Steak and Onions

The original steak and onions recipe is English to the core and is a sort of casserole using whole pieces of meat. I first ate it at four in the morning in a pub in Smithfield Market, London, with a pint of Guinness  and a bunch of actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The pub was open at that time of day because it had a special licence to serve the market traders and meat porters. Why we were there is another story that I won't go into. Much as I think I enjoyed that meal, my version is a bit different and probably a lot less hearty, but it's still a tasty dish for all that.

To serve four you need:

• 4 fillet or rump steaks
• 2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 30g butter
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbs oil
• 1 jar prepared Bearnaise sauce
• 2 tbs finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

If you want to make your own Bearnaise sauce please be my guest, but the key to this meal is really the caramelized onions and the commercial variety will do nicely. Of course, if you have a chef coming to dinner, don't even think about it.

Start by melting the butter in a thick skillet and then stir in the onions, cooking them over a low heat until they soften, then turn up the heat and add the sugar. You need to stir the mixture frequently to prevent it from sticking, especially when the onions start to brown.

Once the onions are nicely browned stir in the crushed garlic and cook for a further minute or so, then set aside and keep warm.

Add the oil to the same pan and, using high heat, sear the steaks for 3 minutes on each side. Spread each steak with a dollop of Bearnaise sauce and top it off with a spoonful of the onion mixture. Cook the steaks without turning for a further 3 minutes. Transfer them to warm serving plates on which you have scattered the chopped parsley as a garnish. Serve right away with a robust red wine (or Guinness).

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