Most people are comfortable cooking a steak on the barbecue so there is nothing to fear here. I have simply taken a larger piece of beef, rubbed it with ground star anise, extra virgin olive oil and vino cotto (though you could easily use balsamic) and left it to marinate at room temperature. Use your judgement with this, especially if you’re in the middle of a heatwave you just need the meat to be at room temperature when you put it on the grill.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vino cotto
- ¼ teaspoon ground star anise
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 x 160 g trimmed Porterhouse steaks
- Horseradish cream or Dijon mustard, to serve (optional)
Red Vegetable Salad
- 3 ripe tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 red onions
- 2 teaspoons vino cotto
- 2 large red capsicums
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon lemon thyme leaves
- Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan-forced).
- Combine the vino cotto, star anise and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub all over the steaks and allow to stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, to make the vegetable salad, cut the tomatoes into eighths and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and roast for 20–25 minutes or until burnished. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Cut the red onions into eighths and remove the outer layer of skin. Place on a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and roast for 20 minutes or until soft, collapsed and burnished. Remove from the oven, drizzle with the vino cotto and allow to cool.
- Place the whole capsicums on a baking tray and rub all over with the remaining olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes or until at least 60% of the skin has blackened. Remove from the oven and place in a bowl, then cover with plastic film and stand until cool. Peel and seed the cooled capsicum (don’t wash them or you will wash away all the lovely juices). Tear into rough pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the cooled tomato and red onion.
- To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour over the vegetable salad and toss lightly with your hands.
- Preheat a barbecue grill plate or chargrill pan to high. Cook the steaks for 4 minutes on one side, then turn and cook the other side for 2–3 minutes. The cooking time will depend upon the thickness of the meat. Remove and rest for at least 5 minutes. Serve the steaks drizzled with any resting juices, along with the red vegetable salad and horseradish or mustard, if using.
