Steak and Couscous Salad

One surefire way to make everyone happy at dinnertime in my house is to serve steak. It actually makes most of my guests happy as well. Obviously it's amazing to just eat steak on its own but I love serving it as part of a salad. The ideal one dish meal.

Pearled couscous cooks in 10 minutes and holds up well when combined with sauteed veggies so it's a great warm pasta salad to use as a base. I used sauteed corn and zucchini in this dish but lots of veggie combos would work with couscous.

Cooking steak, particularly for company, used to intimidate me because it seemed like a bit of a guessing game. But there's definitely a formula for getting it right every time. A hot oven, hot cast iron pan and probe thermometer are the key ingredients for perfect steak.

Season well, sear till it has a brown crust, finish it in the oven to the temperature you like best (no guessing!), top it with a bit of butter - trust me on this - and let it rest before slicing. Incredible steak every time and a delicious steak dinner. Enjoy!

Yield: 4 Servings

Author: Anita Schecter

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Steak and Couscous Salad

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Recipe for sliced strip steaks on a bed of couscous, corn and zucchini salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 Strip steaks
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 Cup pearled couscous
• 1 1/4 Cups water
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 Cup corn kernels
• 2 Zucchini, diced

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees and heat a cast iron skillet on the stovetop.
2. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. Place in the hot cast iron pan and cook on medium high heat until you can start to see a darkened line rising up from the bottom of each steak. Flip and continue cooking for another few minutes until both sides have a nice crust. Place the pan in the oven and cook for an additional few minutes until the steaks reach your desired doneness.
3. Note that 145 degrees will give you a nice pink centered medium steak. Pull the steak at 150 degrees for medium well and 160 degrees for well done. Place one tablespoon of the butter on each steak and let rest for about 5 to 10 minutes.
4. While the steaks are cooking, add one tablespoon of the olive oil to a large skillet and saute the corn until it begins to color. Remove to a separate place, add the additional tablespoon of olive oil and the diced zucchini. Saute for a few minutes until softened. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the pearled couscous, water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and toss with the sauteed corn and zucchini.
6. When the steaks have rested, slice and serve on top of the couscous.

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This recipe is sponsored by the NY Beef Council. Thank you for supporting the products I love and use in my kitchen.