Cashew and Peppered Beef Grilling Steak Salad on Bed of Endive

Canada Beef was a proud partner of Food & Drink’s 30th Anniversary Event where guests enjoyed this recipe, adapted from the original created by Marilyn Bentz-Crowley for the Autumn 2006 issue of Food & Drink magazine. This meaty medley is a terrific starter, or in larger portions can be a light entrée. Serve with epi, the very decorative form of baguette that is so easy to pull apart.
Yield 8 Servings Prep. Time 20 min Cooking Time 16 min Total Time ??? min

Ingredients

Here are the following ingredients:

  • 1 eggplant (unpeeled)
  • 1 onion
  • 1 large sweet red pepper
  • 2 zucchini
  • ⅓ (75 mL) olive oil
  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) red or white wine vinegar
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp (10 mL) finely chopped fresh thyme leaves (or ¼ tsp/1 mL dried)
  • ¼ tsp (1 mL) hot pepper flakes
  • Salt
  • 1½ lbs (750 g) Beef Strip Loin Grilling Steaks, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick (2 steaks)
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • 1 head radicchio
  • 1 large Belgian endive
  • 1½ cups (375 mL) roasted salted cashew pieces

Shopping List

Here are the following shopping items to buy:

Directions

Follow these cooking methods/directions: 1. Cut eggplant and onion into ½-inch (1 cm) thick slices. Cut sweet pepper in half and trim out seeds and core. Cut zucchini lengthwise into ¼-inch (5 mm) thick slices. Whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, mustard, thyme, hot pepper flakes and ½ tsp (2 mL) salt in a small bowl. Set aside. 2. Lightly brush vegetables all over with some of the oil mixture; pour remaining oil mixture into a large bowl and set aside. 3. Grill vegetables in a closed preheated barbecue over medium-high heat (400°F/200°C) for 5 to 10 minutes, turning, until softened and tinged with brown. Transfer to a plate as they are cooked. Let cool. 4. Meanwhile, trim most of fat from edges of steaks; discard. Pat steaks dry with paper towel. Season all over with salt and pepper to your taste. Grill steaks in a closed preheated barbecue over medium-high heat (400°F/200°C) for 6 to 8 minutes, turning twice or more, for medium-rare 145°F (63°C) at the least. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. 5. Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces; add to reserved oil mixture in large bowl. Cut steaks across the grain into ¼-inch (5 mm) thick slices; add to vegetables and toss to coat. 6. Decoratively line serving platter or individual plates with radicchio and endive leaves. Stir half of the cashews into salad. Heap salad onto radicchio and endive leaves and garnish with remaining cashews.