Fifteen ingredients and forty-five minutes, most of it chopping.
The bowl has a warm half and a cold half. The couscous and steak are cooked; the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, feta and dill sauce stay cold until the moment they meet.
Ingredient Notes
- Couscous
- One and a quarter cups dry. It is the fine pale grain under everything.
- Plain Greek yogurt with dill
- A cup of yogurt with two tablespoons of dill, lemon juice and one grated garlic clove. It is kept cold until it goes on.
- Crumbled feta
- Three quarters of a cup, scattered over each bowl.
- Yellow bell pepper
- One, cut into strips and briefly charred - the only cooked vegetable in the bowl.
What Is Cooked, and What Stays Cold
This bowl holds two temperatures on purpose. For safety, the steak is cooked to AT LEAST 145°F, while the YOGURT SAUCE, FETA AND CUT VEGETABLES are kept AT 40°F OR BELOW UNTIL ASSEMBLY.
On the heat
- Package timing
1 1/4 cups COUSCOUS prepared with 1 1/2 cups WATER OR LOW-SODIUM BROTH, FLUFFED AND COOLED SLIGHTLY so it doesn't wilt what goes on top.
- To 145°F, then 3 minutes
1 1/4 lb SIRLOIN, seasoned with salt and 1/2 tsp PEPPER, SEARED OR GRILLED OVER HIGH HEAT in 1 tbsp OLIVE OIL, RESTED 3 MINUTES and SLICED ACROSS THE GRAIN.
- Briefly
1 YELLOW BELL PEPPER in strips, CHARRED BRIEFLY. The one vegetable that sees heat.
In the fridge
- Made first
1 cup PLAIN GREEK YOGURT with 2 tbsp CHOPPED DILL, 1 tbsp LEMON JUICE, 1 GRATED GARLIC CLOVE and a pinch of salt, stirred into A THICK DILL YOGURT SAUCE and REFRIGERATED.
- Kept fresh
1 cup HALVED CHERRY TOMATOES, 1 small sliced CUCUMBER, 1/3 small RED ONION thinly sliced, and 3/4 cup CRUMBLED FETA, all held cold.
The bowl
Couscous first, then the sliced steak, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, charred pepper and feta, with SPOONFULS OF DILL YOGURT SAUCE and more dill. MEDITERRANEAN in the name is A STYLE DESCRIPTOR only.
How to Make It
Couscous soaked in water or broth, fluffed and cooled slightly
Prepare the couscous with the water or broth according to the package timing, then fluff it and let it cool slightly.
Yogurt, dill, lemon and garlic stirred thick and chilled
Stir the yogurt, dill, lemon juice, garlic and a pinch of salt into a thick dill yogurt sauce and keep it refrigerated until assembly.
Steak seared or grilled to 145°F, rested, sliced
Season the steak with salt and pepper. Sear or grill over high heat until it reaches at least 145°F, then rest 3 minutes and slice across the grain.
Yellow pepper charred; tomato, cucumber and onion kept fresh
Char the yellow pepper briefly, keeping the tomato, cucumber and red onion fresh.
Couscous topped with steak, vegetables, feta and dill sauce
Divide the couscous among bowls and top with the steak, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, yellow pepper, feta and spoonfuls of the dill yogurt sauce. Finish with dill.
Why This Recipe Works
- Couscous only needs soaking in hot liquid, so the grain is ready while the steak cooks.
- Letting the couscous cool slightly keeps it from wilting the fresh vegetables.
- A thick yogurt sauce with dill, lemon and garlic sits on the bowl in spoonfuls rather than soaking in.
- Charring only the yellow pepper gives one smoky note among the raw crunch.
- Resting before slicing keeps the steak juices in the meat instead of the couscous.
Success Tips
- Fluff the couscous with a fork, not a spoon, so the grains stay separate.
- Slice the cucumber and onion thin enough to eat in one bite with the steak.
- Make the yogurt sauce first so it has time to thicken in the fridge.
Serving Ideas
Four bowls of couscous under sliced grill-marked steak, halved cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and charred yellow pepper, with crumbled feta, spoonfuls of dill yogurt sauce and fresh dill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which parts need to stay cold?
The yogurt sauce, the feta and the cut vegetables stay at 40°F or below until you assemble the bowls.
Can I use another grain?
This recipe uses couscous, which is the grain in the photograph. Another grain would change both the bowl and the cooking.
Is this a traditional Mediterranean dish?
It's Mediterranean-style in its ingredients - yogurt, dill, lemon, feta and fresh vegetables. The name describes those flavours rather than a particular regional recipe.
