Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Greek Steak Flatbread Wraps

One of my husband's favorite meals, this is marinated flank steak (grilled in summer, broiled in winter) wrapped in a flatbread with some greens and a saucy Greek salad.

The salad is tomato, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives (one of the few flavorful varieties that are available pitted), feta, and some red onion in a quick balsamic vinaigrette.

When I use raw onions in salads I always cut them very thin with a sharp knife and then rinse them under cold water.  It takes away some of the sharpness that can take over a dish.

The flank steak, marinated overnight in salt, balsamic, a touch of brown sugar, lots of garlic, and a little red wine.  After broiling I let it rest, then slice it thin and toss the slices back onto the juices on the broiling sheet to get all that good flavor. 

This is a pretty quick dinner if you use pita bread.  I felt like cooking, though, so I made breads.  First I made a "sponge" of a few tablespoons flour and about a cup of warm water.  That sits for an hour or so to give the yeast a chance to get going.

Next, salt, olive oil, and the rest of the flour are added and it gets kneaded.  Such a little bit of dough is easier to do by hand than cleaning the mixer, I find.

This is the "smooth and elastic" ball of dough before rising...

And after about 45 minutes.  I cut it into 6 pc and roll it out into rough circles about as thick as one of those floor puzzle pieces- pretty thin.  

If you try to work  the risen dough into balls to get perfect circles, you will have to let it rest again before you will be able to roll it out.  Dough seizes up when worked and your rounds will sort of shrivel back in if the dough is not sufficiently relaxed when you go to roll it out.  

Then throw it right on your griddle or cast iron skillet.  It cooks quick.  You can roll the next one out while they cook.  Probably no more than 2 minutes for both sides. 

As they come off the stove, wrap them in a clean towel to stay warm and pliable.  I cooked the breads while the steak was resting.  Fresh cooked breads are awesome.


No comments: