One of my favourite things about Palestinian cooking is the amazing way that we flavour, spice and marinade meats. Fragrant, deep, sometimes sweet nearly always with both paprika and cinnamon it tastes beautifully complex and so utterly delicious. And this is exactly how we prepare the meat in this salad. I know, it’s not really a salad is it? I think we have always called is a salad because once we griddle the component parts, we toss them all together and then put it on the table for everyone to help themselves just like a salad. We eat a lot like this when its warm in the summer (you will have read recently how I go on cooking strike if the mercury goes over 25c!), when you don’t want a heavy meal but want more than just a cold salad.
I serve this with crushed avocado, which I love. It’s so important when you are buying your avocadoes not to get them from Israel. Look at the boxes, labels or ask the grocer where they are from. Most of the ones you see in the supermarkets are from Israel so do check. You normally also get options form Chile or SA (which of course have a climate consideration!) The individual consumer boycott is very important to me and is an easy way for all of us to say ‘no, Israel, I don’t agree with your policies and I won’t be giving you my money’.
ingredients
hot salad
4 minute steaks
10 baby courgettes, halved length-ways
4 plum on-the-vine-tomatoes, quartered length-ways
Extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
crushed avocado
2 avocadoes, spooned out of the skin and crushed
6 baby plum tomatoes, quartered
Handful of coriander, chunky chop
Juice of 1 lime
salt
method
marinade the steaks in the oil and spices and leave in the fridge for a few hours or over night
mix all the crushed avocado ingredients together
griddle the courgettes, tomatoes and steaks one after the other and mix together on a serving dish
serve the hot salad on the table with the crushed avocado and a green salad with lots of radish (the peppery flavour is great with the steak) so everyone can help themselves.
The Olive Tree Kitchen 