Friday, November 18, 2011

PENNE PASTA SALAD WITH STEAK AND BALSAMIC HERB DRESSING



This is a great dish. It should make everyone in the family happy. Steak lovers, pasta lovers, and salad lovers, or if you are Ron, a whole lot of love all on one platter.

I used flat iron steak but any kind of steak would work. A nicely marbled rib eye would really taste good in this recipe.



Penne Rigate Pasta Salad with Rib Eyes Steak and Balsamic Herb Dressing:

1 (1-pound) Boneless Rib Eye steak or steak of your choice

Steak seasoning (your favorite brand)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound penne pasta, or your favorite pasta
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups salad greens/spring mix


Season the steak with steak seasoning.  In a cast iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium high heat. Cook steak about 5 minutes per side until rare to medium rare  Remove the meat from pan and let it rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, follow instructions on package. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.

On the chopping board, add the 1/2 teaspoon salt with the garlic.  Smash the garlic into paste with the back of your knife.  In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic paste, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, fresh herbs, and olive oil until well combined. 

In a large mixing bowl toss the pasta, the reserved pasta water, the dressing and the salad greens together.  Taste the pasta and see if it needs more salt and black pepper.

 Arrange dressed pasta salad on plates and arrange steaks on top.  (You can also toss the steaks together with the pasta before arranging on plates if you like).


Recipe from uTry.it.com




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