Steak Sandwich with Beetroot Relish - World on a Plate

I was recently invited to be a part of World on a Plate by PolaM from An Italian Cooking in the Midwest. World on a Plate (created by PolaM) is a cultural exchange where bloggers from around the world get together on the last Sunday of the month (Monday here in Australia) to showcase the cuisine of their home country. There is a different theme each month and this month's theme is "Grilling". 


I look forward to exploring Australian cuisine; it's something that has evolved considerably since the days of "meat and three veg" that my Grandparents would have enjoyed.  
Australia has a unique place in the culinary world, its remoteness in being an island has meant that multicultural influences have only started to be explored over the past few decades, though our temperate climate and growing conditions have allowed passionate regional producers to locally develop the produce used for exploring these new dishes. Even before the multicultural food Renaissance our culinary culture was a strange creature; part British aristocracy (tea and scones are still very much a staple in rural areas) but also part pastural dish, with the First Settlers and Indigenous Australian meals being largely based on the food Australia had naturally available at the time (such as kangaroo, which is still eaten to this day). I'm looking forward to drawing upon all of these influences over future blog posts for World on a Plate.

Yep.

That, staring you right in the face, is a steak sandwich - my steak sandwich. 
Building a steak sandwich is filled with personal choices; you might like yours with mushrooms or you might like yours with onions, then there is the type of bread to consider (not to mention the condiments). Whatever you like, just do yourself a favour and put some good steak on there.  

Please don't use minute steak, it will always come out grey and what is the point of grey steak?

Get the best steak that you can afford and cook it well. 

This isn't the footy or a Bunnings sausage sizzle...

On my steak sandwich I had:

Some fillet steak, medium rare. I splashed out for my first World on a Plate post. 

Apologies for the middle panel - it was taken with Instagram...in a dim room...

The best beetroot relish I have ever made (the only beetroot relish I have ever made). I used to be an onion girl for my steak sandwiches. I still probably will be an onion girl, but if faced with a choice, I will choose this relish.

Horseradish aioli: I grated up some fresh horseradish and garlic and then mixed it in to some whole egg mayonnaise. I felt a little bad that I didn't make the mayo from scratch but when I tried it I decided that life was too short. 

And the rest: A baguette is my vessel of choice. I feel that the crust will hold all that relish and juice. I will understand if you feel that my steak sandwich is more of a steak-roll because of this choice. Oh, and as you can see I like to put some tiger stripes on it by pressing it on to my grill/griddle after I have cooked the steak. That is about as toasted as I want this one to be.

Up in the corner is some very nice Australian smoked cheddar. I had never tried it before and I am glad I gave it a go. Finally, some super fresh Cos (Romaine) lettuce. I pulled out the crispy heart for my sandwich (it's the best part). I'll eat the rest during the week.

I have not added a recipe for this steak sandwich as I know that you will have your own ideas about what you would want to have on yours. There is a recipe for the beetroot relish though, even if you don't have it the way I did it goes beautifully with cheese. 

My beer went flat. Tip: Don't wash your beer glasses with detergent, ever. Hot water is sufficient and will ensure lovely sudsy beer. Dad, I understand now why you were so shirty when we would was your glass with detergent...

So there you have it! This is my steak sandwich. Maybe I will try some other fillings the next time I make one; roast veggies would be awesome, as would some marinated fetta or roasted garlic aioli. Whatever I decide to put on it, the one constant will be good steak. 

What do you like to have on your steak sandwich? If you are vegetarian, what is your alternative to good steak?

Beetroot Relish 

Makes about 2 cups 
3 large beetroot, peeled and grated
1 large brown onion, diced
1 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon, whole grain mustard
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tbsp corn flour - optional
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

• Heat the oil in a deep pan or medium saucepan, add the onion, cinnamon and cumin and cook until the onion is soft and slightly brown.
• Add the beetroot, sugar, water, seasoning and vinegars and then simmer on a medium to low heat for about 40 minutes to an hour until it has reduced and thickened to a jam-like consistency. If you find that it is too runny, add the cornflour and reduce further.
• Leave the relish to cool slightly before transferring to sterilised jars. 

Check out my fellow bloggers from World on a Plate and what they have grilled up: