Thin slices of beef, sweet mangoes, and cool cucumber tossed with pasta and homemade Italian dressing . . . Summer is here.

This salad was thrown together from some leftovers, but it was so delicious, I had to share it.  Really, my mouth is watering just writing about it.  The mango was an afterthought; it was looking sad and lonely in the fruit bowl, but it turned out to be the star of the show.  The sweetness of the mango pairs very nicely with the zesty dressing.

The Italian dressing is the most amazing recipe.  I copied down the recipe from an online recipe about 6 years ago, and sadly I have no idea who the creator is, but whoever it was, they know how to make Italian Dressing.  I do tweak it a little here and there when I make it.  For instance, I don’t own any celery salt, but I do have celery seed, so a little pinch of that and a bit of extra salt and voila…I don’t even know what I’m missing from the original recipe.  🙂

I cook my steak in a hot cast-iron skillet with a little oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.  I follow a similar technique with a roast, first sear it in a hot cast iron pan, then place the whole pan in an oven and roast (without a lid) on a low heat about 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Steak and Mango Pasta Salad

Chilled, and thinly sliced grilled steak or tender roast beef

Fresh mango, peeled and cubed

Cucumber, peeled and sliced

Pasta, cooked and cooled

Italian Dressing, recipe follows

 

Mix ingredients (amounts to your liking) and gently mix.  Eat.

 

Italian Dressing

1 cup vinegar of your choice

3/4 cup olive or canola oil

4 Tbsp water

1/2 Tbsp garlic salt

1/2 Tbsp onion powder (or dehydrated, minced onion)

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 Tbsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp celery salt (or a pinch of celery seed and a pinch of salt)

1 Tbsp salt

Whisk ingredients together, or put ingredients in a mason jar and shake well (with the lid on)

Store in refrigerator.