Recipe Wednesday: Jamie Oliver’s Butterflied Steak Sarnie

Recipe Wednesday was inspired by the Youngrens, California photographers who cook, photograph, and post recipes on periodic Sundays.  Cooking good wholesome food is something that is very important to my wife and I so I’ve decided to start documenting our kitchen adventures.  You’ll see pictures and recipes from books that are quickly becoming our go-to guides.  Hopefully it can give you some ideas for your own kitchen.

Today’s recipe is from good ‘ol Jamie Oliver.  This one has been on my short list to make for awhile now and we finally tackled it.  Found in the 20-minute meal section of the Food Revolution Cookbook, this recipe is quick and delicious.

I’ve also found that the lighting in the laundry room of our new place has great light for food photography.  Don’t worry the ‘laundry room’ is really just an alcove right off the kitchen so our food was not taken down to a grungy basement before consumption.

Recipe below the photo.

Jamie Oliver’s Butterflied Steak Sarnie (15 minute from start to finish)

2 large portobello mushrooms
2 x 7 oz filet mignon steaks
a sprig of fresh rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
olive oil
1 ciabatta loaf
juice of 1/2 lemon
a small handful of watercress
Dijon mustard

Place a grill pan on the highest heat. Wipe the mushrooms and slice across the bottom of each one so they sit nice and flat in your pan.  While your pan is heating up, place the mushrooms on it and press down on them.  Turn them over when charred–this will bring out their beautiful nutty flavor.  Pat the steaks with paper towels.  To butterfly the steaks, carefully slice horizontally through the middle of each one, using long, slow slicing movements, and open each one out like a book.  Pick the rosemary leaves off the woody stalks and finely chop.  Sprinkle the rosemary and a good pinch of salt and pepper on a chipping board and place your open steaks on top, patting them down so that the flavors and seasoning stick to the meat.  Give them a little drizzle with olive oil, then turn them over and do the same with the other side.

Remove the cooked mushrooms from the grill pan to a plate.  Put the pan back on the heat and place the steaks in it, pressing down.  Cook for about 4 minutes in total for a medium steak, turning every minute.  When done, remove the steaks from the pan to a plate to rest.  Halve the ciabatta at an angle and place in the grill pan with a weight, such as another pan on top so you get lovely charred marks for the bread.  Toast for a minute or two on each side.  Lightly drizzle he steaks and mushrooms with extra virgin olive oil.  Squeeze a little lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Top each piece of toasted ciabatta with a steak, a little watercress and a mushroom, then drizzle over some of the delicious juices from the met so they soak into the bread.   Drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil and sever with a jar of Dijon mustard on the table.