Flank Steak with Polenta, Broccoli Rabe and Sliced Tomato

We wanted something special for dinner... A trip to Eataly for inspiration and amazing ingredients was in order.  Eataly has the most amazing meat counter including wild boar, veal, rabbit, lamb and authentic Piemontese beef.   Hmmm, rabbit?  Lamb shank?  Veal Chop?  We went for the Piemontese Flank Steak, great value and boy what a treat.  Piemontese beef is special because of the species of cow, obvi from the Piedmont region in north-west Italy, these cows are prized for their beautifully tender, lean and flavorful meat.  We found some gorgeous broccoli rabe, an interesting package of course polenta (it seemed to have bits of kernels in the mix) and a perfectly ripe tomato.  Holy moley, did we have a feast!  Thank goodness I joined a new gym last week... Actually the beef was VERY lean so we're not all that bad off.  The beef from Eataly is so beautiful and tasty, I don't want to foil or mask the meaty flavor, but I do want a little bit of a sauce.  I decided to go for a simple herb viniagrette whizzed up in my favorite new kitchen toy - my new CUISINART!  (Thanks GJ.)  We had a lovely Legacy, Alexander Valley Bordeaux-style blend along with it - delish. 

 
Flank Steak with Polenta, Broccoli Rabe and Sliced Tomato
2 portions of Piemontese Flank Steak - if you can find it, otherwise regular flank steak will do
1 cup polenta
2 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
splash skim milk
1 bunch rapini
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Grana Padano (you can substitute Parmigiano-Reggiano, but Grana is more delicate, and a less salty version of dry aged Italian cheese than PR)
1 tomato, sliced
1 cup mixed herbs
salt
pep
oil

Polenta:
Get the four cups of liquid boiling in a sauce pan.  Once the liquid comes up to the boil, pour in your cup of polenta, a pinch of salt and pep.  Whisk, whisk, whisk.  If you don't get the cornmeal fully blended and lump-free at this point, you're screwed.  You won't be able to blend them out later.  Cook your polenta according to the package.  Most brands that I've come across call for 25 minutes or so.  For some reason - my packet said to cook it for "around" 90 minutes.  But the directions were in Italian, and also failed to indicate how much water to use.  Hilarious.  I decided to do my research and found that the longest cooking time I could find was 45 minutes.  Once you whisk in the polenta to the boiling liquid, knock back the temp to low/simmer.  I also looked up a variety of recipes for the amount of water to use, I opted for the water/stock versions at the 4-1 ratio.  Luckily the polenta came out beautifully.  Hey I like the option to wing it... The polenta package was written after my own heart.  Stir the polenta often so it doesn't stick to the bottom of your pan and once it's done, stir in your Grana or Parm - taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.  I also splashed in a glug of milk.  A lot of recipes I found called for cream - but not on my watch.  A little skim milk loosened up the polenta and added a little creaminess.   Done.  Hold, covered until your steak is ready.

Broccoli Rabe:
Par boil the rapini (broccoli rabe) in salted boiling water for 5 minutes.  Drain in a colander and hold until most of the water evaporated.  Pop a non-stick skillet over high heat and put a drizzle of olive oil in once the pan is hot.  Sprinkle in a hefty pinch of red pepper flakes.  Pop one of the cloves of minced garlic in the pan and swirl for a minute - don't let the garlic burn!  Brown garlic is bitter, you know that.  :)  Drop your drained broccoli rabe into the pan and saute with the garlic and oil for a few minutes.  Hold over low heat until your steak is ready.

Flank Steak:
Duh, duh DUH!  The main event.  I'm salivating as I type.  Get your non-stick pan on over high heat and dribble in some olive oil.  Dry your piece of meat off well - you know the browning theory.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper - hey, don't be too generous, no one wants high blood pressure.  Then pop your meat in the pan for a sear.  Leave for at least two minutes (untouched!) or until you can see the edges browning nicely.  Turn over and repeat.  Then pop into a 400 degree oven for another 4 or 5 minutes.  Test doneness with poking test.  Flank steak should be rare - if over done it becomes intolerably tough.  This lean, flavorful piece of meat should be eaten pink (or red) and juicy.  The poking test should reveal that the meat gives to the poke.  Clench your fist and poke your opposite index finger into the flesh between your thumb knuckle and your index knuckle.  Relax your fist so that your hand just forms a ball, the tendon between your thumb and index finger is completely relaxed and gives to your opposite finger poking it.  Feel mushy - this is raw.  Tighten your fist as tight as you can.  The flesh is taut - no give, this is well done.  Slack off the clench in your fist 50%, this is medium.  A little less is medium rare, a little more is medium-well and so on.  This is a good gauge, not rocket science, but stands in for a meat thermometer which I usually find too fussy.  A thermometer is very useful if you want to be exact OR if you're cooking for a crowd, and you're fearful that undercooked meat could make anyone sick, etc.  Otherwise use the poke test - once you get used to the feel, it works really well and is pretty dead on accurate.   Pull out your steak out when it's rare/medium-rare.  Take the steak out and let it rest on your cutting board for 10 minutes and then slice in 1/4 inch thick slices across the grain. 

Herb Viniagrete:
Pop in a cup of mixed herbs (rosemary, basil, sage, oregano, thyme, parsley,) then a glove of minced garlic, a few drops of lemon juice.   Whiz and drizzle in olive oil, salt and pepper.  

Arrange everything on a platter - pour your polenta out into a pool, align your steak slices over the polenta and then pile up your broccoli rabe on one side and the sliced tomato on the opposite... dig in.