Dominique Rizzo's Italian Crumbed Porcini Steak Panini

Australian Beef Declares National Steak Sandwich Day

Leading Queensland chef, Dominique Rizzo, shares her Italian twist to the Aussie Steak Sandwich.

 

Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

 

Ingredients

 

Crumbed steak:
4x 120g sirloin steaks fat trimmed, lightly pounded with a meat mallet
50g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water (just covered)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs mixed
1/2 cup of plain flour
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Marinated mushrooms:
4 large field mushrooms
1 tsp each of lemon thyme, rosemary and Italian parsley
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, zested

Caramelised onion:
1 large onion, sliced thin (about 2 cups)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Mixed lettuce leaves
8 slices of provolone cheese
4 x rustic bread rolls
Mayonnaise, to serve

Method

For the mushrooms:
Trim the stalk out of the mushrooms and set them aside (for later use), Combine the chopped herbs with the olive oil, lemon zest and salt and pepper and drizzle this over the mushrooms. Marinate for 5-10 minutes.
Take a heavy based fry pan and cook the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes on both sides, pressing down the mushrooms to slightly brown them. Set the cooked mushrooms aside.

For the steak:
Blend the soaked mushrooms in a food processor with the liquid, the reserved mushroom stalks, egg, salt and pepper and the Worcestershire sauce. Set up three bowls one with the mushroom mixture, one with flour and one with breadcrumbs. Dust the steak with flour, drag it through the mushroom mix then press it firmly into the crumb mix. Repeat with all four steaks.
Heat the oil in a pan and cook the steaks for 2 minutes until golden. Top with the cheese and place under the grill for 2-3 minutes.

For the onions:
Reheat the same pan you cooked the mushrooms in. Add in the olive oil, then add in the thinly sliced onions and sauté until transparent. Scatter over the brown sugar and the vinegar and cook for 10 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally until the onions have caramelised. Set the onions aside.

Assembly:
Brush the bread with a little oil and toast. Add a splash of your favourite mayonnaise, top with the mushroom, the greens, the steak and caramelised onions. Enjoy!

 

National day backed by chefs including Curtis Stone celebrates the unsung Aussie hero - the Beef Steak Sandwich

The Aussie Beef Steak Sandwich is set to get its own day of celebration with Australian Beef declaring Saturday 12th of May the inaugural National Steak Sandwich Day. The nationwide day has received the backing of world-class chefs and steak sandwich fans including Curtis Stone, Dominique Rizzo, Jess Pryles and Jack Stein.

The declaration comes in light of new research, that has revealed half of Aussies (48%) believe the classic steak sandwich is an underrated dish and two thirds of steak sandwich fans (64%) believe the traditional Aussie dish deserves its own day of celebration. In fact, almost four million Australians would like to see National Steak Sandwich Day become a public holiday.

Australia's love affair with the steak sandwich – or a 'steak sanga', as it's fondly known – is revealed to be as strong as ever, with over 2 million Australians tucking into a steak sandwich at least once a week.

Award-winning Australian chef Curtis Stone has shared one of his bespoke recipes to mark the occasion and is calling on Australians to get behind the day by cooking their own sandwich on Saturday 12th May.

Curtis Stone, said; "When I was a kid, my Dad would take us out every Friday night and I would always get a steak sandwich; my love for this classic dish is just as strong today."

"When it comes to taste, quality and flavour nothing beats Australian Beef, so it's about time one of our most iconic beef dishes was celebrated!"

For Aussies planning on celebrating National Steak Sandwich Day, the research also revealed what we believe makes the ultimate sandwich. Beef was voted the most popular meat filling by almost four in five (77%) sanga fans, specifically a scotch fillet beef steak (26%), cooked medium rare (35%), served on classic white sliced bread (34%) and accompanied by BBQ sauce (49%).

Onions took the number one spot as our favourite steak sandwich topping (74%), followed by lettuce (72%) and tomato (67%). Anchovies (56%) topped the list of the most controversial steak sandwich accompaniments, with pineapple (44%) and eggplant (43%) coming in close behind. Surprisingly, beetroot was voted least controversial, with 80% of Aussies unfazed by the usually polarising flavour.

National Steak Sandwich Day will also mark the final day of Australia's national beef expo, Beef Australia 2018; a celebration of the greatest meat on earth, Australian Beef. As part of Beef Australia, celebrity chefs, including Curtis Stone, will be demonstrating their favourite beef recipes.

You can find Curtis Stone's bespoke Beef Australia 2018 National Steak Sandwich Day recipe at beefthegreate.st/steaksandwichday to recreate at home.

National Steak Sandwich Day is taking place on Saturday 12th May 2018. To get involved browse a selection of steak sandwich recipes at beefthegreate.st/steaksandwichday and visit your local butcher or retailer.