Everything Grilled Salad with Tuscan-Style Steak

Everything Grilled Salad with Tuscan-Style Steak

Ingredients

  • Eight 1/2-inch-thick shell or sirloin steaks (about 31/2 pounds total)

  • 5-6 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped (about 8 sprigs)

  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for liberal drizzling

  • 2 large beets, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick

  • 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced 1/2-inch thick

  • 1 bunch scallions, trimmed

  • 1 pound asparagus (not pencil thin), trimmed of tough ends

  • 4 medium portobello mushroom caps

  • 3 tablespoons orange or apricot preserves

  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (eyeball it)

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (eyeball it)

  • 1 bag pre-washed arugula (5 ounces or about 4 cups), chopped

  • 2 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped

  • 8 ounces ricotta salata cheese, crumbled

Directions

Pre-heat the grill or a large grill pan over high heat. In a large roasting pan, place the steaks in a single layer and coat evenly with the rosemary, then season with salt and pepper and drizzle with EVOO. In a medium size pot of boiling, salted water, simmer the beets until tender, 5-6 minutes, then drain. Place the beets on a baking sheet or large platter with the fennel, scallions and asparagus and drizzle liberally with EVOO; add the mushrooms and use a pastry brush to coat evenly with EVOO. Season with salt and pepper and grill until well marked (a couple of minutes for the beets, scallions and asparagus; a few minutes on each side for the fennel and mushrooms). Remove the vegetables from the grill and let cool. Thickly slice the mushrooms and halve the fennel slices.

Grill the steaks for 2-3 minutes on each side for medium-rare doneness, then let rest for about 5 minutes before thinly slicing. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the preserves, vinegar and lemon juice, then slowly whisk in the 1/3 cup EVOO in a thin stream. Toss the arugula and romaine with half of the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Top the salad with the grilled vegetables and drizzle the remaining dressing around the salad. Top with the ricotta salata crumbles. Serve the sliced steak alongside the salad.