Cook the Book
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[Photograph: Ray Kachatorian]

Jeanne Kelly's marinated and grilled flank steak with arugula salad comes from the "Spring" chapter in her new Kitchen Garden Cookbook. But with its clean flavors and almost effortless preparation, the dish lands squarely in the realm of summer cooking. Besides, arugula grows year-round in many places, and decent baby varieties are available in abundance if you can't grow any yourself. What really makes this dish stand out, however, is not the arugula—the real winner is Kelly's exotic, tangy sumac and lemon mixture that performs double duty as marinade and salad dressing.

Why I picked this recipe: Grilled steak is one of my favorite summer comfort foods. Adding a garden-fresh arugula and feta salad is the perfect way to turn that staple into a meal.

What worked: Peppery arugula is a fine match for the rich steak and salty feta, and the bright sumac-lemon marinade-dressing hybrid lifts the dish to a higher dimension.

What didn't: Not a single problem.

Suggested tweaks: You could substitute tender dandelion greens or lacinato kale should you want to switch things up, salad-wise. You can, of course, also grill a different steak (or even bone-in, skin-on chicken) if you feel so inclined. You'll need to adjust the cooking time.

Reprinted with permission from Kitchen Garden Cookbook: Celebrating the homegrown and homemade by Jeanne Kelly. Copyright 2013. Published by Weldon Owen. All rights reserved. Available wherever books are sold.

About This Recipe

Yield: Serves 4
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes to overnight

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground sumac
  • 1 pound (250 g) flank steak
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 cups (2 ounces/60 g) arugula leaves
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces/60 g) crumbled feta cheese

Procedures

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and sumac. Place the steak on a plate. Spoon half of the dressing over both sides of the steak, then sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes (or cover and refrigerate overnight).

  2. Prepare a medium fire for direct-heat cooking in a charcoal or gas grill. Arrange the steak on the grill rack directly over the fire and grill, turning once, until seared on both sides and medium-rare inside, about 8 minutes.

  3. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for at least 5 minutes. In a bowl, combine the arugula, green onion, parsley, and feta and drizzle the remaining dressing over the top. Season with salt and pepper and toss together well. Slice the steak, arrange the slices on a platter, top with the arugula salad, and serve.