Beef & Grain Salad Recipe
- Servings: 4
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
This salad ticks all the boxes, it’s nutritious, filling and extremely tasty – an ideal summer meal.
Tip: Before slicing your cooked sirloin steaks, make sure they are well rested. This is important for tender, juicy steak. Remove from the barbecue grill and cover loosely with foil or baking paper and a clean tea towel. Set aside for 5-10 minutes before slicing across the grain.
Ingredients:
For the Beef:
- 3 New Zealand grass-fed sirloin steaks (about 7 oz each and ¾-inch thick) (Tip: look for the Taste Pure Nature Logo)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Grain Salad:
- ½ cup white quinoa, very well rinsed
- ½ cup Israeli couscous
- 2 corn cobs, husks and silks removed
- 4 small zucchinis, sliced into ribbons
- 1-2 handfuls baby spinach leaves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
For the Arugula Aioli:
- 1 handful of arugula or rocket leaves
- 1 small clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup olive oil
To Serve:
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, white or black, toasted
- ¼ cup picked mint leaves, finely shredded
- ¼ cup walnuts or pine nuts, toasted, optional
- Arugula aioli
Directions:
For the Grain Salad:
- 1. Place rinsed quinoa in small heavy-based saucepan with ¾ cup cold water. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer quinoa until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- 2. Place Israeli couscous into a saucepan of boiling salted water, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until soft but still retains some bite. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set both aside.
- 3. Heat barbecue grill until hot.
- 4. Rub corn cobs with a dash of oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the hot grill and cook for 15 minutes, turning regularly. Set aside to cool a little, then stand cob on one end and using a sharp knife cut down to remove kernels.
For the Dressing:
- 5. In a small bowl, add all ingredients and whisk.
For the Arugula Aioli:
- 6. Place a handful of arugula leaves in a small food processor and roughly chop.
- 7. Add garlic, lemon juice, and egg yolk. Roughly chop until combined.
- 8. Slowly drizzle olive oil through the feed tube until the aioli is creamy
- 9. Season and place in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate.
For the Beef:
- 10. Rub steaks with a little oil, season with salt and pepper and place on a hot barbecue grill. Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Remove from grill, cover and set aside to rest.
To Serve:
- 11. Place cooked quinoa and Israeli couscous in a large bowl, and using a fork, mix in the corn kernels, zucchini and spinach leaves.
- 12. Pour dressing over the top, toss gently and place on a serving plate.
- 13. Slice sirloin steak and place on top of the grain salad and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, shredded mint, arugula aioli and nuts (if using).