Hanger Steak with Purple Sprouting Broccoli & Tonnato
Tonnato is a wonderful classic Italian combination of mayonnaise and its briny, umami-rich friends - tuna, anchovies, and capers. Using it as a steak sauce is also a great example of surf & turf, where we amplify a primary ingredient with a smaller quantity of a stronger one.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the steak and broccoli
4 (6-ounce) hanger steaks
1 ½ pounds purple sprouting broccoli, large stalks split in half (sub broccolini)
Neutral oil
For the tonnato
3 ounces canned tuna, oil-packed
1 egg yolk
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 lemon, zest and juice
4 anchovies
2 teaspoons capers
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup neutral oil
To serve
Small chunk fresh horseradish, peeled
Flakey sea salt
METHOD
Season the steak. With a sharp knife, trim any remaining sinew. Season the steak generously with salt and set aside while you prepare the other ingredients. Season the steak up to 1 day in advance (see note).
Make the tonnato. In a blender or food processor, blend all of the ingredients except for the oils until smooth. Slowly stream in the oils. Taste for lemon, salt, and pepper and adjust the seasoning.
Cook the steaks. Pat the steaks dry. Heat a cast iron skillet or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, until very hot. Pour a very thin layer of oil into the pan and wait until it shimmers. Sear the steaks for 3 minutes, or until a deep golden brown crust forms. Flip the steaks and cook to medium rare (125°F). Transfer the steaks to a plate and allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Cook the broccoli. Wipe out the skillet and heat over medium heat. Toss the broccoli with a little neutral oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange on the skillet in an even layer. Don’t crowd the pan! Cook for a few minutes on each side until the florets are a bit charred and the stalks are tender but still toothy.
Plate. Slice the steak against the grain. Arrange the broccoli and steak on the plate. Sprinkle the steak with flakey salt. Drizzle with tonnato sauce. Finely grate the horseradish over the plate (a microplane grater is perfect for this).
Note: The salt draws moisture from the meat, which is then reabsorbed throughout the steak, resulting in more even seasoning. This also dries out the surface of the meat, which helps create a crust when searing.
FURTHER READING
