Chef Scott’s Roasted Steak Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• Meat 5-7 strip steaks or sirloin steaks are
• Meat Rub I use my taste-buds to combine a bit of spices
• 24 Oz pasta - I used spaghetti noodles, but an
• 6 ounces of smoked Gouda cheese diced into cubes
• 1 small onion rough chopped
• 1 medium orange bell pepper rough chopped
• 6 ounces of cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 ounces of Chianti Red Wine Vinegar
• As for seasoning
• A few pinches of coarse sea salt,
• A few grinds of fresh black pepper,
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil and
• 1/2 teaspoon of Chef Paul?s Herbal and Pasta

Instructions

1. This salad can be served warm or chilled and served the next day.  Immediately chilling the pasta after cooking to the package is a good way to ensure it remains firm. Don't oil it until you have all the Ingredients added - that way the flavors will penetrate the pasta and mingle to provide layers of taste. ~ Chef Scott
2. First I prepped all of the Ingredients.  You could grill or roast the peppers and onions if you like to add that flavor to the dish.
3. I seasoned the steaks with the rub let them sit for about 30 minutes or so and dressed them with some Worcestershire sauce before placing in the grill.
4. Steaks:
5. This is an indirect roasting method - so I recommend a grill temperature of 325F ? 350F degrees Place the steaks as close to the flame as possible but not over the flame and set the flue to draw the heat and smoke over the meat.  This method of preparing will take longer than directly grilling the steaks over the coals or flames.
6. I'd say about 25 minutes of moving the steaks around to ensure even cooking.
7. When done remove off the grill to a platter and tent with foil for about 5 ?10 minutes.
8. Remove fat and any gristle from steaks and slice cross-grain into long strips about 1/4" to 1/8" thick.
9. Pasta:
10. Cook the pasta according to package , drain from pot and then immerse in cold bath of icey water to stop cooking. Remove.
11. Add vegetables, cheese, seasoning, herbs, oil and vinegar - toss Add to slices of steak to the bowl and toss once more.
12. Serve with crusty rolls.
13. You can also seal and store in the fridge overnight so the flavors will blend and deepen with the time in the fridge - bringing out the nice juiciness of the steak to compliment the crisp tang of the marinated pasta and vegetables. 
14. Chef Scott Anderson is the Associate Food Service Director & Chef at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown.