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Read MoreMoroccan Sirloin w/ Fig-Pistachio Butter
http://www.MelJoulwan.com/2013/01/27/sous-vide-moroccan-sirloin-w-fig-pistachio-butter/
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was invited to compete in the Sous Video Paleo Recipe Showdown, sponsored by SousVide Supreme and TX Bar Organics. The deadline for submitting our recipes has arrived, so I can finally share what I cooked up in my kitchen — and then you guys get to weigh in by voting in a Fan Favorites contest. Voting starts tomorrow (!), so I’ll be sharing details on that as soon as I get the green-light.
For now, here’s my recipe: Moroccan Sirloin with Fig-Pistachio Butter and Sweet Potato Home Fries. If you don’t own a Sous Vide Supreme, don’t despair! I’ll follow up shortly with an adaption of this recipe that you can make with a grill or oven. (But as Nom Nom Paleo can tell you, the Sous Vide Supreme is pretty sweet! And if you vote in the Fan Favorite contest, you have a chance to win a $200 gift certificate for your own Sous Vide Supreme.)
Moroccan Sirloin with Fig-Pistachio Butter and Sweet Potato Home Fries
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Sweet Potato Home Fries:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 tablespoon plus 1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
Moroccan Sirloin:
4 TX Bar Organics sirloin steaks
1 large clove garlic, cut into 4 pieces
2 teaspoons Ras el Hanout (see below)
2 teaspoons clarified butter (ghee)
Fig-Pistachio Butter:
1/4 cup clarified butter (ghee)
2 dried figs, finely minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon finely chopped pistachios
1 clove garlic, crushed (about 1 teaspoon)
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1
Prep and cook the sweet potatoes. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 183F/84C. Put the potatoes into a cooking pouch in a single layer and vacuum seal. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for 90 minutes. When the sweet potatoes are finished in the bath, remove the pouch from the water, open the pouch, drain the liquid, and set potatoes aside until ready to use.
2
Cook the steak. Reduce the heat of the SousVide Supreme to your preferred degree of doneness for the steak (120F/49C rare; 134F/56.5C medium rare; 140F/60C medium; 150F/65.5C medium well).
3
Rub each steak with the cut side of a piece of garlic, then sprinkle Ras el Hanout onto the surface and pat gently to coat the outside of the steak with the spice blend. Dot the top of each steak with 1/2 teaspoon clarified butter and place each steak in a small vacuum pouch. Submerge the pouches in the water oven and cook for 1 hour (or up to 4 hours.)
4
Make the fig-pistachio butter. About 5 minutes before the steaks are finished, place the clarified butter in a small saucepan and melt over low heat. Add the minced fig, pistachios, and garlic; stir to combine and keep warm until ready to serve.
5
When the steaks are finished cooking, remove them from the water oven, then remove the steaks from their pouches. Pat the steaks dry, then cover with an aluminum foil tent while cooking the sweet potato home fries.
6
Make the home fries. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Add coconut oil and allow it to melt. Add the diced onion to the pan and sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Cook until nicely browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add the paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper; stir to combine.
7
Add an additional 1 tablespoon coconut oil to the skillet, then add the sweet potato cubes, shaking the skillet to make an even, single layer. Cook the potatoes without stirring until the cubes are brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes, then carefully flip the potatoes with a large spatula and make another single layer. Repeat this process until the potatoes are browned on most sides, another 5-10 minutes. Remove to a serving dish and toss with minced parsley.
8
Sear the steaks. Re-heat the same skillet until it’s very hot, and sear the steaks for 30 seconds per side to brown and caramelize the surface. Slice and drizzle with the fig-pistachio butter and serve alongside the sweet potato home fries.
Ras el Hanout
Ras el Hanout is a spice blend from the Middle East and North Africa. Spice market vendors all claim their version to be the best, and some people consider the seductive blend of spices to be an aphrodisiac. At the very least, any food in which you include Ras el Hanout will inspire diners to kiss the cook, so you’ve got that goin’ for you. You can buy Ras el Hanout at most good spice shops, or you can make your own, which is much more fun.
Makes 2 table spoons
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions:
1
Measure all of the spices into a medium bowl and mix with a fork until combined. Close your eyes, take a deep inhale through your nose, and imagine a market in Morocco. Store in an airtight container.
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March
05
Posted by
Mmmmm. Moroccan Meatballs
Morocco has long been on my list of must-visit countries. Twisty alleys, markets crowded with vendors, scampering trained monkeys... I need to see it all. ...
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Beautiful and creative.
The burning question … Should I save my money for a sous vide? I’ve been able to tame the temptation with only NomNomPaleo posting recipes, but if your start posting too … Might just kill me.
