By Tracey Black
Father’s Day coincides with the start of summer, so a grilled steak is the perfect way to celebrate Dad and enjoy a great bottle of wine with el fresco dining. You can take on the grilling yourself or let Dad take up his rightful place at the BBQ while you whip up this wonderfully easy and delicious dinner.
Serve with grilled potatoes, your favourite baguette or forgo the carbs for an extra glass of wine. Be sure to make this recipe a jumping-off point to your summer as it’s easy to put together on the fly post-golf game on the weekend or during the work week. The recipe is adapted to summer’s harvest and other pantry ingredients such as your craved oils and vinegars, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, blue or feta cheese and fancy mustards.
Grilled Steak with Arugula, Tomato and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Serves 6
3 strip loin steaks – 1 inch thick
½ lb baby arugula
1.5 cups cherry tomatoes sliced in half
Vinaigrette
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper
To prepare the vinaigrette, simply shake the ingredients in a sealed container. Layer arugula and tomatoes on a platter or individual plates.
Bring steaks to room temperature and preheat grill to high. Brush steaks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill each side for 4 minutes (for medium rare with internal temperature 130-135oF) and let rest for 5 minutes.
Slice the steak along the short side and place on top of arugula. Drizzle approximately 1 oz vinaigrette per serving on steak and serve.
Natalie’s Wine Pairings:
Yalumba Patchwork Shiraz 2008
Extra Dry
750 ml
14.5%
Drink: 2012-2015
$21.95
Errazuriz Max Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Dry
750 ml
14.%
Drink: 2012-2015
$17.95
This recipe was created by Tracey Black, chef and owner of Epicuria, a retail fine food store and full service caterer located at 357 St. Laurent Boulevard (just north of Montreal Road ), Ottawa, Ontario. Telephone: 613-745-7356.
Visit Tracey Black’s wine and food blog Epicuria.
