Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
                        ***SAUCE***
  1         tablespoon  unsalted butter
  2             medium  shallots -- minced
     1/2           cup  dry red wine
     1/2           cup  port wine
  1                cup  veal stock -- or beef stock
  2        tablespoons  whipping cream
     1/4      teaspoon  salt
  1           teaspoon  cracked black pepper
  4                     new york steaks -- about 3/4 inch
                        -- thick
                        salt and pepper to taste
  2        tablespoons  black olivada
                        ***GARNISH***
                        watercress or parsley sprigs

Preparation:

Earthy olive paste offers a Mediterranean twist to grilled steaks that are also complemented by a slightly sweet port wine sauce. The first time I tasted this, at Campanile Restaurant in Los Angeles, a large entrec6te section of beef was served in a rustic presentation. At home, New York steaks work best on the grill, served attractively in overlapping slices. Simple techniques for reducing the sauce and grilling the steak make this a dish that even the beginning cook can accomplish with finesse--a good thing, because this is a wonderful dinner party dish. You can easily double this recipe. Olive paste is available at specialty food stores, or you can make your own: 25 pitted Nisoise olives pureed with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a food processormakes 3 tablespoons of olive paste. RECOMMENDED WINE: This is another aggressively flavored dish that goes very nicely with Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot, or a young Cabernet Sauvignon. 1. For the sauce, melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, add the shallots, and saute until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the red wine and port, turn up the heat to high, and reduce by half to make a syrupy glaze. Add the stock and reduce by a quarter or until the sauce barely coats the back of the spoon. Add the cream and reduce for another few minutes, until it coats a spoon. Add salt and cracked pepper and taste for seasoning. Reserve the sauce. 2. Prepare a grill for medium-high-heat grilling or preheat the broiler. Grill or broil the steak about 3 inches from the heat for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until browned but still rare. Place the steaks on a carving platter, season lightly with salt and pepper, and spread the top of each steak with a thin coat of the olive paste. Cut the steaks into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spoon some sauce onto a serving plate and place the steak slices, slightly overlapping, on top. Garnish with watercress or parsley and serve immediately. ADVANCE PREPARATION: The sauce can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently over low heat.

Nutritional Information:

501 Calories (kcal); 23g Total Fat; (67% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 23g Carbohydrate; 72mg Cholesterol; 1787mg Sodium