 3-5 cloves of garlic

• 1 tsp salt (I prefer kosher)

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 3/4 cup olive oil

Prep

Steak

1. Cut orange into 8-10 pieces keeping the skin on and slice your shallot in half then remove the skin.

2. Add first five ingredients to a sauce pan making sure there is enough water to cover

3. Cook this on low for roughly an hour adding more water if the liquid gets too low. You will know its done when you are left with soft oranges and a thick syrup.

4. Add everything to a food processor or blender adding more water as needed until you are left with a smooth runny paste.

5. Add your steak and marinade into a bowl and massage until all the meat is evenly coated. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2-4 hours to allow the acid to break down the collagen in your steak, I left mine overnight so I had less work the day of my dinner party.

6. For the pomegranate break in half in a large bowl filled with cold water. Break one half into quarters and keep as is for decorative garnish and remove all the seeds from remaining half.

Chimichurri

1. Finely chop all herbs, garlic, shallot and chillis.

2. Add herbs, garlic, shallot, chilli, salt, and vinegar into a bowl and slowly whisk in oil with a fork.

3. Transfer to an airtight container and leave in the fridge for a minimum of 2-3 hours to allow all the flavours to release into the oil. I prepared the night before to allow for ease and more time for the flavours to marinate.

Cook

1. Remove Steak from fridge, blot off any excess marinade (moisture is the enemy of a well crusted steak), and leave out until the steak has reached room temp, roughly 15 minutes.

2. Heat a cast iron skillet, I used my 34 cm cast iron double handle STAUB skillet, until hot then add a enough oil to coat the bottom

3. Generously season both sides of your steak with salt and pepper and add to the pan just as the oil begins to smoke. You want to add the salt just before cooking so it doesn't draw out too much moisture from the steak.

4. For a medium rare steak cook for 2-3 minutes this should allow for a nice crust to form, flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Cook steaks one at a time as an overcrowded pan will not allow for proper browning.

5. Remove the steak to a fresh plate and rest, covered for 5 minutes.

6. To serve slice roughly one inch wide pieces on the bias and lay in your serving dish of choice, I transferred mine back into my STAUB, top with chimichurri, pomegranate seeds and pomegranate quarters. Serve any remaining sauce in a bowl on the side or store in the fridge to enjoy with a future meal.

Whoever replicates this meal I hope you enjoy it as thouroughly as my guests and myself did.

x mads