SLOW ROASTED STEAK IN BALSAMIC ONIONS AND SPICES

I have now made this twice --- two weeks in a row.
The fool proof plan is to roast this long and slow.
The size of the piece of meat is up to you... I use a medium to large piece of steak with the onions and tomatoes and roasted it till it was falling off the bone. 1 steak feeds the 3 of us.  The idea isn't to have
a large steak each but instead to have a warming meaty and tomatoey spread concoction to put onto top of toast or mash potatoes or next to salad. By all means do more meat if you love meat and want to eat loads in one go.

Double the recipe and make for a dinner party of six along with a great big salad and a vegetable bake - serve with great wine and candles on the table :) or eat for breakfast the next morning with fried egg on toast. This slow roasted steak can be used in so many ways and is just begging for you to put in everything! - even a chunky salad or pasta. If you like spice add some chillies - you'll love it!

INGREDIENTS
Butter and lard/tallow (sheeps fat) or olive oil
1 x medium to large steak (roughly 500g - 700grams) bigger if you with
3 x large onions sliced
400 grams (2 punnets) of baby tomatoes (the redder and sweeter the better)

Salt
Pepper
Tiny piece of fresh chilli (optional)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 small pieces star anise
a pinch of cinnamon
a third of a teaspoon of fennel powder
a tiny pinch of ground cloves
a small fresh piece of ginger finely grated
3 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped or finely grated
4 - 8 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Half a cup of  good White wine (I used a chardonnay) or water

METHOD
Turn on the oven to preheat at 170 degrees celcius. Make sure you have a medium sized oven dish ready on the counter for your ingredients. 
In a frying pan heat the butter and sheeps tallow (sheeps fat/lard) or olive oil. (I use a combination of butter and tallow).
Once nice and hot but not smoking. Salt the steak and add to the pan. It should sizzle and brown nicely. Turn once it is golden to medium brown and brown the other side.
While the steak is browning peel and slice the onions. Cut the onions in half and the slice into strips/ half rounds of medium thickness as we don't want them to cook away into nothing when slowly cooking in the oven.
Once the steak is nicely browned place it in the oven dish and leave it on the counter ready to be nestled in the middle of the ingredients you are going to add to the dish.
In the warm pan add the onions and turn down the heat so the onions sweat a little in the butter/lard and steak juices.
Once the onions are lightly cooked add them to the steak in the dish. Make sure to get as much of the juices and lard out of the pan with the onions.
Slice your baby tomatoes in half or if they are really tiny prick with a knife. But cutting in half is better, you want all of the tomato juice to cook with the onions and steak.
Add the tomatoes to the dish.
Add all the herbs and spices to the dish, grate over the ginger and garlic and stir in a little.
Sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar. (leave the wine or water for later)
Place the dish in the center of the oven and leave to slowly cook for at least 45 minutes.
Check and rotate dish if browning to much on one side, carry on cooking for another 20 - 40 or more minutes checking every 15 minutes to make sure nothing is burning on the edges of the dish. Add the white white/ water when things are looking dry- the tomatoes and onions should be forming a thick sauce. Add as wine/water as you think will make the sauce loose but not pourable like juice more thick like a jam or chutney. Add wine or water ever 10 minutes if need be - I usually only add a glug or two once or twice near the end.

Once ready take out the oven and serve on crispy toast with a fried egg on top along with a salad.
Also great on mash or eaten straight out of the oven dish