Steak with grilled vegetables and cumin yoghurt

I’m always looking for lighter ways to eat beef. People love to serve it with a substantial side and sauce, but sometimes it’s just not what you feel like eating. Steak takes beautifully to grilled vegetables and yoghurt.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 x 200 g (7oz) sirloin steaks
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• olive oil
• 4 Turkish green peppers or 2 normal green peppers
• 1 egglplant (aubergine), cut into 1 cm (½ inch) slices
• 4 small zucchini (courgettes), cut into ½ cm (¼ inch) slices
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• red wine vinegar, to taste
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2¼ tbsp Emma’s cumin spice blend (see below)

Yoghurt dressing

• ¼ garlic clove
• 1 tsp (heaped) cumin seeds, toasted
• 4½ tbsp Greek-style yoghurt, plus extra for serving

Emma’s cumin spice blend

• 2 parts toasted coarsely ground cumin seeds
• 1 part dried chilli flakes
• 1 part black pepper
• sea salt, to taste

Marinating time 20 minutes

Resting time 1 hour

Instructions

Place the steak in a bowl and toss with the dried oregano and a good glug of olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a chargrill pan or barbecue until searingly hot. Grill the peppers until the skin is charred and the flesh soft, then transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave to sweat.

Sprinkle the eggplant and zucchini slices with salt, then grill on both sides until char marks appear and the vegetables are cooked through. Transfer to a bowl (but keep the pan or barbecue hot).

Peel the peppers and discard the skin and seeds. Combine with the rest of the vegetables and the tomatoes. Add a splash of the vinegar, toss, then add a drizzle of oil and season.

For the yoghurt dressing, using a pestle and mortar, bash the garlic into a paste with a pinch of salt. Add the cumin seeds, bash a couple of times to slightly crush them, and then stir in the yoghurt and a little water. Stir until you have the consistency of double cream.

For the spice blend, combine the spices together and store in an airtight container. (Use as a dry dip for meat (especially lamb); a seasoning for yoghurt (add a crushed garlic clove and a squeeze of lemon); a sprinkle seasoning for cooking meat.)

Season the steak and grill for 2–3 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate to rest for a few minutes. Serve with the grilled vegetables, a good drizzle of yoghurt and Emma’s cumin spice blend for extra pep.

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20°C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55–60 g, unless specified.


 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.