I wish we could eat this together.
This might be the best thing to come out of my kitchen in weeks. It felt different from the heavy comfort foods we’ve been eating — a little summery, lighter, and perfect for a relaxed lunch with a half bottle of wine and imaginary internet friends.
One of the things I love about warmer weather is that my caprese obsession becomes easier to enjoy. I’m debating whether to try growing herbs again this year after last year’s big fail. According to the internet I either watered too much, too little, gave them too much sun or not enough, and either trimmed them too much or not at all. I even tried miracle grow in June, and that didn’t help. Clearly I’m not meant to grow anything, except maybe a money tree.
Flank steak is the cut I often share because it’s easy to marinate and versatile. Filets are expensive and for those I’m content with just salt and pepper — I don’t want to mess with them. Flank, on the other hand, takes a marinade well, slices beautifully, and works in salads, tacos, pizzas—really anything.
(Edited to add: unless you count blue cheese sauce as “messing with” a filet. Whatever.)
After a few epic flank steak fails early in our marriage — including one that I charred so badly it was black and crispy — I learned a reliable method: broiling. Broiling is fast and forgiving; it only takes a few minutes and gives great results without the intimidation of using a grill solo. Someday I want to be brave enough to grill more, but for now broiling feels foolproof.
This salsa is essentially a bright Caprese-style salad spooned over sliced steak. It was amazing. We served it with green bean fries to keep things feeling a bit lighter. I also spent an extra hour making baked potatoes because someone requested them and then didn’t eat them. Classic.
I wish I could resist carbs.
Red Wine Marinated Flank Steak with Cherry Tomato Caprese Salsa
Yield:
2
to 4
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Ingredients
- 1 (2 pound) flank steak, about 1 inch thick
- 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 2 fresh mozzarella balls, chopped into pieces (about 1/2 cup)
- 10 basil leaves, freshly chopped
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
- pinch of pepper
Instructions
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Whisk olive oil, red wine, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl until combined. Add the flank steak to a zip-top bag or baking dish and pour the marinade over it. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours, flipping the steak occasionally so it soaks up the flavors. When ready, preheat your oven broiler on its highest setting and place a rack directly underneath. Broil the steak for 6 minutes, flip, and broil for 5 more minutes. For a steak about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, this should yield a medium-well result. Let the steak rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly on an angle. You can also grill the steak if you prefer.
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While the steak cooks or rests, combine the quartered tomatoes, shallot, mozzarella, basil, garlic salt and pepper in a bowl and toss. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then pour over the tomato mixture and toss to coat. If your mozzarella is packed in olive oil, you can use that oil for the salsa.
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But I guess that wouldn’t be fun now, would it?