Fancy up your steak with Paul West’s meaty marinade
Steak without a marinade is like a suit without a tie – it’s fine and all, but you can’t help but wonder how much better it would be with that extra special touch. River Cottage Australia’s very own Paul West is in town for the upcoming Regional Flavours presented by The Courier-Mail, and has imparted a marinade recipe designed to seriously level up your standard meat game. Paul’s penchant for local produce and farming comes through in his recipes, with this particular sample rooted in simplicity that will let your steak speak for itself. Whip it up, chuck it on and let the flavours do all the talking.
INGREDIENTS
2 flank steaks
1 cup of hoppy, light-bodied beer (IPA or golden ale would be perfect)
1 red chilli, chopped up seeds and all
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 coriander root, cleaned and finely chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice
salt
pepper
TO MAKE
To begin, lightly score the steaks in a criss-cross pattern, being careful to only cut in a couple of millimetres, this will allow the marinade to penetrate the steak.
Generously season the steak with salt and pepper and place to one side.
Combine the beer, chilli, cumin, coriander root and lemon juice and zest in a glass or enamel dish.
Add the steaks and turn them over a couple of times to ensure they are evenly coated in the marinade.
Cover the dish and then place it in the fridge for the flavours to infuse for at least four hours.
When the time is up, remove from the marinade, pat dry and cook on a hot grill to your desired done-ness.
Remove and allow to rest briefly before slicing to serve.
River Cottage Australia’s Paul West will be appearing at Regional Flavours presented by The Courier-Mail from July 16–17 at South Bank. You can catch him on the EAT-SHOW-TELL stage or at River Cottage Australia at Epicurious Garden.
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