Hello friends! After six weeks of traveling with eight flights, two ferry boats, and a bus through 12 cities and three countries, I have to say that I am happy to be back home! I barely finished unpacking last week, and I had to start teaching my week-long summer cooking camps at the cooking school this week.
I didn’t want another week to go by without popping in here quickly with a new post. I have many photos to share from my trip, but I need some time to organize them. In the meanwhile, I wanted to share a quick summer recipe that combines a flavorful grilled steak, tender greens, juicy peaches, and sharp goat cheese. It all comes together without much effort and makes for a very satisfying meal.
Each component of this salad is easy to swap for something else: the same marinade is great with chicken as well; the peaches can be replaced with other summer stone fruit; Feta would be a great substitute for goat cheese. Do not omit the pistachio nuts, however, as they complement the honey-mustard vinaigrette so well.
Have a great weekend, friends! I will be back next week with photos from Greece!
- For the steak:
- 1.5 lbs. skirt, flank, or hanger steak, trimmed of fat
- 7 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes, crushed
- 2 TBSP. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 TBSP. fresh Italian parsley, minced
- For the salad:
- 6 cups tender mixed lettuce greens
- 2 medium yellow peaches (or nectarines), cut into wedges
- 2 oz. goat cheese, (or feta) crumbled
- 2 TBSP. shelled roasted pistachios, chopped
- For the dressing:
- 4 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 TBSP. Sherry vinegar
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- --- freshly ground pepper
- 1 TBSP. honey
- Mince the garlic and place it on a cutting board. Sprinkle the salt over it and using a flexible knife mash them together to create a paste. Put the paste in a small glass bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients for the marinade and stir well to combine.
- Place the trimmed steak in a shallow dish and spoon the marinade over it. Turn to coat the other side as well. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, turning the steak a couple of times to ensure an even distribution of the marinade.
- Remove the steak from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Prepare the grill and, when ready, grill the steak over medium-high, direct heat, for about 4-5 minutes. Using tongs, turn the steak once and cook for 3-4 more minutes or so, depending on how you like the steak done. Place the steak on a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let it stand for 4 minutes. Slice into thin strips.
- Prepare the dressing by placing all the ingredients in a jar and shaking it well.
- Arrange the greens in a platter and top them with the steak, the peaches and the goat cheese. Drizzle with the dressing, mix lightly, scatter the pistachios over it and serve.
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Yay! Welcome home! I am intrigued by the pistachios and vinegarette!
Yay! Welcome home! I am intrigued by the pistachios and vinaigrette!
Hi Kathy, I know you are going to like this vinaigrette and the pistachios add a nice crunch!
Hi Marilena,
I can’t wait to hear all about your trip and see your photos!
This steak salad looks wonderful –just the sort of dinner dish I was looking for –healthy, light-ish, and yet satisfying for the carnivore in my life!
Welcome home!
– Ratatouille
So happy to hear that Dianne! It is a super easy recipe and I hope you will give it a try!
Sounds delicious!
Thank you Angela!
i have tried so many of your recipes over the summer that I’m going to roll them all into one insert. The Greek chopped salad with the fresh herbs and pita bread croutons is a family favorite! When I do the multi-colored carrots with the orange peel and vinaigrette every one oohs and ahh. The lamb sliders with the greek yogurt sauce are the perfect summer time dinner: flavorful, light and fresh. The semolina bread sticks (which my youngest son helped make, to his own great delight) were half gone before they could even cool! The simple puttanesca pasta with five ingredients was the star of the show last night at dinner with a group of close friends. Finally, the filo dough shepherd pies were amazing; they were literally better after they had been frozen for a month. What a great idea for busy week night dinners for families. Oh, and I almost forgot the parmesan chicken tenders, which were excellent!! Thank you for all the great healthy cooking ideas. You’ve really inspired me to get back into the kitchen! And the photographs are the best. They tempt me and then guide me throughout the process. Thank you!
Thank you so much Sandy for taking the time to write this – it means a lot to me! I always love hearing from my friends and my readers about the recipes they try at home and makes me so happy to know that many have become family favorites! It is a great motivation for me to continue doing what I do…. Most people do not realize the time involved when writing a blog post….. from recipe testing, to styling and photography, editing and much more. Your comment made my day – thank you! ?