Today, as luck would have it, my procrastination of both writing about Europe and canning all the beautiful produce my beautiful friend gave me (thanks Katie and River Root Farm!) resulted in my making one of my favorite summertime dishes, this steak bruschetta. Really, I should be thanking Katie for infecting me with that August ailment of canner's guilt, but that's neither here nor there. Actually, you should all be thanking me for this easy, delicious recipe!
Even without a farmer friend to provide vegetables, this dish is affordable and easy. Long slices of toasted baguette, rubbed with garlic, slathered with long roasted tomatoes, thin tender slices of steak and topped with balsamic dressed, spicy arugula. What are you waiting for?
This, like most dishes I make over and over again, relies less on a recipe and more on method and what you have on hand. Since I am flush in produce, the only things I needed to grab were the steak and baguette. This is such a forgiving dish, you wouldn't even need to marinate the steak. If using grass fed flank steak, a little dip in a tenderizing bath will certainly benefit the beef, though. Lucky for me, I am able to purchase frozen beef from the wonderful Fox Hollow Farm here in Kentucky and it is so very good. Support your local farms! Use what you have. Pork, sausages or lamb would be great, too. For vegetarians a heap of grilled veggies or mushrooms, burrata or feta or just leave the beef off (depending on your bread, it could be vegan this way). The real star, I believe, are the long roasted tomatoes. But first: marinade!
For this particular marinade, I used a mix of equal parts vinegar (any, other than white, will do) and tamari or soy sauce(Worcestershire or liquid aminos would work, too) and then that same amount of olive oil. About 1 tablespoons each vinegar and soy, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lots of chili flake and black pepper, 1/2 tablespoon honey and 5 cloves of minced garlic. Let the steak hang out in the marinade as long as you can, up to 24 hours. I had mine in the marinade for around 5 hours, flipping it every hour or so. My steak, for two, was 3/4 of a pound. I like using flank steak since it is affordable and is perfect when marinated, grilled and sliced thin.
Now onto the tomatoes! No real tricks here, just perfectly ripe, juicy heirloom tomatoes on a bed of thinly sliced red onion and slivered garlic. Good olive oil and salt and pepper top this and into a 350 degree oven they go, covered with foil, for 30-40 minutes until tender and tomato juices are released. For my two servings: half a red onion, 2 cloves of garlic, one big German Pink tomato cut in wedges, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a few oregano leaves. This can be doubled or quadrupled, just be sure you increase the size of your roasting dish so things don't get too crowded.
Now, uncover and add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and roast your tomato mix, uncovered, for another 20-30 minutes until the juices and balsamic have reduced and the tomatoes are lightly browned and shrivel-y. Think of the juices and oil as a vinaigrette. This will soak into the toasted baguette and be so delicious. Again, make sure the tomatoes aren't crowded. During this second roast you want them to caramelize a bit in the oil, not steam.
Once the tomatoes are finished, they can just hang out while you gather the remaining ingredients.This mix is so tasty! It would be great with eggs or on toasted garlic bread with fresh mozzarella. Or add some capers and have with fish!
I always like to salt proteins right before cooking, so after taking the steak out of the marinade I salt both sides. You could boil the leftover marinade for a few minutes to use as a sauce, but things are pretty juicy as it is so I usually discard it. Get your well oiled grill pan, or cast iron pan or outdoor grill, quite hot. If you are using a stainless steel sauté or frying pan, you will want to add a tablespoon or two of oil to the hot pan before adding the steak. When you see the slightest bit of smoke, throw your steak on.
Let it cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes and flip and cook another 4-5 minutes. This, of course, will vary based on the thickness and type of steak and your preferred temperature. My 2" steak, cooked 4 minutes per side, was a nice medium rare. Let your steak rest under a foil tent for 5 or so minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.
Meanwhile, the most important thing is to have a glass of wine. Then gather everything together for finishing up. If you have a big group, you will probably need a whole baguette. For two, I used only a third from the middle, sliced on a steep bias to be fancy. The other two pieces I wrapped in foil and then plastic to freeze. Lightly toast the baguette in the oven and when cool enough to handle, rub aggressively with a raw, peeled garlic clove. I try to do this when the bread is still a little warm. Since I must always soak minced shallots in whatever vinegar I am using for salad dressing, I did this here. You don't need to, though, and can simply and deliciously dress the arugula in a light coating of balsamic and extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. You could even use your favorite bottled dressing, so long as it is of the oil/vinegar variety.
Slice the steak and dress the greens last. You could even put the tomatoes back in the oven for a minute or two to warm up. This dish is perfect for entertaining as it is very forgiving and tastes wonderful at any temperature. You could arrange several toasts on a big platter and bury it all with your dressed arugula for a dramatic family-style centerpiece.
So, top your garlic rubbed baguette with the tomato mix. I like to then divide the remaining juices over each toast to soak into the bread.
Then, top the tomatoes with your sliced steak. Again, I usually drizzle the steak with any juices from my cutting board.
Last, top with your arugula and enjoy! If you have some fresh basil lying around, even better. You could really make this as super easy or moderately easy as you want. Use what you have and relax! Maybe you only have wine. You can start and end there. Bon Appétit!