by Mandy Wilks

Created on: September 17, 2010   Last Updated: September 19, 2010

My husband and I have a favourite little Italian restaurant that we love to visit; it is owned and run by a lovely Sardinian man called Tony – who also does all the cooking.

His pasta dishes are wonderful, and his fish dishes are really, really good, but one of our favourite dishes that we eat there is his delicious Steak Pizzaiola. Despite his Sardinian background Tony serves this dish just as it would be traditionally served in Naples.

This Neapolitan dish uses round beef steaks that have been beaten and  flattened , they  are then cooked in a wonderful spicy tomato sauce that is rather like the sauce used to top a pizza (from Naples of course – the traditional  home of the pizza) hence the name  - pizzaiola, or "pizza style" sauce.

This really is a taste of Italy and served with chunky fried potatoes and a delicious crispy green salad along with a basket of crusty Italian bread and a bottle of good Chianti you really could be sitting somewhere along the Amalfi coast and enjoying an Italian feast.

Many places add cheese to this dish, but traditionally cheese is not included and personally I prefer it without.

I have no Italian connections but I do cook this recipe at home and, if I say so myself, it is a pretty good attempt at the Italian traditional dish, so if you would like to bring a touch of Italy to your dining room why not give it a try; it is a simple and quick dish and makes a lovely change to a plain fried or grilled steak.

STEAK PIZZAIOLA
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
800g sirloin steak, about 1 inch thick
125g (4oz) pitted black olives, sliced
4 shallots, finely chopped
1tablespoons tomato puree (paste
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

METHOD
1.    Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying-pan (skillet).
2.    Cut the steak into four pieces and gently flatten with a wooden mallet or tenderiser.
3.    Season with salt and black pepper and add to pan.
4.    Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until it starts to brown, then remove from the pan and keep to one side.
5.    Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and then add the prepared shallots and garlic.
6.    Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the chopped tomatoes (including juice), the sliced black olives, tomato puree and the oregano and bring to a simmer.
7.    Cook for about 5 minutes, then return the steak to the pan and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until the steak is cooked to your liking.
8.    Taste sauce and adjust seasoning to taste.

There you have your delicious steak, serve with salad and/or potatoes of your choice and sit back and enjoy – don’t forget that glass of Chianti!
Buon appetito!

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