Beef and Capsicum in White Sauce

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 500 gms sirloin steak
• olive oil
• flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 red capsicums, cut into bite-size pieces
• 75 gms butter
• 75 gms flour
• 450 mls milk
• 150 mls white wine or sherry
• 100 gms Gruyere cheese, grated
• Spanish paprika

Method

Trim the meat of sinew, drizzle olive oil over and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Cover and store in the fridge for two or three hours if possible.

Sauté the onion in a frying pan on a low heat, stirring to keep from browning.

Take meat from fridge.

Make a white sauce in a heavy-based saucepan on medium. Melt the butter, add the flour, reduce to low and stir with a whisk. Add some of the milk and keep stirring. As the sauce thickens add more milk.

 When the onion is clear, remove from the pan and place in a deep dish.

Turn the pan up to high and turn on the oven to grill. Sear meat in the pan, in olive oil, for no more than a minute on each side. Remove meat and stand in a warm place.

Turn the pan down to medium, deglaze with a splash of wine and sauté the capsicum in olive oil. Season. Add to the onion.

Stir the remainder of the milk and wine into the sauce. Keep stirring. The sauce should thicken but remain light and thin.

Slice each steak about 3mm thin. The pieces should be pink with a crusty edge. Combine with vegetables and stir.

Pour white sauce to cover the meat and vegetables. Top with grated cheese and a dusting of paprika. Brown the dish under the grill.

Garnish with coriander or parsley; add ginger, garlic or chilli; flavour meat with cumin or substitute mushrooms or zucchini for meat or capsicum if desired.

Serve with rice.