Nigella Lawson’s Tamarind Marinated Bavette Steak

Hello, can I have the Bavette? Thank you. It's the whole of it, lovely. Bavette steak is cut from the flank, and like all the cheaper cuts, it's so rich in flavour. I cook it for a very short time over very high heat, but I like to marinate it first. Thank you. And for this, I found a magic Asian ingredient that tenderises the meat and infuses it with its fragrant sourness. It's tamarind paste, a bit like date, but without the sweetness. I just dissolve it in water and stir it into a rough puree. To balance the sourness, I add saltiness with some soy sauce, just a little sunflower oil, a bit of moisturiser for the meat, and finally some honey, its sweetness offsetting the tartness of the tamarind. Just a little mix together, and then it's ready to get working on the steak. I like to give it a good massage before it goes into the fridge to marinate. To partner my steak, my radical radishes. That's to say, I roast them. It may sound strange, but cooked, their hot crunch is mellowed to a juicy pepperiness. Just halve them from top to tail, then drizzle over some regular olive oil and arrange them cut-side down on a roasting tray. There's something rather restfully mesmeric about this activity. They need only ten minutes in a hot oven, which, rather handily, is pretty much the time I need to cook and rest my steak. Now my butcher taught me that the only way to cook a bavette is to sear the hell out of it, my quote, and then cook it really rare. So this is going to be hot. Here goes. Shake the marinade off. The wonderful thing about this tangy tamarind marinade is that it is so sour, it really intensifies the sweetness of the meat. I give a bavette two minutes each side, ferocious, and then I let it rest for about five. Turning it over. I love the char marks, and this is going to be properly blackened blue. That's to say, blackened on the outside and really rare inside. I serve this carved into thin slices, and it's important that you carve against the grain, and you can see the grain so easily on the bavette. Like that. Going that way. And I shall slice this away. This is ready. And while the steak rests, I shall retrieve my ravishing radishes. They are ravishing indeed. They're so exquisite. I have a plate strewn with watercress, and I shall pile it pinkly with these beauties. The thing about roasting radishes is that they lose their crunchiness and become juicy, though still with bite. And their pepperiness is mellowed. And then all I need to do is scatter generously with sea salt and some chopped chives. Just exquisite, and also divinely edible. Now, you've all got to put up with my bad carving, because that's just how it is. How's everyone been? Very good. Thank you. Looks good. Thank you very much. I'm just going to muster it up. I have to have mustard. I panic if I don't have mustard. Thank you. I'm in love with this.