Cumin, pepper and salt are made to be together*. Add a bit of beef and you've got a delectable foursome. I'm leaving myself open to dodgy food innuendo, but it really is a winning flavour combination.
Steak can be thrifty if you buy in bulk, choose cheaper cuts, freeze what you don't need and add just a little to each meal. Think of it as a flavoursome accompaniment, not the main event. Your digestive tract and wallet will thank you.
This salad relies on fresh, ripe ingredients. Green leaves should be used soon after they are picked and stored in a plastic bag in a crisper if possible. Tomatoes should be deep red, but not soggy. Never store them in a fridge - which causes them to harden and become grainy as the cells produce their own natural anti-freeze. Leave them on a window sill in the sun if you buy them a little pale - this will encourage softening and help the flavour to develop. If they get a over-ripe, cut off any bad bits and they'll be perfect for cooking into pasta sauce.
The combination of meat, fetta, pulses and vegetables in this salad makes for a satisfying, inexpensive meal - and nutritious to boot.
150g cheap steak
(sirloin, rump, round, t-bone or porterhouse - whatever you can get for under $10 a kilo without too much collagen - white, rubbery hard threads through the meat - not to be confused with fat which is fantastic for frying)
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp peppercorns
200g or 1/2 tin butter beans
(the other half will freeze well until you use it)**
100g danish fetta, cut into small cubes
2 ripe tomatoes, cut into even chunks
1 small onion, sliced thinly
100g baby rocket or mixed salad leaves
small handful mint leaves, optional
(only bother if you've got it in your garden)
olive oil, cider vinegar, salt
Coat steak in a liberal amount of salt. Pile it on, rub it in and leave it for an hour or so in the fridge. Meanwhile, toast peppercorns and cumin in a small frypan on medium for a few minutes, or until the cumin starts to pop a bit (but take off heat before it burns). Crush in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. It doesn't have to be homogenous, cumin is hard to pound completely into dust, this is fine.
Rinse steak with warm water, pat dry with paper towels, and rub in spice mix and 1 tbsp olive oil. Heat a griddle pan (cast iron is best), barbecue grill or your George Foreman special to the highest setting. Fry meat for 1-3 minutes each side, depending on how cooked you like it. Remove and cover with foil.
Mix 1 tbsp olive oil with 2 tsp cider vinegar and meat juices from the griddle pan in a bowl. Add onion, butter beans, fetta, tomatoes, salad greens and mint (if using) and toss to combine. Split between 2 plates.
Slice beef into thick slices, add on top of salad. Voila, done.
Serves 2, best eaten immediately.
*Adding 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 cup almonds or pistachio nuts to spice mix before toasting and grinding gives you dukkah. This is a middle eastern/north african condiment which makes a delicious crust coating for meat and fish and an excellent companion to bread and olive oil as a snack. The addition of a teaspoon each of other spice seeds, like fennel and coriander also works well.
**Tinned beans are cheap and simple additions to a meal. Dried pulses, however, are the ultimate in food economy. Take half a cup of dried butter beans, chickpeas, what have you, soak them overnight, then simmer them for 15 minutes in some stock or water. Drain, mix with a little olive oil, salt, pepper you've paid maybe 30 cents for a filling addition to so many tasty dishes.
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