STEAK AND STEIN RECIPES

Steps:

• Trim the meat of all fat and sinew and chop finely by hand or by using the pulse button on your food processor.

  Put the meat into a bowl with the capers, shallots, parsley, oil, gherkin, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Mix together lightly with 2 forks, then spoon into the centre of 2 chilled plates and shape into a neatish round. Make a small indentation in the top and add an egg yolk to each one. Serve with pommes frites, Melba toast, elongated slices of shallow-fried French bread or pumpernickel.

Steps:

• Mix the onions, meat, herbs, garlic, oil, zest and wine in a bowl. Season with white pepper and leave to marinate for 24 hours.

  The next day, preheat the oven to 150°C/Fan 130°C. Pour everything into a flameproof casserole dish, bring to a simmer on the hob, then transfer the dish to the oven for 4 hours. Remove from the oven, leave to cool and then refrigerate.

  The following day, preheat the oven to 150°C/Fan 130°C. Add the stock and lardons to the stew and bring it to a simmer on the hob as before. Put the dish in the oven and cook for a further 2 hours.

  The tomatoes can be cooked at the same time. Chop the parsley with the garlic very finely, then mix with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Cut the top third off the top of each tomato (reserve the tops for a sauce or stock) and spoon over the parsley mixture. Place the tomatoes in a baking dish and cook for 1½ hours.

  For the anchoïade, put the garlic in a pestle and mortar and pound it to a paste, or use a food processor. Add the anchovies and pound again to combine. Add half the soft butter and mix again, then add the remaining butter and continue to blend. Add the mustard and mix well.

  Serve the stew with the tomatoes, pommes purée (page 239 of Rick Stein's Secret France) and a bowl of anchoïade so everyone can help themselves.