Spiced Beef & Pickled Cucumber Mint Salad with Beetroot Hummus

Method

1. 1. To make the za’atar, toast the sesame and cumin seeds in a dry pan over a medium high heat for about 2 minutes until the sesame seeds turn golden brown. Place the toasted seeds in a pestle and mortar along with the ground sumac, salt and oregano leaves. Grind to a rough powder. Pat the steaks dry with kitchen roll and press the za’atar on to both sides of the steaks, using your hands. If you have time, cover with foil or cling film and leave at room temperature for 2-3 hours to allow the flavours to infuse.
2. 2. For the beetroot hummus, Blitz all the ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Season with sea salt and black pepper and add a little more lemon juice to taste if required. Spoon into a bowl, then cover with cling film and chill until needed.
3. 3. To make the cucumber salad, place each cucumber on a chopping board and using a swivel vegetable peeler pare into long thin ribbons. Place the vinegar in a bowl and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Add the cucumber ribbons with the onion and toss to coat. Cover with cling film and for at least 10 minutes, or up to 8 hours in the fridge is fine.
4. 4. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. Add the steaks and cook for 2 minutes on each side, then reduce the heat, add half the butter and cook the steaks for 5-10 minutes, turning once, depending on how rare you like it. Transfer the steaks to a plate, season with salt and set aside in a warm place to rest before carving into thin slices.
5. 5. To serve, drain off any excess liquid from the cucumber salad, then tear the mint into small pieces and fold in with the toasted sesame seeds. Arrange on plates with the slices of beef and a large dollop of the beetroot hummus drizzled with a little extra pomegranate molasses.

• Autumn
• Winter
• Main Meals
• Hummus
• Za’atar
• sirloin steaks
• pomegranate molasses
• Middle Eastern

Ingredients

• US
• METRIC

You'll Need