Anne Morgan Delia Smith’s steak recipe is her Entrecôte Marchand de Vin, for 2 people. You fry 2 sirloin steaks in a very hot pan, then boil red wine around them into a quick, syrupy sauce. It is on the plates in about 25 minutes, once the steaks have had an hour out of the fridge.
She chose it for How to Cook Book Two, in 1999, as the recipe beside her guide to grilling and frying meat. In her words it is “the simplest-possible sauce for a fried steak”, because the wine lifts all the flavour from the pan. Entrecôte is the French name for sirloin, so either steak works.
Her rules for any steak are short. Let it warm up for an hour first, and get the pan really hot. Add salt only at the end, since it draws out the juices. Frying keeps every escaped drop in the pan for a sauce, while grilling adds flavour but loses some juice.
Her steak times for the grill and the pan are in the table below the FAQs. Delia once wrote that she prefers a thick half-pounder to a plain grilled steak, so try her burgers too.
Delia Smith’s Entrecôte Marchand de Vin
Course: DinnerCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy2
servings5
minutes20
minutes590
kcalTwo sirloin steaks fried hot and fast, then finished with fried onion and red wine boiled down to a dark, syrupy pan sauce.
Ingredients
- For the steaks:
2 entrecôte or sirloin steaks, about 225g (8oz) each, out of the fridge about 1 hour before
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
175ml (6fl oz) red wine
freshly milled black pepper
Directions
- Pan: Heat half the oil in a solid frying pan, 25.5cm (10in) across, over a high heat.
- Onion: Fry the onion for about 6 minutes, until it is soft and dark brown at the edges. Lift it out onto a plate.
- Heat: Add the rest of the oil and keep the heat high, so the pan is as hot as you dare.
- Season: Season the steaks with coarsely milled black pepper, but no salt, as salt makes the juices run out.
- Sear: Lay the steaks in the pan and press them gently with a spoon, so the underside sears and turns crusty.
- Cook: Give them about 3 minutes on each side for medium, 2 for rare or 4 for well done.
- Sauce: About 2 minutes before the end, return the onion and pour the wine around the steaks. Keep the heat high and boil it until reduced and syrupy.
- Serve: Put the steaks on hot plates and spoon the sauce over. Chunky chips and a green salad suit them well, she says.
Notes
- Add salt just before you eat, as Delia advises for every grilled or fried steak.
- A thicker or thinner steak needs a different time, so use her times table further down.
- The calories are for one steak with its sauce, with no chips or salad.
FAQs
Should I fry or grill my steak?
Either is fine, Delia says, and each way has a gain. Grilling gives the meat a special flavour and lets some fat run out, though you lose some juice. Frying keeps all the juices in the pan, ready to spoon over or turn into a wine sauce.
To grill, heat the grill to its highest setting for at least 10 minutes. Then put the steak 5-7.5cm from the heat and turn it halfway through.
A ridged grill pan works well too. Smear it with very little oil, heat it for about 10 minutes and use the same grill times.
How does Delia cook fillet steak?
A fillet steak 4cm thick needs 5 minutes a side under the grill for medium. Take a minute off each side for rare, or add one for well done. Brush it with a little oil first.
In a frying pan, sear it for a minute on each side, then cook it for 6 minutes more, turning it halfway. Allow 2 minutes less for rare and 2 more for well done.
Her One is Fun has Fillet Steak with Mustard and Juniper Sauce for one, with strips of fillet, mushrooms and a creamy mustard sauce. For a whole fillet of beef wrapped in pastry, try her beef Wellington.
What is her marinated rump steak?
Delia created it to serve with Aligot, a French cheese mash, in her first How to Cook book. It serves 2, and the two 200-225g rump steaks sit in 75ml red wine, 75ml Worcestershire sauce and a crushed garlic clove, ideally overnight.
Dry the steaks, keeping the marinade, then sear them for 4 minutes a side in a smoking-hot pan with a teaspoon of oil. For the last 2 minutes, pour in the marinade and let it reduce by about half.
Slice the steaks on the diagonal with a very sharp knife, then pour the sauce on top. A few sprigs of watercress finish the plate.
What is the crème fraîche and cracked pepper steak?
This special supper for two is in the same book, made with 225g entrecôte or sirloin steaks at least 2.5cm thick. First, 275ml beef stock is boiled for about 10 minutes, down to half.
This time the steaks are salted before cooking, then fried in foaming butter and oil. Give them 3 minutes on the first side and 2 on the second for medium, or 2 and 1 for rare, without prodding them.
Then add 2 tablespoons of Cognac, the reduced stock, 2 rounded tablespoons of crème fraîche and 2 teaspoons of crushed peppercorns. Let it bubble for a minute and serve it with jacket potatoes and a leafy salad.
Which cut of steak is best for frying?
Her frying and grilling steaks are sirloin, rump and fillet. They come from the hind quarter, which is tender enough to cook fast.
The cheaper braising cuts need long, slow cooking instead. For frying, she uses a little oil or a small piece of beef dripping, as both take very high heat.
If you are in a real hurry, flash-fry steaks cook in a minute flat. For a peppery version, her steak au poivre presses crushed peppercorns into sirloin or rump.
Delia Smith’s steak cooking times
These are her times from How to Cook Book Two, for each side unless the row says otherwise. Thickness varies, so test the middle with a skewer or a small knife.
| Steak and method | Rare | Medium | Well done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sirloin or rump, 2.5cm, grill | 1½-2 min | 3 min | 4 min |
| Sirloin or rump, pan, after 1 min searing a side | 2-3 min more | 3-4 min more | 4-5 min more |
| Fillet, 4cm, grill | 4 min | 5 min | 6 min |
| Fillet, 4cm, pan, after searing (in all) | 4 min | 6 min | 8 min |
| Sirloin, 225g, pan (this recipe) | 2 min | 3 min | 4 min |
For sirloin or rump in the pan, the rare column is her medium-rare, and a blue steak gets the searing only. The fillet rare and well-done times are our own sums of her rule.
