The Weekend Chef: Steak Stir-Fry with Tomato Hummus Sauce

Hummus was on sale a couple of weeks ago and I stocked up!  I love to eat it as a snack but had never really cooked with it.  When I found this recipe I knew I had to try it since I had so much hummus!  The Weekend Chef, a.k.a my husband, actually ended up making this for us. The broccoli rabe and eggplant helped add a bitter and earthy flavor and the hummus helped to create a slightly textured sauce. The kids like the orzo.  My son finds most meat too chewy, especially beef so he didn't eat much of this.  My daughter, a steak lover, ate all her meat, but not a lot of the eggplant.  Overall, I thought that it was a tasty and different dish.

Steak Stir-Fry with Tomato Hummus Sauce
Everyday With Rachael Ray, October 2007

Ingredients:
One 16-ounce box orzo pasta
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 eggplant (about 12 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch broccoli rabe, stems cut into small pieces, leaves coarsely chopped
Salt
12 ounces sirloin steak, sliced into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup hummus

Directions:
1.In a medium pot of boiling salted water, cook the orzo, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain; return to the pot. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, cover and set aside.

2.In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add the eggplant and cook for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onion and broccoli rabe stems and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the broccoli rabe leaves, cover and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and season with salt.

3.Wipe out the skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, add the steak strips and fry for 1 minute; repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and steak strips. Return all the steak to the skillet and move to one side of the pan. On the other side of the pan, whisk together the beef broth and tomato paste and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the hummus to form a sauce. Stir the steak into the sauce, then stir in the reserved vegetables.

4.Place a mound of orzo on each plate and top with the steak stir-fry.

Family Rating: 1 1/2 thumbs up.