This quick and tasty dinner is adapted from a recipe in Chrisopher Kimball’s Milk Street.  I have cut the ingredients down to make 2 servings, which we enjoyed with a small focaccia.  It is a quick recipe suitable for weekdays.  The only time-consuming step is to semi-freeze the meat to make it easier to cut into thin slices.

8-12 oz. steak

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2.5 oz. baby arugula

½ pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered

1/8 red onion, thinly sliced

½ Tbs. lemon juice

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Shaved Parmesan cheese

Put the steak uncovered on a plate and put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes to semi-freeze.  Cut it against the grain into ¼ inch slices.  Season the slices with salt and pepper.

Put on a platter the arugula, tomatoes, and red onion.  Add the lemon juice and 1 Tbs. of olive oil and toss.

In a large skillet, heat the other Tbs. of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about a minute.  Add the steak slices in a single layer.  Cook them for 3 minutes without moving them and then flip them over and cook them for another minutes.  Remove them with tongs and put them on top of the salad.  Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and deglaze it.  It will quickly reduce.  Pour the reduced vinegar on top of the steak on the platter.  Shave some Parmesan on top of the salad and toss it.  Check to see if more oil and/or vinegar is needed and serve immediately.  Enjoy with a nice bread.