That’s a tough one for me to answer… on one hand, the steak was cooked perfectly. And if I was cooking for more than 2 people, I would definitely consider a sous vide because you can cook many steaks at once and get them that perfectly cooked.
The down side for me is that I don’t have a lot of counter space, and the idea of an appliance I have to haul out and put away is annoying. I know I wouldn’t use it if it didn’t have a permanent countertop home.
Also in the plus column, with practice, I think there are lots of ways to use it beyond cooking meat. The sweet potatoes were just a start. I saw chefs on a TV show the other day cooking peaches for a dessert. YUM!
So… if you’re into cooking tools, I think it could be a good investment.
Cool!…I recently posted a Ras El Hanout blend aswell! 🙂
(http://strictlypaleoish.wordpress.com/2012/12/09/ras-el-hanout/)
Love your picture of it, and the dish both sounds and looks great!!
Best regards
// Peter
I love Ras el Hanout. It’s definitely one of the most popular spice blends in my cookbook.
Awesome! 🙂
Btw, your book is on my wish/will buy list 🙂
You are my hero! Can’t wait for the non-sous vide versions.
Hopefully coming soon!
I just licked my screen.
I love your recipe for Ras el Hanout. I just made another batch of it this weekend and added it to chicken meatballs. I’m having them for breakfast every morning with sweet potato coconut curry soup – so, so yummy.
Oh My! This looks and sounds so delicious.
My mouth is watering. Make it for me please. Love you! Mom
Thanks, Mom! We’ll definitely have to make it next time we’re grilling together. LOVE YOU!
Holy wow, that looks good. I don’t have a sous vide, but I’m making this some other way this week! Also, I love that your mom comments on your blog posts. So sweet!
My mom is pretty awesome, for sure.
Steak is always pretty fantastic, but I’m gonna say the part of this post most useful to me is that spice blend. Do you keep it on hand or mix as you need it? If the former, how long does it keep?
It keeps for months… just mix it up and store it in an air-tight jar. My standard recipe is double the one listed in this blog post — I make a big batch and throw it into veggies, meat, meatballs, etc. It’s used in Morocco as a tableside spice, instead of salt. You can’t go wrong sprinkling it on stuff.
fig-pistachio butter? can you say fancy schmancy? LOVE.
Yep. Pretty doggoned tasty looking. Never heard of this cooking gadget and sure don’t need to lose valuable counter space either. What’s the principle behind this thing? Strike that. I can google. I can also cook this tasty feast without it I reckon. Can we start voting yet?
I made the sweet potato home fries for dinner tonight — awesome! I was very lucky to get a sous vide for Christmas and everything I’ve tried has been great, but had just done meat until today, so thanks for that. Did you possibly experiment with your jicama home fries this way?
I didn’t try the jicama, but I bet it would work great! Let me know if you give it a go!
This was amazing!!! I do not have a Sous Vide but thought I would try it the old fashion way.
I cooked the potatoes in the oven at 400 for about 30 minutes than added them to a wok with the cooked onions. The steak I cooked on the stove in a fry pan with ghee.
This one is dangerously good. You may end up eating more than your body can handle. By far one of the best recipes I have found in quite some time.
Hi there. I just ran across your blog and saw this recipe! Oh my gosh I cannot wait to give it a try. My mouth is already watering and I haven’t even started my shopping list for ingredients yet. Thank you for sharing it. Have a great day 🙂
Sweet potatoes, massively underrated. Prefect recipe for the hungry hordes coming over tomorrow.
I just tried to eat my phone… Ok Spoiler alert, my husband said I can’t eat my iphone, but if I do, he’s not buying me another! ( never mind about getting me to the hospital because this was a fabulous meal! )
Oh. My. I made this for dinner yesterday, and it was DELICIOUS. Grilled the steaks, parbaked the potatoes and then did the rest of the recipe as written. I could drink that butter sauce. But I didn’t. I swear.
I’m so glad you guys like this recipe! It was an interesting challenge to create a recipe for the competition, and I’m excited with how it came out. Butter sauce is my new favorite thing. Even a teaspoon of melted ghee on meat makes a world of difference, especially with grass-fed because it’s so lean.
I just made this on my grill and it came out amazing..love all your recipes..they are a weekly staple that i look forward to. love your moroccan meatballs too!
Just made this for dinner and it was sooooo delicious! My husband said, “Meals like this make it hard to appreciate restaurant food.” The best part is, we still have half the steak left, just waiting to be seared for another super tasty dinner! Will you be posting more sous vide recipes? I hope so!