Name: Moroccan Steak Salad with Fig & Pistachio Dressing
Ingredients: sirloin steaks; ghee; salt; ground cumin; powdered ginger; green bell pepper; seedless cucumber; navel orange; cilantro leaves; red onion; balsamic vinegar; ghee; shelled pistachios; dried figs; butter lettuce; garlic; ground cinnamon; ground coriander; ground black pepper; ground allspice; ground cloves

Melissa Joulwan

Moroccan Steak Salad with Fig & Pistachio Dressing

Rock the Casbah, Rock the Casbah

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy
Serves
2–4

Appears in

Well Fed Weeknights

By Melissa Joulwan

Published 2016

About

This salad is as pleasing as a major chord, with its slinky dressing—studded with figs and pistachios—and the harmony of orange, cilantro, and red bell pepper. The spice blend on the steak is based on one of the most popular spice blends from my previous cookbooks. Called ras el hanout, it’s practically a magic powder, giving everything it touches a seductive spiciness. If you have a commercial blend or homemade ras el hanout on hand, you can use 1 to 1½ teaspoons in place of the spice blend listed here.

Total time: 30–35 minutes

Ingredients

Sirloin

2 teaspoons ghee
4 small sirloin steaks, 4–6 ounces each

Spice Blend

1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground coriander
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
pinch ground cloves

Fig & Pistachio Dressing

3 tablespoons ghee
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 dried figs
2 tablespoons shelled pistachios
1 clove garlic

Salad

2 heads butter lettuce
a handful cilantro leaves
½ medium red onion
1 large seedless cucumber
1 medium green bell pepper
1 large navel orange

Tools

nothing special

Method

Cook the steak

Warm the ghee in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, 2 minutes. While it heats, make the spice blend by combining all the spices in a small bowl. Rub the steaks with the spice blend, and place them in the skillet. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook 5–10 minutes for medium doneness.

Make the dressing

While the steak cooks, place the ghee and balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat. Dice the figs, chop the pistachios, and peel and crush the garlic, adding each to the saucepan as you go.

Prep the salad

Wash and tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Coarsely chop the cilantro. Thinly slice the red onion, cucumber, and bell pepper. Peel the orange and divide it into segments.

To serve

Divide the veggies and orange among individual serving plates. Slice the steak crosswise and place the slices on each bed of greens, then drizzle with the hot dressing.