Steak Sarmies for Springtime!

Gather friends around a table and enjoy this fuss-free meal together. Every one can ‘build’ their own sandwich from the choice of ingredients and accompaniments. Heleen Meyer shares her recipe to prepare delicious strips of steak, seasoned with a simple rub. For the best results it would be ideal to braai the steaks over the coals, until done medium or even medium-rare. She does give the recipe to pan-fry the whole steaks and then the meat is cut into thin slices. First pan-frying or braaiing the whole steaks and then slicing them into thin strips gives the best juicy end result – similar to the very popular ‘plankie-steak’ style, which is so easy to do when entertaining. 

If you don’t want to serve the meat and accompaniments in bread rolls, serve it like the Italians do and turn it into steak tagliata, serving the steak strips on a bed of rocket, topped with the roasted tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and shavings of pecorino cheese. Arrange all these ingredients on a big platter as part of an al fresco meal.

You can easily fill the sandwiches with any leftover chicken, pork or even make a vegetarian version with big brown mushrooms, hummus and extra cheese, if preferred. Another great sandwich filler is thin slices of pan-fried brinjal (eggplant). Both the mushrooms and brinjal will be super tasty marinated in the same marinade that is used for the meat and can either be roasted over the coals with the meat, in a pan or even in an air-fryer. Heleen gives a list of fresh elements to add to the sarmie fillings, but you can use anything to your preference.

If you are planning to serve Heleen’s sarmie version, then the seasoned cottage cheese is a must. It’s absolutely divine and any leftovers are great as part of the filling for any other sandwiches, wraps or pitas. It’s perfect to have on burgers, as a dip with veggie sticks or dollop it as a sauce onto chicken or potatoes. You can even make it part of a festive cheese or charcuterie platter. You are going to want to have some of this in the fridge.

Steak sarmies

Recipe by Heleen Meyer

Serves 6

30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

10 ml (2 tsp) dried thyme

10 ml (2 tsp) ordinary paprika

2,5 ml (½ tsp) ground coriander

juice and finely grated rind of 1 medium lemon

400-500 g thick cut of steak, preferably rump or sirloin

salt and pepper to taste

200 g cherry tomatoes, halved

2-3 handfuls of rocket or baby spinach leaves

6 fresh ciabatta rolls or 1 large ciabatta, plain or heated

¼ cucumber, cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

pecorino or white mature cheddar cheese, cut into shavings with a vegetable peeler

Cottage cheese with mustard and herbs

250 ml (1 cup) plain, smooth cottage cheese

45 ml (3 tbsp) chopped Italian parsley

10 ml (2 tsp) wholegrain mustard

1. Mix the oil, thyme, spices and lemon juice and rind together in a shallow dish, large enough for the meat to fit into, until well combined.

2. Place the meat in the mixture and rub the marinade onto all sides of the steak. Marinate for 30 minutes.

3. Heat a large frying pan over a medium temperature. Pan-fry steaks for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown, but still rare to medium-rare on the inside (or to your preference). Season steaks to taste while frying them.

4. The oil in the marinade should be enough but add a bit more oil to the pan, if needed. The thickness of the steak will determine the frying time but don’t overcook the meat, then it becomes tough and dry. Alternatively, braai the steaks over the coals for that extra smoky flavour.

5. Remove the meat from the pan and allow to rest for a few minutes, while you pan-fry the tomatoes.

6. Place the tomatoes in the same pan and add any remaining marinade. Pan-fry the tomatoes just until they start to soften and the skins burst. Season with pepper.

7. Cut the meat into thin slices – remember to cut against the grain. Cutting meat along the grain can make the meat seem tough.

8. Cottage cheese: Mix the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste with pepper.

9. Arrange all the ingredients on a large platter or two and invite everyone to build their own sandwich or even a ‘bun-less’ salad. Extra olive oil and balsamic vinegar or a balsamic glaze will be delicious with these elements.

Visit Heleen’s website for more recipes like this.

Image by Adel Ferreira, for LiG Tydskrif