Brightly-colored Thai beef salad

I meant to blog about this dish when I first made it, but now that I've tried it twice I can assure you it was no fluke the first time. I could make this once a week and be happy with it. And, I think it would be great for an outdoorsy potluck. Come on over. I'll make it for you.

Also exciting: we have enough lettuce in the garden to make an entire salad! Plus lots of arugula, and radishes, cilantro, fennel, chives, scallions (or something oniony I've been using as scallions -- whatever the old owner left us).

Pardon the bloody beef pics, you vegans and vegetarians. Marinated tofu would be great instead, though I can't imagine a comparable vegan substitute for the fish sauce in the dressing.

And for future reference: fish sauce is a questionable predecessor to whipped cream. Tonight we had this before strawberry shortcake. Although Brian said both were delicious, I think I'll opt for a mango sorbet or something more Thai-appropriate next time. (As if I really plan my dinner along with coordinating desserts.)

Thai beef salad

From Everyday Food, May 2010

For beef:

• 2 T soy sauce
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 12 oz flank steak (8oz is plenty if you're making this for two people)

Combine and marinate overnight in the refrigerator or for ~15 minutes on the counter. Heat a heavy pan over high, place steak in and turn to medium. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side, for medium-rare steak. Let rest while you prepare the salad.

For salad, toss:

• Enough lettuce to make the size salad you want, of whatever variety you want. The magazine says 2 heads of bibb lettuce. I used a large bowl full of assorted Very Fancy Raven's Garden lettuce.
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 C cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 carrots, shaved with a vegetable peeler
• 1/4 C fresh mint + 1/4 C fresh basil (or whatever herbs you want. Cilantro? Fennel? Sure.)
• Oh, I also used about 1 C shredded red cabbage the first time I made this.

For dressing, stir together:

2 tsp fish sauce

2 tsp toasted sesame oil (which I bought only for this, but is amazing)

2 tsp sugar

1 T minced fresh ginger

1 small minced jalepeno (I used less than half and it was plenty)

2 T lime juice.

Toss dressing with salad. Slice rested steak thinly, then add to salad. Eat.

Eating (very) local

The garden grows slowly. Tiny lettuces, broccoli leaves, and carrot tops are nowhere near harvest, but a few things are actually ready for the table: I pulled my first radish today (and ate it in the kitchen: spicy and crisp), and the cilantro has just enough leaves to sprinkle a few over tomato salad.

We also have large, rumpled bushes of chives that were already here when we moved in. They have lots of purple flowers, but plenty of usable stems if you pick through them. I've used them on salad, eggs, and over chicken. The easiest way I've found to mince herbs is with kitchen scissors.

My New Motto for Spring

I like this poster. It makes me want to pull up all the grass in our front yard and start a veggie garden (hopefully my husband is not reading this).


I started some of Renee's Garden "Rainbow Blend" heirloom tomato seeds indoors about 2 weeks ago which I will hopefully find time to blog about soon. Some might be an understatement. I planted over 50 seeds. 52 to be exact. Oops. I may very well be able to quit my job and become a full-time tomato farmer. The little seedlings have already begun to sprout, and I need to start moving them out of their tiny seed starter trays and into some larger containers. That's my project this weekend. I can't bring myself to abort them, so I will be looking for homes for the little seedlings soon. If you know of anyone that wants a beautiful, healthy tomato plant, let me know. I just want to make sure they find good homes.