Roast Beef Salad with Couscous and Mushrooms
A rare roast beef salad recipe with a base of couscous and portobello mushrooms. The tasty couscous is infused with red wine, fresh mint, garlic and herbs.
Ingredients
| 400g | rare roast beef |
| olive oil | |
| Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| For the couscous: | |
| 700ml | white chicken stock |
| 200ml | olive oil, plus a little extra |
| 50g | unsalted butter |
| 150g | shallots, finely sliced |
| 150g | Spanish onion, finely sliced |
| 3 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 3 | bay leaves |
| ½ tsp | chopped rosemary |
| 1 tsp | chopped thyme |
| 500g | Israeli couscous |
| 150ml | red wine |
| 4 | mint sprigs, tied in muslin |
| 12 | mint leaves, cut into fine strips |
| For the portobello mushrooms: | |
| 150ml | olive oil |
| 8 | caps of Portobello mushrooms, cut in quarters |
| 3 | garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 2 tsp | chopped thyme leaves |
| 150ml | balsamic vinegar |
| A handful | of parsley, roughly chopped |
Method
Slice the beef and cut it into strips. Drizzle the strips with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
Bring the stock for the couscous to a simmer. Heat the olive oil and butter in a separate pan and cook the shallots, onion, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme. Cook until the onions are semisoft, then season and add the couscous. Cook for 2-3 minutes, add the red wine and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by two-thirds. Add the muslin bag of mint and the simmering stock, a little at a time, and cook for 10-15 minutes until the couscous is tender. Add the strips of fresh mint and a little extra olive oil, then check the seasoning.
To prepare the mushrooms, heat half the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add half the mushrooms, season well and cook them for 2-3 minutes. Add half the garlic and thyme leaves, then deglaze the pan with half the balsamic vinegar. Turn the mushrooms into a bowl and keep them warm while you cook the rest in the same way. Add the chopped parsley.
Place the couscous in a serving dish and put the beef on top. Add the mushrooms and their cooking juices, then serve.
