RECIPE SUPPLIED BY GUY HALLS
Which came first, the Prego rolls of the southern African colonies or the Portuguese Prego no Pão on the mainland of Portugal?...No one knows for sure..
Tomato Peri Peri Sauce
250 ml olive oil
3 ripe tomatoes, sliced
50g butter
a generous 1/2 tsp salt
large pinch of sugar
6 dried piri piri chillies (or to taste), finely chopped (or pulsed in a processor)
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or pulsed in a processor)
Heat the oil in a smallish heavy-based pan. Add the tomatoes and butter and simmer for about 25 mins. Add the salt, sugar, piri piris and garlic and cook for another 5 – 10 mins. Remove from the heat and puree roughly with a hand-held blender or food processor. (If you like your sauce hotter, add a pinch or so of the Peri Peri spice mix that I listed earlier.)
Pour into a sterilised jar, if you’re not using immediately, and keep the surface covered with a layer of oil. Keep in the fridge and warm up or bring to room temperature to serve. This will keep for up to a month. Makes about 435ml.
Prego Rolls
2 x 120g rump or sirloin steaks, about 5mm thick (Fillet steak is the ultimate choice)
3 tbsp red wine
2 fresh bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled and squashed a bit
30g butter
1 – 2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
2 Portuguese bread rolls
Peri Peri sauce, to serve
Marinate the steak in the wine, bay leaves and one of the garlic cloves for a couple of hours before you cook them. Heat the butter with the other garlic clove in a small pan until the butter turns a bit golden. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Shake the meat out of its marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Heat the olive oil over high heat in a non-stick pan that will fit the steaks. When the pan is very hot, add the meat and fry very quickly, turning once. Remove to a plate, keep warm and add a dash of salt to the meat while it’s resting.
Meanwhile, put the halved rolls under the grill until very slightly crisp and warm. Pour the meat marinade into the pan and let it bubble up well. When it has thickened a bit and tastes good, dip the cut sides of the rolls in to soak up some sauce. Put the bottom half of the roll on a plate, blob some garlic butter on and then the steak. Pour on any juices from the steaks when they were resting and scatter with slat and a drizzle of Peri Peri sauce. Put the top on the rolls squash together and serve at once. Have a bottle of piri piri sauce on the table so everyone can do their own thing. Must be eaten warm. Serves 2. Double up ingredients for more..
Bom apetite