What's cooking: Thai beef

I made this the other night when I was fresh out of inspiration and with only limited ingredients on hand. Imagine that. I let my inspiration be how sorry I'm feeling for my self these days since we're heading in on the school auction I am co-chairing (thank the gods for my ass-kicking, totally competent, good-at-talking-off-the-ledge co-chair whose is also just a damn good friend: I'd be toast without her). Pasta has always been a comfort food for me, but I had made that the night before, and things weren't quite bad enough to justify consecutive nights of it. So I went to my comfort food runner up: rice. Brown rice is nice, but when I'm bumming, it's just got to the good old white stuff.

I've modified this recipe from one for Thai beef salad, where the beef is served over romaine lettuce. I'm not a huge beef eater, but when I eat it I prefer it lean, not too rare, and well-seasoned. I had a flank steak but didn't have time to marinade it. The vinaigrette in this recipe provides an effective cheat and works just fine.

Preheat the grill and get the rice going first. 

THAI BEEF WITH LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Rinse, pat dry, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt a flank steak. Grill, let rest, and slice thinly against the grain. Or thinly slice any leftover roast beef you can find in your fridge.

While the meat is grilling, make the vinaigrette by combining

3 tablespoon Asian fish sauce

3 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sugar

lemon zest from above lemons (might as well use it, right?)

a couple stalks of green garlic, minced (or use a single clove of mature garlic)

small bunch of fresh mint, minced

Pour marinade over sliced beef. Add

carrot cut with a zester (you've still got it out from zesting the lemons, right?)

sliced green onions

 Let this sit while you make a salad. I was too lazy to make a vegetable side dish, so I just upped the veg. content on my salad by adding carrots, turnip, radish, green onion, and jicama to add to my standard romaine with balsamic vinaigrette. Did I mention I find chopping thing up very therapeutic? Must be the carbs.

Serve the beef over rice. It really did make me feel better.