Steak with Blood Mary Tomato Salad

This season enjoy this perfect grilled steak served with salty, tangy and somewhat spicy tomato salad. Blood mary is a very popular cocktail containing vodka but this salad is without vodka.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ‏beef flank steak, skirt or Plate steak, trimmed of any fat
• 2 tablespoons ‏light brown sugar or regular sugar
• As desired ‏salt
• 1 tablespoon ‏paprika
• 1/4 tablespoon ‏cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tablespoon ‏ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon ‏vegetable oil

For Salad

• 1/2 ‏red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup ‏olives
• 2 tablespoons ‏olive brine
• 2 ‏cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 2 stalks ‏celery, sliced very thin and diagonally
• Handful of ‏plucked celery leaves from the tops
• 2 tablespoons ‏Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tablespoons ‏prepared horseradish
• 1/2 tablespoon ‏Tabasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons ‏olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon ‏celery seeds
• As desired ‏salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. First put the flank or plate steak on a table and clean with a towel. Using a sharp knife, score both sides of the flank steak in a diamond pattern, cutting no deeper than 1/8 inch.

2. Mix paprika, light brown sugar, cayenne pepper, black pepper and oil. Add the steak In a 1-gallon zipper-lock food storage bag and close it, pressing out the air. Shake the bag for 2 minutes. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours, or up to 6 hours.

3. When waited at least 2 hours, heat a gas grill to high, prepare a charcoal high-hot fire until the coals form white ash, or heat a broiler. Remove the steak from the bag and remove excess of mix.

4. Grill or broil 4 to 6 inches from the heat source for 3 to 5 minutes on each side.

5. Remove the steak to a cutting board and let it stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Cut thin diagonal slices across the grain.

6. Prepare the quick onion pickle first. In a small bowl, combine the red onion with the olive brine (or juice). Let sit for 10 minutes.

7. In a large bowl, combine the chopped olives, tomatoes, celery and celery leaves. Add the red onion to the salad, leaving olive brine in the small bowl.

8. To create the dressing, whisk together the remaining ingredients into the olive brine. Season with black pepper. The dressing should be tangy, salty and however spicy you’d like! Add horseradish or hot sauce if desired.

9. If you’re using flank, plate or skirt steak, slice the steak ACROSS the grain. Serve steak with the Bloody Mary Tomato Salad, white rice or bake potatoes. ENJOY!