I'm going Greek today. It happens a few times a year -- my lust for lemon and garlic and oregano combined with crumbly feta cheese and/or creamy Greek yogurt takes over. Thank goodness I have a few excellent recipes go to. Sometimes I'm inclined to quash my craving by incorporating shrimp, other times I choose lamb, chicken is not off limits, but, one of my all-time favorites is flank stank. When duly-marinated and rare-cooked via broiling or grilling, it is a carnivorous Greek goddess's dream come true. I adore this hearty, main-dish salad topped plenty of crunchy herb-bread croutons, and, the only thing I enjoy more: stuffing this salad into a pita pocket.
Let me start by saying, my homemade Greek salad dressing (recipe below) turns this salad or sandwich from ordinary to extraordinary. My secret ingredient is high-quality lemon-infused olive oil, with which even fresh lemon juice cannot compete. That said, when one is using vinaigrette-type salad dressing to marinade meat, poultry or seafood, the marinade gets thrown away (unlike other types of marinades which get simmered on the stovetop and used as a sauce for dipping and drizzling).
For that reason, I marinate my flank steak in a high-quality, store-bought Greek vinaigrette-type dressing containing no artificial flavorings or preservatives, but, a lot of spices that complement my own dressing.
In a 1-gallon ziplock bag, marinate for 4-6 hours at room temp or overnight in the refrigerator:
2-2 1/2 pound flank steak, in
1 cup Gazebo Room Greek dressing and marinade
"Gazebo Greek" is a fine product and I feel a lot less guilt pouring the store-bought marinade down the drain after the steak has marinated in it as opposed to my homemade dressing.
My Big Fat Greek Lemony-Garlic Salad Dressing:
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lemon-infused olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3-4 large garlic cloves, run through a garlic press
1/4 cup fine-crumbled feta
1 tablespoon Greek seasoning
1/4 teaspoon each: sea salt and coarse-grind black pepper
~ Step 1. In a 2-cup measuring container with a tight-fitting lid, place all ingredients. Shake vigorously. You will have 1 1/2 cups of dressing. Set aside for 2-8 hours, at room temperature, to allow the flavors plenty of time to marry.
Note: If you want to make the dressing further in advance, store it in the refrigerator and return it to room temperature prior to serving. Because this dressing contains fresh garlic, use it within 3 days, as after that, the garlic can begin to grow bacteria that can make make you ill.
My Big Fat Greek Flank Steak Salad:
1 2-2 1/2-pound flank steak, marinated as directed above and cooked as directed below
3-4 heads hearts-of-romaine, "hearts" being inner leaves from the typical bushy head (12-16 ounces total weight), leaves torn into bite-sized pieces or cut chiffonade-style (into 1/2" strips), washed, dried (preferably through a salad spinner) and chilled until very crisp
1 cup very thinly-sliced (shaved) red onion
1 1/2 cups peeled and diced Kirby cucumber, 1 large cucumber
3/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green Spanish olives, well-drained and cut in half
3/4 cup pitted Greek kalamata olives, well-drained and cut in half
1 1/2-2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 1/2-2 cups crumbled feta cheese, 6-8 ounces
1 1/2-2 cups homemade croutons (for salad), or, pita pocket bread (for sammies)
1 1/2 cups salad dressing, from above recipe
~Step 1. Position oven rack about 8" underneath heating element and preheat broiler. Remove the room temperature flank steak from the marinade and place on an 11 3/4" x 8 1/2" disposable aluminum broiler pan (the kind with the corrugated bottom). Place the flank steak under the broiler and cook for 8-9 minutes, until steak is golden brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and flip steak over. Return to broiler and cook 8-9 more minutes, using an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness after 8 minutes. Remove from oven when it reaches an internal temperature of 130°-134°. Allow to rest 10-15 minutes prior to slicing*.
*Note: My favorite way to serve this salad is while the flank steak is still warm. That said, it is uncompromisingly-delicious served with steak that has been refrigerated overnight and returned to room temperature (take it out of the refrigerator about an hour prior to slicing it), so, feel free to wrap the cooked steak in plastic wrap, refrigerate overnight, and slice it the next day.
~ Step 2. Slice meat in half lengthwise, then thinly-slice each half across the grain while holding the knife at a 30° angle, into thin (1/8"-1/4"-thick) strips. Roll each meat strip up roulade-style*, placing them in a bowl as you work.
*Note: A roulade (roo-LAHD) is a fancy French term for a thin slice of raw or cooked meat rolled around a filling then secured with some kitchen twine or a toothpick. If the meat is raw, the roulade is cooked after rolling, if the meat is cooked, the roulade is ready for serving.
~Step 3. In each of 6-8 individual salad plates, compose the salad by dividing, layering and arranging ingredients in the following order: lettuce chiffonade, shaved red onion, diced cucumber, steak roulades, green olive-, kalamata olive- and grape tomato halves. Sprinkle feta cheese crumbles over the top of each salad and top with a few crispy croutons.
Bring on the dressing, have a seat & hand out the forks:
Or, stuff it all into a pita pocket or two & eat 'em on the run:
Greek-Style Flank Steak Salad or Pocket Sammies: Recipe yields 1 1/2 cups dressing and 6-8 large, main-dish servings of salad, or, 6-8 pita pocket sandwiches (12-16 half sandwiches).
Special Equipment List: 1-cup measuring container; 1-gallon food storage bag; 11 3/4" x 8 1/2" disposable aluminum broiler pan; instant-read meat thermometer; cutting board; chef's knife
Cook's Note: For me, it's impossible to walk past a vendor selling gyros -- the iconic Greek sandwich. My first gyro encounters were limited to the Jersey Shore in the latter 1960's and Mr. Krinos (a friend of my cousin) explained they were, Greek-style, a combo of beef and lamb wrapped in a pocketless pita with lettuce, tomato and onion, and, served with a cucumber-yogurt-based tzatziki sauce. Here's my recipe for ~ My Greek Gyro-Style Beef & Lamb 'Burger' Pitas ~.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2024)
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