Braised Steak with a Wild Mushroom and Madeira Sauce

This is seriously seriously good. When you serve it you will receive nothing but adoration and praise and no-one will ever vaguely suspect your ingenious little short cut. For me it hails the first taste of winter comfort food. Gently simmering away imparting all those evocative aromas that you’ve been missing during the summer months. Although it takes a couple of hours to cook it really isn’t any work at all. Madeira is a wonderful aperitif served well chilled, but is also an essential ingredient for long, slow braising, providing a heavenly partner to mushrooms.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 x 6oz (175 g) braising steaks
1 x 350 tub Waitrose Fresh Wild Mushroom Sauce (Sugo ai Funghi)
1 dessertspoon olive oil
½ oz (10 g) butter
1 large onion, peeled, sliced and separated into half-moon shapes
12 oz (350 g) dark-gilled mushrooms, sliced
½ oz (10 g) dried porcini mushrooms (no need to rehydrate them)
5 fl oz (150 ml) sercial Madeira
salt and freshly milled black pepper

First season the steaks with freshly milled black pepper, then in a medium-sized, deep frying pan, heat the oil and butter till sizzling hot. Now, add the steaks and brown them really well on both sides, which will take about 5 minutes all together. After that remove them to a plate.

Next, add the slices of onion, keeping the heat high and brown them for five minutes, moving them once or twice. Then in go the sliced mushrooms and porcini for a few good stirs then leave them for about 5 more minutes.

Return the steaks, sort of half-burying them in amongst the mushrooms and onions. Now, in a jug, just whisk the sauce and the Madeira together. Pour the whole lot into join the rest, season with salt and pepper and give the pan a couple of shakes. Bring the sauce up to simmering point, then turn the heat down to its very lowest setting, put a lid on and let it cook really slowly for 2 hours. Some supermarket braised red cabbage and ditto mashed potato enhanced with butter and cream would be a good accompaniment for a serious cheat.

This recipe first appeared in You magazine.

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