Portuguese Steak 'Regional', with Piri Piri Oil and Baked Butter Rice

Even the name of this sounds lovely. Make the oil in advance –and then use it on everything.

Piri Piri Oil

4 small, fresh hot chillies

8 small dried red chillies

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp brandy

½ tsp lemon zest, grated

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 bay leaf

1 tsp rock salt

250ml light olive oil

Pulse the fresh chillies and garlic in a food processor, or bash in a mortar. Add to a small saucepan with the lemon zest, juice, vinegar, brandy, bay, salt and about 3 tbsp of the oil. When it starts to bubble, remove from the heat and add the rest of the oil. Pour into a bottle (sprinkle in the dried chillies first) and allow to mellow for a few days.

Start with the rice: 

50g butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion. Finely chopped

2 bay leaves

250g rice

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 pinches paprika

1 litre veg stock.

Preheat the oven to 180/ Gas 4. Sauté the onion and bay leaves in an oven proof casserole . When softened, add the rice, garlic and paprika. Add the stock and season well. Bake for 45 mins. Take the boy our for a walk while it cooks. Point out local points of architectural interest. Check all the stock has been absorbed, and that the rice is cooked. Allow it cool for a few minutes before fluffing It up.

Get on with the Steak Regional. I'm not sure why it's called this but it's apparently native to the Azores. He's very happy to be having steak by the way. He seems to be wandering into the kitchen about every 10 minutes.

2 pieces of rump steak, around 350g each and almost an inch thick.

2 tbsp butter

 3 bay leaves

2 garlic cloves, squashed

2 tbsp brandy

1 lemon

1 large red pepper, roasted and skinned

Get the butter hot –a glug of olive oil will stop it burning.  Add the steak and bay leaves, sprinkling the meat with salt. Add the garlic when you turn it – at the point the bottom of the steak is turning brown. When golden on both sides add the soft red peppers and a good twist of black pepper and some more salt. 

Pour in the brandy and flame it. (Easy – just tilt the pan toward the flame it will catch by itself). Make sure your boy is in the kitchen to witness this – it will flame high and it looks impressive.  Add another big blob of butter to cool it all down and sprinkle with piri piri oil and the juice of a lemon.

Mariza’s Fado Curvo goes on the stereo and the heating goes up until you’re both in T-shirts, and laughing. Fish a decent bottle of red wine from that curious space between the bedroom and the study. Show it to him, as if to get his approval, though he'll have no idea until it's opened. Place a whole chilli on the side of his plate and dare him to eat it. He won't but you'll go on laughing into the night. That's kind of what love is.