Provençal Beef Skewers & Rice

📝 Ingredients

• 350 g beef rump steak
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tsp herbes de Provence
• 1 courgette (about 200 g)
• 12 cherry tomatoes (about 180 g)
• 150 g basmati rice
• 150 g plain skyr, 0 % fat
• 10 g fresh basil (1 small handful)
• ½ lemon
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Griddle pan
• 4 skewers
• Mixing bowl
• Saucepan
• Colander
• Knife and chopping board

📖 Steps

1. If using wooden skewers, soak them in cold water throughout the preparation so they don't burn. Trim any sinew from the rump steak and cut it into even 3 cm cubes so it cooks evenly.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, crushed garlic, herbes de Provence and a good grind of pepper. Add the beef cubes, coat them well and leave to marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature, without salting for now.
3. Meanwhile, rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs almost clear, then cook it in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10 to 11 minutes (see packet). Drain and keep warm, covered.
4. Make the sauce: finely shred the basil and mix it into the skyr with the juice of the half lemon, a pinch of salt and some pepper. Keep in the fridge until serving, so the flavours can blend.
5. Wash the courgette, trim the ends and cut it into thick 1.5 cm half-moons: if they're too thin, they'll tear on the skewer. Thread the skewers, alternating beef, courgette and cherry tomatoes, without packing them too tightly.
6. Heat the griddle pan over a high heat for 3 minutes, until it's lightly smoking. Salt the skewers, lay them in the pan and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, giving them a quarter turn every 2 minutes and not moving them in between, so each side gets nicely marked.
7. Check whether it's done by cutting into a cube: pink in the centre after 6 minutes, medium after 8. Leave the skewers to rest on a plate off the heat for 2 minutes: the juices redistribute and the meat stays tender.
8. Divide the rice between the plates, add 2 skewers per person and drizzle the rice with the resting juices from the meat. Serve immediately, with the skyr and basil sauce on the side so everyone can help themselves.