In general, I find meat boring. I don't enjoy the taste, and that, together with the environmental impact and the cost, leads me to not prioritise it in my thinking. However, I keep making meals with meat as a way of pleasing my husband. And thankfully, over the years we've been married I've learned to cook meat in ways that both of us find interesting.
This salad makes us both very happy. Raw spinach is my favourite food and steak is his. The steak is crusted in a mixture of coffee grounds, chilli powder, smokey paprika, and cumin. The cooking time is short and so this made a fast weeknight dinner. It uses a single steak and made enough for three salads (his, hers, and one lunch).
Coffee and Chilli Steak Salad
adapted from Shape magazine
makes 3 salads
450 g flank steak or skirt steak
2 T decaf coffee grinds (from 2 Nespresso pods, for example)
1 t hot chilli powder or 2 t regular chilli powder
1 t smoked paprika
1 t cumin
salad ingredients of your choice
salad dressing ingredients of your choice
Take the steak out of the fridge and remove any packaging.
Mix the coffee, chilli powder, paprika, and cumin in a wide bowl. Toss the steak with the topping and let rest in the bowl. The steak needs 20 minutes out of the fridge before cooking for the best texture.
Prepare the salads. I suggest spinach, romaine lettuce, red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, and cucumbers.
Prepare the salad dressing. I suggest olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Simple is better with the bold steak.
Heat a small frying pan with a little oil until it is very hot and the oil shimmering.
Add the steak and cook for 5 minutes on each side.
Remove the steak to a plate or cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.
Slice the steak against the grain and serve over the salads. Top with the dressing.
Are you a people pleaser?
Connect with Simply Cooked on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/SimplyCooked
