We have some great cooks in our family.
We like to try new recipes and tweak the old ones.
We're always asking each other, "Can I have your recipe?"
So we created a place to share the recipes that others ask for, the experiments that turn out well or the recipes that we fall back on because they're quick and yummy. Some of these recipes are original, some are gleaned from friends and some are blatantly copied from other sources.
All of them have been tested and found delicious.

Enjoy!


Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Marinated Steak on a bed of Arugula

We brought this over to some friends that just had a baby. Dinner was ready quickly and had few dishes. We used flank steak for the meat and marinated it over night.
(print this recipe)

For the steak:
1 flank steak, 1.75 to 2 pounds
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped

  1.  Combine the wine, olive oil, soy sauce, mustard, garlic and rosemary in a large bowl or shallow baking dish big enough to take the whole steak in one piece.
  2. Rinse the steak and pat it dry with a paper towel. Place the steak in the marinade so that it is well coated and set aside. If you're  marinating for less than an hour, you can leave it at room temperature, letting the meat lose its chill. If you're marinating for longer, cover the steak and return to the refrigerator, taking it out about 30 minutes before you're ready to cook.
  3. When ready to cook, remove the steak from the marinade and shake off any excess liquid. Salt and pepper the steak on both sides.
  4. If you're broiling the steak, set your oven rack about 4 inches below your broiler and pre-heat. Place the meat on a broiling pan or on a rack set inside a sheet pan. Broil for 4 minutes a side for medium rare. Add another 30 to 45 seconds per side for medium, and the same amount of time more for well done. Remember that the meat is not thick and will cook quickly.
  5. If you're pan-grilling in a cast iron pan, preheat the pan on high until it is very hot. Cook the steak for three to four minutes per side, reversing the steak half-way through each side's cooking to produce cross-hatched grill marks on the meat.
  6. Remove from the heat and before slicing, let the steak rest for five to ten minutes to allow the juices to settle.
  7. Slice in half-inch thick slices on the bias, cutting against the grain. This will add tenderness to the meat.
The pieces of sliced steak can be served while still warm or at room temperature. Serve the steak in individual servings with the salad on the side or else drape the slices of steak over a platter of the arugula and let everyone help themselves.

Arugula Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette
1 bag or box of pre-washed arugula or baby arugula, or 2 bunches of arugula (wash carefully to remove any sand, dry completely and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces) to produce about 4 generous cups
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  1. Place the arugula in a salad bowl.
  2. In a small bowl combine the lemon juice and red wine vinegar with the mustard and the salt and pepper. Stir with a fork until the salt dissolves and the mustard combines completely,
  3. Add the olive oil and continue to whisk with the fork until everything is emulsified.
  4. Taste for salt and pepper.
  5. Pour over the arugula and toss. Serve immediately.

*Recipe from http://www.thecitycook.com/index.html