Grilled Steaks with Olivada and Port Wine Sauce

Diane's Recipes

Serves 4

Earthy olive paste offers a Mediterranean twist to grilled steaks that are also complimented by a slightly sweet port wine sauce. The first time I tasted this, at Campanile Restaurant in Los Angeles, a large entrecôte section of beef was served in a rustic presentation. At home, New York steaks work best on the grill, served attractively in overlapping slice.

Simple techniques for reducing the sauce and grilling the steak make this a dish that even the beginning cook can accomplish with finesse-a good thing, because this is a wonderful dinner party dish. You can easily double this recipe.

Olive paste is available at specialty food stores, or you can make your own:  25 pitted Niçoise olives pureed with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a food processor makes 3 tablespoons of olive paste.

Serve the steaks with White Bean Stew with Spinach and Tomatoes (page 283), Oven-Roasted Potatoes with Parmesan (page 298) or Roasted Winter Vegetables (page 274) for dinner on a cold night. Follow with Essenci Zabaglione with Fresh Fruit Compote (page 347) and biscotti.

Recommended Wine
This is another aggressively flavored dish that goes very nicely with Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot, or a young Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup port wine 
1 cup Veal Stock (page 395) or beef stock
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
4 New York steaks, about 3/4 inch thick
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons black olivada

Garnish
Watercress or  parsley sprigs

For the sauce, melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, add the shallots, and sauté until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the red wine and port, turn up the heat to high, and reduce by 1/2 to a syrupy glaze. Add the stock and reduce by a quarter or until the sauce barely coats the back of the spoon. Add the cream and reduce for another few minutes, until it coats a spoon.  Add salt and cracked pepper and taste for seasoning. Reserve the sauce.

Prepare a grill for medium-high-heat grilling or preheat the broiler. Grill or broil the steak about 3 inches from the heat for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until browned but still rare. Place the steaks on a carving platter, season lightly with salt and pepper, and spread the top of each steak with a thin coat of the olive paste. Cut the steaks into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spoon some sauce onto a serving plate and place the steak slices, slightly overlapping, on top. Garnish with watercress or parsley and serve immediately.

Advance Preparation
The sauce can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently over low heat.

Keywords: Grill, Steak, Olives

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