We'll it's been a bit since we've posted. It doesn't, however, mean we haven't been cooking some tasty dishes. The thing with the summer is that we tend to veer towards simplicity in our cooking. We don't always want to make something fancy, we just want to appreciate the fresh produce that we find at our local market.
Just because something is simple doesn't mean it's not delicious. Almost every night our table has been graced by a fresh green salad made up of dandelion greens, romaine lettuce, and endive. We top it with homemade vinaigrette that we shake up in our little masons jars, and if we're feeling fancy we toast some pine nuts to throw on top.
The vinaigrette is really simple to make and you can try your own variations. The key ratio to keep in mind is 3:1-oil:vinegar. You also need an emulsifier, we choose Dijon mustard, about 1tsp for 1 3:1 ratio. My secret ingredient to the vinaigrette is honey, it compliments the tanginess of the other ingredients so nicely.
The flank steak I made tonight is a free range, organic steak that we got from our local meat place at the farmers market. Although not the most tender of cuts, it was still delicious. I just sprinkled some salt and pepper on the steak and then seared it on each side for about five minutes.
I topped it with a chimichurri sauce I found in the Real Simple Magazine. Again another simple mixture that made all the difference.
Mix together 1/2 cup parsley with 1/3 cup olive oil. Add in 1tbsp red wine vinegar, a clove of garlic, a dash of salt, and if you have it some crushed red pepper.
I served the salad and the steak with a mix of some locally grown fingerling and new potatoes. It was a delicious simple meal that looked and tasted beautiful. The best part, it only took about thirty minutes to put it all together!
:) enjoy!
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