Italian Steak- Recipes by Trevor Hopkins

This is a dish which was prepared for Tracey and myself in a tiny restaurant during our trip to Tuscany a few years ago. I've re-created it for home cooking.

This works well with fillet steak. You will need a piece of about 6 ounces for each person. Wash the meat and trim off any large pieces of fat. Place on a plate and sprinkle one side with freshly-ground black pepper and a little salt.

Use a heavy-based frying pan with a deep lip (to minimise splattering) and big enough to take all of the steaks in one go. Add a splash of olive oil (a cheap grade will do) and then get it really hot on the stove. When the oil is smoking, toss in the steaks, pepper-side down. Sizzle! Sprinkle the upper surface of the meat with more black pepper and salt. Cook for four minutes for medium, less for rare.

While the steaks are cooking, grate some parmesan cheese - about 1/3 an ounce for each person. Flip over the steaks and cook for 1 minute. Then add a few drops of good-quality balsamic vinegar. I am currently using a particularly nice Italian cherry balsamic which we bought in a little shop in Lucca on a trip to Tuscany. Top each steak with some of the grated cheese. Cook for another 4 minutes - the cheese should have melted thoroughly.

Scoop the steaks onto warmed plates and drizzle the last of the cooking juices over the top. Serve with Lyonnaise Potatoes (or perhaps creamy mashed potatoes) and asparagus (or other microwaved vegetables).