After a weekend of barbecues, beer and pie, I’m sure we could all use a return to vegetables, salads and lighter summer fare. And since the farmers’ markets are bursting with fresh produce, that return is all the more exciting. Even as someone who doesn’t like fresh tomatoes, I can’t help but be fascinated by how pretty and red and round they are, or how yellow and sweet the corn are, not to mention the juicy orange-red peaches and the fat garnet cherries.
But instead of you know, enjoying summer’s bounty in its original form, I committed the cardinal sin of warm-weather cooking: I went and turned on the oven. Suckered in by grape tomatoes but unwilling to actually eat them fresh, I decided to char them until the slimy innards dry up. They looked so sad all alone on the big bad baking dish, so I tossed in an ear of corn and some onion too.
Roasting the vegetables just caramelizes their innate sweetness, which pairs nicely with the salty feta and olives and the sharp, peppery arugula. If you’re vegetarian, this is all you need, and I promise you, neither you nor your belly will be miss anything.
BUT. If you like steak, then let me tell you — this is one of the best steaks I’ve had in a long time. It takes almost no effort, thanks to the trusty garlic press I found somewhere, and best of all, you don’t even need a grill to make it. (You know, for those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to have a large deck … or don’t like to actually use their deck … those people.) One note of caution: there will be lots of smoke, so I recommend opening your windows, turning on vent fans and having someone stand underneath the smoke alarm and fan it with a towel (what, you’ve never done this before?) to keep the firemen away.
The end result is a perfect summer steak salad — sweet and salty and beefy but light. Only a large hunk of bread and a cold glass of Pinot Grigio could make it any better. Try it, tomorrow even. You won’t regret it.
Charred Summer Steak Salad
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Serves 3-4
For the steak:
– 1 pound skirt or flank steak
– 2 large garlic cloves, pressed and crushed
– 1 teaspoon kosher salt
– 1-1/2 teaspoons pepper
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
1) Rinse the steak and pat it dry using a paper towel. If the steak is very long, then cut it in half so that the pieces fit neatly in a skillet.
2) Pat the garlic, salt and pepper onto both sides of the steak and let it marinate for an hour at room temperature.
3) Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet on high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the steaks and cook for 5-7 minutes, then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes. If you like your steak rare, you can remove it from the heat now. If you like your steaks more cooked, cover and cook on low heat for a 5-10 minutes, checking every few minutes until they reach the desired doneness.
4) Let rest for at least 10 minutes, then thinly slice the steak crosswise, against the grain.
For the salad:
– 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
– 1 ear of corn, kernels removed from the cob
– 1/2 red onion, chopped
– 1 teaspoon paprika
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 teaspoon pepper
– 2 cups baby arugula, rinsed
– 1/4 cup olives, sliced
– 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1) Toss the tomatoes, corn and onions in a baking dish with the paprika, salt and pepper. Broil on high for 7-12 minutes, until the vegetables are charred.
2) Place the arugula on a plate and top with the roasted vegetables and olives. Top with the sliced steak and feta.
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