Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’s Steak Dinner
1 Ox heart or steak of your choice (you can ask a butcher to order you an ox or venison heart)
A few leaves of chard
Nasturtium flowers and pods (optional)
A couple of tablespoons of butter
A few sprigs of thyme
Flour
Salt and pepper
Sauce
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
Bay leaf
Stock—either purchased or homemade, preferably beef stock
Mayonnaise
1 egg yolk
Around 1 tsp white wine vinegar
Around ¼ tsp mustard
¾ cup oil
Begin by sauteeing the carrots over medium heat in a bit ofoil. Add the onions, a bay leaf, and a pinch of salt. Let them caramelise, stirring occasionally. Add a little flour (about 1-2T) to thicken the sauce.
Cut the heart open lengthwise, so it’s lying flat, and slice off the excess fat and the tough sinews on the inside. Divide the heart into portion sizes.
Add the sinew scraps to the sauteeing vegetables, then add enough stock to cover the vegetables and let simmer.
Make your mayonnaise by combining the egg yolk, vinegar and mustard. Keep a little hot water to hand in case the mayonnaise begins to split. If you’re using the nasturtium pods, chop them up and add them as well. Begin whipping the yolk mixture while drizzling in oil. You’ll see the mixture begin to thicken. Keep whipping and adding the oil until the mayonnaise is thick and a pale, creamy colour. Set aside.
Blanch the chard leaves in boiling water, just until tender, about 3 minutes. Plunge them immediately into cold water to stop them cooking further. Trim off the stems, cover the leaf in clingfilm, and gently roll the leaf flat with a rolling pin.
Put a pan over high heat and add a little oil to it. Once it’s hot, dredge your beef heart portions in flour and lay in the pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of butter and some sprigs of thyme to the pan with the meat. Saute for around a minute, basting with the butter.
Remove the meat from the pan, place it on the flattened chard leaf, and fold the leaf around the meat to create a neat parcel.
Strain the stock.
Serve the meat and chard parcel decorated with nasturtium petals and drizzled with the stock, accompanied by mayonnaise.