Summery seared steak spaghetti
Serves: 4-5
Prep time: 15 minutes
This tasty little number is ideal as a lunch by itself, or dinner served with garlic bread (see tips below for a recipe) and a fresh green salad. It’s different – and a nice way of serving steak elegantly (well, elegant for a piece of meat). After all, steak doesn’t always have to be slapped on a plate next to vegetables and boiled potato.
Ingredients
500g Quality Mark sirloin steak (or use rump, eye fillet or scotch)
2 cups baby spinach or rocket
1 punnet ripe cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup basil pesto (see tips below)
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup torn basil leaves
½ cup parsley, finely chopped
½ cup feta, crumbled
To serve
Extra virgin olive oil
Cooked spaghetti
½ cup chopped chives, basil or microherbs
Splash of balsamic vinegar and grated Parmesan (optional)
Method
Pat the steaks dry, drizzle with a little oil and massage it in, and season with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan or BBQ grill over a high heat, then add the steaks and cook for a couple of minutes until the underside is brown and crunchy. Turn the steaks over and cook for another few minutes or until cooked to your liking. Set aside on a warmed plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5-6 minutes before slicing.
To serve, slice the steak thinly across the grain. Stir the steak, spinach, pesto, tomatoes, herbs, feta, and salt and pepper through the hot cooked pasta just before serving, along with a good splash of olive oil. If you like, add a splash of balsamic vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice to finish it off.
Top with another sprinkle of feta and the chives or microherbs. Lovely served with crunchy garlic bread for added texture, and a fresh green salad if you like.
Tips
- To make a chunky basil pesto, combine 2 cups basil leaves, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan and 1/3 cup olive oil together in a mortar & pestle or food processor until the consistency is to your liking. Add more oil if need be. Add fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
- Take covered steaks out of the fridge 20 minutes before frying, then pat them dry to help them caramelise better.
- The thicker the steak, the better. Sometimes it’s worth talking to your butcher and requesting a thick cut (over 2cm). You’ll need to cook it for longer, but try not to turn it more than once or twice. For thick cuts, turn the heat down to medium-low after both sides are browned so it doesn’t burn before it’s cooked through – for very thick cuts, finish in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Using a heavy base frying pan helps the steak caramelise as it holds the heat better.
- To make crunchy garlic bread, halve a loaf of ciabatta lenthways. Mix 75g softened butter with ¼ cup olive oil, 4 crushed garlic cloves, ½ cup finely chopped parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread half the butter on the top and half on the bottom of the bread. Wrap in foil and bake in a 210c oven for 15 minutes.
- Have a look in the herb section of your supermarket or specialty food store and see if you can find some microherbs or microgreens – they’re the baby shoot of different herbs and plants and packed with zingy flavour, perfect for garnishing meals.
