Seared sirloin salad with barley, grapes and sumac

Seared sirloin salad with barley, grapes and sumac. Photograph: Emma Jarvis
Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 50g pearl barley, cooked in 1 litre of water for 40 minutes, drained and cooled
  • 2 sirloin steaks, about 600g in total
  • 1 big bunch of flat leaf parsley, leaves only
  • 350g white grapes
  • Salt and pepper
  •  
  • Marinade
  • 1 very small onion, grated
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 tsp sumac
  • 1 tsp gound all spice
  • Pinch of black pepper
  •  
  • Dressing
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 4 tbsp oil
  • 2 tsp sumac
  • A pinch of all spice
  • A pinch of coriander
  •   

This recipe is adapted from the Moro cookbook and I love it for its simplicity and clever use of ingredients. It is great to have uses for barley as it often lies in our cupboards, opened, waiting for its turn to come around again.

The last minute work required on this recipe is limited, making it perfect for a dinner party as it won’t interfere with your socialising too much.

1. For the marinade – mix all of the ingredients together, rub over the steaks and leave for a couple of hours

2. For the dressing – blend all of the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper.

3. Mix the dressing with the cold barley, parsley leaves and the grapes and place in a serving bowl

4. Heat a griddle or regular pan until it is very hot. Sear the steaks very quickly on both sides. This will take two minutes on the first side and just one on the other for rare, which works best for a salad.

5. Let the meat rest for a few minutes, then slice the steaks into thin slices and place on top of the salad.