Name: MARINATED SKIRT STEAK
Ingredients: skirt steak: 6 x 200 grams; sprigs thyme: 2; extra virgin olive oil: 150 millilitres; freshly ground black pepper: 1 teaspoon; sprig rosemary: 1; bay leaf: 1; Garlic: 2 cloves; fine sea salt to taste

Medium

Ingredients

6 x 200 grams skirt steak
2 sprigs thyme
150 millilitres extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 cloves Garlic
fresh, smashed with skin on
fine sea salt to taste

Directions

Combine marinade ingredients apart from salt and pepper, and marinate steaks, for a few hours, or overnight.
Take steaks out of fridge 30 mins before you want to cook them.
To cook, heat a heavy based fry pan over the highest setting with a little olive or vegetable oil until smoking.
Season steaks withy salt and pepper just before cooking.
Place steaks into hot pan and allow to colour well on one side, approx. 3 mins.
Turn and repeat for 2 mins on other side.
Remove steaks from pan and allow to rest for 5 mins.

To Serve

Place heated capsicum in centre of plate.
Slice skirt across the grain and place on top of the capsicum.
Drizzle with pebre sauce.

Note: Skirt steak has quite a bit of texture, so it is vital to cut the steak across the grain, otherwise the steak will be chewy to eat.

Christopher Whitehead

Christopher Whitehead is Head Chef of Palings Kitchen & Bar, the latest evolution of ivy’s open-air courtyard. This warm and welcoming informal eatery offers four distinct dining choices with Christopher overseeing the deli and grill featuring salads, gourmet sandwiches, roasts and more. Since joining Merivale in 2007, Christopher has led the kitchen at Mad Cow, ivy’s former New York-style grill achieving one hat in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2011. There, Christopher created dishes that were produce driven, using the best seasonal ingredients to create flavoursome food and culinary delights. Mad Cow closed in October 2012 to allow for Palings Kitchen & Bar. Earlier in his career, Christopher worked with Gay Bilson and Janni Kyritsis at Berowra Waters Inn for four years learning his trade in every department of the kitchen until he was lured by Peter Doyle (est.) at Cicada with whom he worked for a further five years. In 2002, Christopher received his first Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide hat for Bond Restaurant. The following six years Christopher was executive chef at one of Sydney’s busiest and most successful restaurants, the Opera Bar, which at its peak served over 5,000 covers per week.