This is the first in a series of recipes that I will be posting from a challenge that my ex boyfriend and I set ourselves when the Olympics came to London – we attempted to cook a dish from every country that took part in the games and called the challenge Eat the Olympics.

We only made it to 170 something out of 204 but had some incredible experiences along the way, including a supper club and trips to Marrakech and Brazil.

Steak San Marino was one of our favourites and we scored it gold.

Ingredients:

1kg topside beef steaks
Plain flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 x tin chopped tomatoes
100ml red wine
1 medium onion
4 carrots
3 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp hot sauce

Method:

1. Peel and chop into chunks the onion and carrots

2. Cut the steak into four serving portions

3. Combine the flour and salt and pepper and coat the steaks with the flour mix. Coat the bottom of an oven proof pan with a little oil and place the steaks in the bottom

4. Mix the tomatoes, wine, carrots, onion, celery, mixed herbs, bay leaf and hot sauce in a mixing bowl and pour over the steaks

5. Cook in the oven at 150 degrees C for 5 hours. Once cooked, discard the bay leaf and remove the steaks to serving plates