Seared Strip Steak with Lemony Couscous Tabbouleh

I don't really have a whole lot to say on this one. Make sure most of the herbs are fresh. They're going to form the base of the dish and function much like a salad. I'm pulling it from Fine Cooking again, but they don't have it reproduced on the website. So here we go.

Menu:
Seared Strip Steak with Lemony Couscous Tabbouleh
Mushroom Soup
1/2 banana
5 oz. Madeira

Ingredients:
6 Tbls. Couscous
6 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Kosher Salt
2 New York Strip Steaks (1-1 1/2 lbs.), about 1 inch thick
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tsp. Ground Cumin
1 1/2 Tsp. Chopped fresh thyme
3 Tbls. Chopped fresh mint
3 ripe plum tomatoes (aka: Roma tomatoes), cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 c. Loosely packed chopped fresh Italian parsley (about 2 bunches)
4 Scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced (about 1/2 c.)
2 Tbls. Fresh lemon juice (more if you need it)
Warmed Pita Bread, cut into wedges

How to:
1) Turn the oven to 400 degrees. Boil 1/2 c. water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it's boiling, remove it from the heat and add the Couscous with 1 Tbls. EVOO and 1/4 Tsp. Kosher salt. This will give the couscous some flavor of it's own. Cover the saucepan and let it sit for 5 minutes. Once the time is up, fluff the couscous with a fork and transfer it to a plate to cool. Spreading it out will help it to cool faster.

2) During the 5 minutes before fluffing the couscous, start seasoning the steaks with 1 1/2 Tsp. of kosher salt and some freshly ground pepper.

3) Use a small mixing bowl to mix the cumin, thyme and 1 Tbls of mint. Rub that into the steaks on all sides.

4) Use a large bowl and add the tomatoes, 1 Tsp. kosher salt, and some freshly ground pepper. Now add the couscous, parsley, scallions, and 1 Tbls. mint to this mix and toss it well.

5) In a separate small mixing bowl, use a whisk to combine the lemon juice and 3 Tbls. EVOO. Add this to the couscous/tomato mixture and toss the whole thing thoroughly. Taste it to make sure you like it and add any lemon juice, salt, or pepper you think it needs.

6) Put a skillet big enough for both steaks over medium-high heat. Make sure it's oven-proof. This whole contraption is going to go in that 400 degree oven eventually. Once the pan is nice and hot, and I mean water-immediately-evaporates-when-sprinkled hot, add the last 2 Tbls. EVOO and the 2 strip steaks. We're just going to sear them here so they only get two minutes per side. We'll finish them in the oven.

7) Move the skillet to the oven for another 5 minutes to finish. This will give you a nice medium-rare. Add another couple minutes if you want them more cooked. Pull them out and transfer the steaks to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.

8) Warm the pita bread while you slice the steaks into thin strips. Sprinkle the meat with the remaining mint and serve over the tabbouleh. I put the warmed pita bread on the side but you could arrange it around the bowl if you want.

I really enjoyed this one. The entire meal hung together pretty well. This particular dish tasted light thanks to the lemon and mint. I got away with steaks 2 inches thick and still had a nice medium rare. You really do want to splurge on the higher quality meat here. It's featured on the platter and it will make or break the dish. It also has the benefit of taking care of most of the requirements for a meal. If you're using 1 lb. of meat, I'd say it serves four. 1 1/2 lbs. split it to serve six and add the pita bread accordingly. Generally, 1 piece of pita bread will be 2 starch servings.

Tools:
Whisk
Ovenproof skillet/saute pan
mixing bowls
small sauce pan with lid

Health Info:
4 Meat Servings
3 Starch servings
1 Fat serving
1 Veggie serving

::Malloreth out::