Tapenade encrusted steak sarnie

Simply put, this is pure unadulterated pleasure in a sandwich!

It is a coming together of two of my most favourite foodie things, rare cooked steak and my home made tapenade, which either one on their own would be cause for some celebration. Together it's food porn.

The tapenade itself is very quick and simple to make, but we generally have a pot of it in the fridge most weeks, so when it comes to putting this sarnie together it is very quick indeed. I highly recommend the tapenade with freshly baked crusty french bread, but a word of warning... watch your bread intake increase ten fold!

For the tapenade

1 cup of green olives   ( pitted )
1 cup black olives   (pitted )
quarter cup of capers
three cloves of garlic pealed
a good glug of extra virgin olive oil
squeeze half a lemon into it too

wizz this fairly solid mixture down using a hand blender and make sure it is well and truly blended.
Transfer to a suitable storage pot - lick spoon used to do transferring clean and then reach for some bread.


For the steak

I like to switch it round with steaks and enjoy all that they have to offer, I think this probably works best with Sirloin, but hey - pick your favourite. An 8 oz steak is perfect size.

Trim the fat off till you are left with a nice lean cut of meat, don't go too thick either half inch thickness is perfect. Let the steak get to room temp along with that tapenade, then spoon enough tapenade over one side of the steak to cover it nicely.

Fire up your pan (perferably over an Open Fire) with a little dab of olive oil in and allow to get nice a hot. Place the steak in the pan, tapenade side down ( it should sizzle) and cook for two minutes. Whilst its cooking coat the upper side with tapenade just like you did with the first side.

Turn the steak very carefully and cook for another 2 minutes. During this time, butter lightly two slices of bread, and coat with a thin layer of dijon mustard .

After two minutes take off the heat and allow the steak to sit in it's own juices and continue to cook for a further minute, before taking it out of the pan, place it on a warmed plate and cover and let it be for 5 minutes at least.......  it's okay, it's your sandwich, no one else is going to run away with it, and trust me, it's worth the extra five minute wait.

Then slice up the steak into thin slices , perhaps just under a centimetre wide, being careful not to remove the lovely tapenade covering.

Place inbetween two layers of prepared bread,  remove yourself to a calm relaxed place, take a big deep breath, let the stress of the world go, and tuck into one of life's little pleasures.