Insurance, Brexit,

Ouch, I have just paid our car and home insurance. Gosh that hurts every year. I could pay monthly but we prefer to get it over and done with, I put money aside for it mind you rather than have to suddenly turn round and find a large sum of money. One insurance company we had, split it into 3 payments a year which was better. I don't know if they still do it, but in England we used to have a declining insurance so long as we didn't claim. People used to do all they could to avoid losing that benefit. Of course, we only have to insure the contents of our home as we live in a rented apartment.

I was hoping the final results of the British referendum on whether to stay in the European Union or

not, would be in before I went to bed. I saw one comment that it is considered people don't really understand what they are voting for. If the final vote is for exit, it will make me pretty glad not to live there any more although an exit vote will apparently have repercussions on this part of the world too. These days a country trying to stand alone is nonsensical, especially such a small country. OK we were once great, but that is a looong time ago. I just read that Sunderland, where Matt was born, have voted to leave the EU. Damn fools. It seems that at the moment the vote is swinging that way, the majority want to leave. I gather it is going to be a close result. I hadn't realised this was why the politician Jo Cox was shot. I cannot believe that something like that would happen in the UK. Place must have changed considerably since I lived there.

I have been cooking a lot of skirt steak recently, it is delicious if properly prepared and cut across the grain. Of course I would probably serve asparagus with it whilst it is still in season. Not long to go now unfortunately.

Herb-Marinated Steak with Tomato, Onion, and Herb Salad

By Elana Karp and Suzanne Dumaine

From Plated: Weeknight Dinners, Weekend Feasts, and Everything in Between

Serves 2, with leftovers for 2

Skirt steak is an ideal cut for quickly soaking up flavor (and then cooking in even less time), plus it will hold up all week long. Marinated onions and tomatoes soften as they sit and make for especially great leftovers in sandwiches, on their own as a salad, or, in this case, tucked into a gyro.

Ingredients 

1 sprig fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh oregano

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 clove garlic

2 lemons

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1½ pounds skirt steak

5 beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes, or 2 cups grape tomatoes (whatever’s in season)

1 small red onion

¼ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley

¼ bunch fresh basil

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for the Steak Gyros with Yogurt Sauce

2 large pitas

¾ cup Greek yogurt

Leftover steak

Leftover tomato, onion, and herb salad

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions for the Herb-Marinated Steak with Tomato, Onion, and Herb Salad

1. Roughly chop the rosemary, oregano, and thyme leaves. Roughly chop the garlic. Zest 1 lemon and halve both.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the rosemary, oregano, thyme, garlic,
 lemon zest, juice of 1 lemon, and the crushed red pepper. While whisking, slowly add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add to a large resealable plastic bag along with the steak, shake to coat, and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

3. While the steak marinates, cut the tomatoes into ½-inch wedges 
(or halve them, if using grape). Halve the onion and slice it as thinly as possible. Pick the parsley and basil leaves from the stems.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the juice of the remaining lemon and
 2 tablespoons olive oil to make the dressing. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.
5. Heat a grill to medium-high or a grill pan over medium-high heat.
 Remove the steak from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off. Season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. When the grill or pan is hot, add the steak and cook until browned on the outside and medium-rare, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and set aside to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before thinly slicing against the grain.
6. While the steak rests, add the tomatoes, onion, parsley, basil, and feta
 to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. 
Before serving, set aside half the steak and half the tomato salad and save for leftovers. Store separately in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.

7. Serve the steak with the salad alongside

Have a great day