steak salad

hi friends, lovers + people probably related to me -

third time's the charm

during my run yesterday morning - i realized that my “short loop” when I’m in the burbs is the long COD route when i was definitely not a high school distance track star. this made me feel infinitely better for two reasons - (1) that i’m not still in h.s. + (2) things will not always feel so hard, even if they might right now.

definitely not fancy

Full disclosure, this is one of my favorite meals and if we’ve dated than chances are pretty high that I’ve made some version of it for you. It’s gotten a little more pretentious over the years, I bake my own bread now + make balsamic reductions also my glasses are bigger. But the truth is, it was delicious when using a good seasons(TM) packet to start the salad dressing + it’s delicious now.

okay - some people aren’t into red meat or cooking red meat at home. totally cool, i’m just not one of those people.

the marinade for the steak is stolen from an ex-boyfriend + was cooked in a tiny campus apartment kitchen on a chilly January night

steak wise, I like skirt or flank - whatever looks better

for the marinade you need: olive oil, couple cloves of garlic, salt+pepper, balsamic vinegar, 1 lime + then a sliced serrano or jalapeno (the peppers are optional if spicy is not your thing)

I whisk everything together + pour over the steak, I like to start marinating my steak at least a couple hours before I’m going to be cooking it.

When cooking it - I use my grill pan in my apartment most of the time, but a cast iron or an actual grill works great. Just make sure it’s v. hot. Take the steak out of the fridge about a half hour or so before.

I aim for a good sear + a nice rare inside. Honestly sometimes you just have to cut into it to check, there’s no shame in that.

The peppers will get all crispy + delicious, mine personally never make it to the table I like to eat them as a snack.

let’s talk about bread, baby

okay - so I’m a crouton snob, I only like homemade/ housemade ones. I’m honestly not confident enough in my sourdough skillz to talk you through how to make bread - so pick up a loaf of crusty sourdough or french bread, dig some you forgotten out of the freezer + tear it up. I like my croutons to be rustic + misshapen, full of craggy edges. Mix garlic, a lot of olive oil, salt+pepper, basil + oregano - pour over your bowl of torn bread and toss around to coat (taste one, promise you it’s delicious). Then pour onto a sheet pan + bake at 375/400 till they start to get crispy, drain excess oil on a paper towel + set them aside. Try hard not to eat all of them while cooking everything else.

love summer tomatoes hate everything else

I make some variation of this part panzanella, part caprese, salad at least once a week. Optional toppings include avocado + pesto - delicious together + particularly good at making this salad more of a “meal” if you’re skipping the steak part

but first the dressing, pour some balsamic vinegar (about a cup or 2) into a small saucepan + heat on medium/low - giving it a stir relatively frequently. note it’s going to smell a bit strong (i kind of like it) but just a heads up. I’m sure somewhere else on the internet will tell you to add sugar to it, personally I don’t, it makes it too sweet. I reduce this down till it starts to get a little thicker + not slide off the spoon so easily. Remove from heat + put in the fridge to chill. I normally make this at least couple hours before so it can be sufficiently chilled.

I use both raw + roasted tomatoes in this salad during the summer. I get the most colorful small grape/cherry/baby heirlooms I can find, for purely aesthetic reasons + because I love them. Take about half your tiny tomato haul and set them aside, you will slice them diagonally in half later. With the other half put them in a shallow glass dish + cover them generously with olive oil, salt + pepper. Roast them in the oven at 375 till they start to burst + brown on top.

For the rest of the salad, I’m partial to mixing spring mix + arugula (did you know it’s called rocket in some places), lots of torn fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced red onion, add the sliced raw tomatoes, jumbo garlicky croutons, salt + pepper.

Then scoop/pour the roasted tomatoes all over the top, letting them nestle down into the greens + getting all the olive oil tomato(y) goodness in the bottom of the dish all over everything. Drizzle with the balsamic reduction + toss the salad.

Sip your rosé on ice + dance around the kitchen to your “good grooves” playlist

Slice the steak, you can transfer it to a plate but I honestly leave it on the cutting board 95% of the time.

I like to pile the salad on a plate + arrange the pieces of steak on top - that way you get lots of incredible bites. Finish that rosé, maybe open another bottle + relax as summer comes to a close.

particularly good things I consumed this week

• an early quesadilla-centric dinner on my favorite sidewalk patio - dos urban

• a huge breakfast burrito from Lula Cafe + a perfect sunday

• quality catching up + two singani cocktails at estereo - they taste like spiked ginger lemonade

• steak nachos + al pastor tacos from Los - if you know, you know

• a couple slices of homemade flourless chocolate cake with vanilla bean whip cream + raspberries - perfectly decadent

• young Paul Rudd + every outfit in Clueless

currently consuming

• Blacktop Wasteland - S. A. Cosby, more than a crime novel with a title reminiscent of a alternative pop punk playlist

• this shirt from Lou & Grey that makes you look like a camp counselor in the best way

as always,

- mk