Steak Salad

"You've got to be fracking kidding me!" That was my reaction when the sour butcher at Whole Foods said that his flank steak was selling at $14/lb. I couldn't believe it. The Flank used to be the budget cut of meat. When I asked about skirt steak, he huffed and told me it was an inferior cut of meat, and that they didn't carry it for their consumers benefit. Little did he know that a skirt steak would have made my belly very happy. Instead, I was left peering into the meat locker looking for a cut of meat I could grill up for my steak salad that wasn't going to cost me more than a gallon of gas. I settled on a 1/2 pound cut of London Broil for $3.93 and decided that, from now on, instead of walking to the Whole Foods 7 blocks from my house, I will ride my bike the the New Seasons up the street. At least at there I get my meat handled the way I want it with a smile.

Inspiration: Antonia's Rice Salad from Season 4 Top Chef
Time: About 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
Special Equipment: Grill/Grill pan
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1/2 lb skirt or flank steak (substitute what steak you or your butcher has available)
1/2 tsp. Ground Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Ground Cumin
1/4 tsp. Ground Coriander seeds
1 head red leaf lettuce (Mine was out of my garden) - Washed and ripped into bite sized pieces
1 heaping handful baby spinach leaves (Mine was out of my crop share)
1 heaping handful of sugar snap peas (Again, straight out of my garden) -
1/4 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 tomato diced
Blue cheese to desired amount (I used lots because I like blue cheese
Your favorite balsamic vinaigrette -or-
2 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs tangy mustard (I like to use European mustard if I have it)
1/4 Tsp. thyme (dried or fresh, chopped finely)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2-4 Tbs. Olive Oil


1. Wash steak and pat dry with a paper towel. Mix cayenne, garlic powder, pepper, salt, cumin and coriander together in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over all sides of the steak and rub into meat. Let sit for 15-20 minutes. Heat grill on high. When you put meat on grill turn down to medium, and cook to desired doneness. I cooked mine medium rare so that it was still very pink in the middle. Pull off the grill and let sit while you pull together the rest of the salad.

2. If you are making your own balsamic vinaigrette, mash garlic to a paste with the salt. Add mustard and thyme and mix well. Add vinegar and mix well. Then slowly add 2 tbs olive oil using a whisk or a fork to incorporate the oil into the mixture. Taste the dressing. Some people like to mask the stark vinegar flavor by adding more oil...but I don't recommend that.

3. Thinly slice your meat. I usually cut each slice into bite sized pieces, because I don't like to use a knife to eat my salad.

4. Toss all salad ingredients in a large bowl, but do not toss in tomatoes and dressing in until ready to serve, or you'll wilt your lettuce and spinach.