Mediterranean Dinner

Oh yum, tonight’s dinner was delicious!

We had Mediterranean steak, with fried eggplant and bruschetta. Here’s how I made it.

Steak Marinade:
4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T Rosemary
2 T Thyme
2 T chopped garlic
2 T Balsamic Vinegar (here’s my absolute favorite kind, we get it at TJMAXX!)
1.5 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground pepper

I dumped it all into a freezer zip loc baggie with the flank steak. Then I stuck it in the freezer until I was ready for it. A week later I stuck it in the fridge and the day after that was ready to use it.

Make sure you set your baggie out on the counter about an hour before you’re ready to cook the steak. Then get to grilling! We live in an apartment, so have a George Foreman grill. We just heated it up, cooked the steak for 4 minutes, flipped it and then another 4 minutes. (I like to flip it, I don’t know why).

I’ve always heard to slice flank steak against the grain, and never really knew what that meant, so headed to the internet for help. This video makes it easy to see.

Fried Eggplant:
1 Eggplant (peeled and sliced into coins)
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
3 T Italian Seasoning
1 egg (whisked)
1/2 cup flour
EV Olive Oil
salt and pepper

You want three different bowls to dip in this order- 1. Flour with salt and pepper 2. Egg 3. Panko with Italian seasoning
After dipping the eggplant into each bowl, place into a heated pan with a few Tablespoons of EVOO. I fried about 6 at a time on medium, flipping them with tongs when they were golden. After they’re golden on both sides, place onto a couple paper towels while you fry some more. After some of the oil is absorbed, transfer them to a cookie sheet. Once they’re all on the cookie sheet, transfer to the oven at 375 for a few minutes. You may want to salt them slightly after.

Bruschetta:
1 Tomato
2 T Balsamic Vinegar
6 leaves fresh Basil
1 tsp Garlic Salt
salt and pepper
2 T Cream Cheese
1/4 c Feta crumbled
Bread
EVOO

Chop the tomato and basil then dump in a small bowl. Mix with the garlic salt, vinegar and salt and pepper.

In another bowl mix the cream cheese, feta and lemon juice.

Slice your bread, I used no knead bread that I had left over from Eric’s b-day, just cut the slices into thirds. French bread of course works best. Using a brush or your fingers spread one side of each slice with olive oil. Stick in the over (oil side up) for about 5 minutes on 375. Take it out, spread with cheese mix, top with tomato mix, voila!