I have a BITCHIN recipe for paella, but if my old chef or my old boss ever found out I shared it, they would cut my fuckin balls off.
I do have an old recipe for "Peppercorn steak con Julio" as made by the sous-chef at my former job. The man was a fuckin legend. There are 2 types of chefs. There are purist chefs who want everything done perfectly, often the long and wasteful way. Making it even better, my "purist" chef was called Jesus. Don't Fuck with de Jesus. This dude was 72, could out work anyone I ever worked with in any kitchen, and would throw coffee cups at the servers when they didn't do exactly as he specified. The man was a genius. I nut job, but a genius.
Then, there are the Julios. Julio barely spoke English; he has a vocabulary of ABOUT 100 words, but taught me more than Jesus ever did with his eyes, his actions, and with simple instructions. Julio could appreciate the genius craftsmanship of people like Jesus, but found him to be a cheapskate as well as someone who wasted entirely too much time and energy, as well as food. Julio is the type of dude who didn't fill up a dish sink; he put a teaspoon of soap in a small bucket and washed pans out of that if he had to. He never wasted anything, still made INCREDIBLE food, and smoked constantly. My first impression of this dude was to see him sitting over a fryer making potatoes with a cigarette that was about 80% smoked, performing that miracle that only old men can perform where the ash never moves and just sits at the end of the smoke. Not a flake of it drifted towards the fryer, and when it did, he batted it away with his hand.
He is, unfortunately, deceased, but the man was an absolute genius and a beautiful soul. When I dig up the piece of paper I scribbled his GODLY peppercorn steak sauce recipe on, I'll share it here to honour his memory. Sorry for the biography turned euology, but just thinking of this godly sauce makes me miss this dude something fierce.
Peppercorn Steak con Julio
1 steak (duh)
High Quality Dijon Mustard If it comes in a squeeze bottle, it's trash. It should come in a jar, have dark black / green flecks in it, and be a greyish/greenish tinge of yellow.
Minced Onions not diced, minced. They should be so small and thin that they dissolve in the sauce
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Butter
Freshly chopped garlic do not use a garlic press. You want small, chopped chunks of garlic to create small flavour explosions in the food
Whole cracked peppercorns this is not a contradiction. Buy them whole. Crack them GENTLY by giving them a SINGLE once-over with a rolling pin
Cream whole, light, half. Whatever makes your dick hard
White Wine
Butter
Black Pepper
White Pepper
First tenderize your steak as you see fit. Julio used to like to pound his flat to make it cook faster. I consider this a sin against the animal which I am eating as I REFUSE to beat my meat. It's food, not my cock.
We used to flattop the steak, although pan fried or BBQ'd is fine. Again, this is not my way, but this is the Julio way, and it always tasted fuckin amazing, so I won't knock his style. Cook your steak to taste; sear one side, and once it is seared, on the turn, DIP the seared portion in the whole cracked peppercorns to coat it thoroughly. While you cook the other side, prepare the sauce (or prepare it beforehand and ladel it onto the steak.)
Into a heated pan (not searing hot, but hot) add a splash of olive oil to prevent sticking. Add garlic and onions, a generous dose of each. (quantity varies with the amount of sauce you want to make, but I used a heavy pinch of both IE enough to fill all five of my fingers when pinched together. Liquify/transparent onions, brown garlic.
Add a healthy dollop of dijon mustard and about spat of butter. Ensure heat is low enough to melt both without excessive bubbling (which will lead to burning.) The Julio portion often involved enough mustard to coat the end of a wooden spoon, I would guess about 1 1/2 tablespoons, but again, this varies with the quantity you are looking to make. Add about half as much butter. Mix with a circular stirring of the pan as these ingredients melt, sprinkling on black pepper and white pepper, as well as salt to taste (if your diet permits). To help tie all these ingredients together, splash with white wine, allowing, stirring gently by "Circling" the pan.
Add cream, enough to fill the bottom of you pan and create a small soup for all your ingredients to soak in. (They should be largely vaporized save the odd chunks of garlic which should now be nicely browned). Add a touch more white wine (overall, about half a portion realtive to your cream)
Once cream and wine are added, add a HEALTHY pinch of whole cracked peppercorns. You should now have a greyish soup with a healthy spattering of black orbs floating through it. Personally, I love black pepper, especially peppercorns, so I add a shitload of these to my version.
Take a second dollop of dijon mustard and stir it into the middle of your sauce.
The general colour of this sauce should be a dirty cream (greyish with the black flecks of peppercorns and the black pepper). You should have this near the top, with a yellowish under-belly seeing as how the cream and the mustard/oil/wine will separate from the cream, especially if you don't stir it frequently.
Keep warm, allowing it to bubble gently, for a few minutes to help burn off the alcohol in the wine.
DO NOT reduce this sauce to the point of being thick. It should be thin enough to flow, but thick enough to leave a mild residue behind if you tilt the pan left or right and layered with peppercorns which are soaking in creamy goodness.
Stir before applying to the steak. When applied to the steak, it should flow freely out of the pan with a mild residue left behind. It should NOT need to be ladelled out; if so, add a bit of cream and more wine and reduce heat to simmer for a few more minutes.
Once steak is complete, serve peppercorn side up and drench in the above sauce. Cover the steak completely and allow a mild puddling around the meat.
Serve with your favorite vegetable and starch sides.
Feast, and give praise to the memory of Julio, Genius Chef extra-ordinaire.
I used to eat this every Sunday with a side of calimari. It was a truly religious experience.
Julio and I used to also take fresh bread, toast it gently in the oven, smear it with butter, and dip it in that peppercorn sauce while we waited for customers. This sauce is fuckin DIVINE when properly made.
DISCLAIMER
I would offer exactly measurements, but these guys were real chefs. They didn't use measuring cups and spoons. They taught me the real way. You measure with your tongue. When it tastes right, it tastes right. Still, I made approximations for sharing purposes. Enjoy.
