Ingredients
- 2 ribeye steaks (thin cut), each approximately 200g and 1cm thick
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 clove garlic, left whole but crushed firmly once
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to season
- Thyme, to season (optional)
- Red Wine Sauce:
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 handful parsley leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp plain flour
- 200ml chicken or beef stock
- 150 ml red wine
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to season
Method
- If possible, up to 8 hours before cooking, pat the steaks dry with kitchen paper and season salt and pepper, then pop them back into the fridge until ready to cook.
- When you are ready to cook the steaks, heat the oil over a high heat in a heavy-based frying pan that is large enough to fit steaks in comfortably. Once the oil is simmering, turn the heat down a little (to medium-high) and add the butter. Heat until the butter is sizzling, then carefully lay the steaks in the pan, tucking the garlic and thyme (if desired) in at the sides.
- Use a set of tongs to turn the steaks regularly (every 30 seconds to 1 minute) so that they sear evenly and develop a nice brown crust on all sides. Cook as desired [NB: As an approximate guide, 2 to 3 minutes in total for rare, 4 to 5 minutes in total for medium, and 6 to 8 minutes in total for well done.] When the internal temperature of the beef reaches the desired level [i.e. 55 to 60 degrees C (rare) / 54 to 57 degrees C (medium rare) / 63 to 68 degrees C (medium well) / above 68 degrees C (well done)] remove the steaks from the pan and leave them to rest for a few minutes.
- Whilst the steaks are resting, make the red wine sauce.
- Pour the fat out of the steak pan and dispose of it appropriately, but don’t clean the pan. Place the pan back onto the heat, adding half the butter (1 tbsp) and the shallots, stirring continuously so that nothing burns. After 2 minutes, when the shallots have softened, stir in the flour and cook until you have a sandy paste.
- Next, add the vinegar and simmer for a moment (30 seconds or so), then pour in the wine and stir, making sure nothing gets stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to the boil and allow it to bubble for 1 minute, then whisk in the mustard followed by the stock. Boil the sauce down to approximately 200ml in total, then taste and season with salt and pepper as required.
- Finally, whisk in the remaining butter (1 tbsp) and parsley, plus any juices from the resting steaks.
- Serve the steaks on warm plates, spooning the sauce over the top, along with your desired accompaniments.