Citrus and Steak Salad

Juicy orange and grapefruit segments brighten a steak salad for a lightened up winter meal.

Citrus and Steak Salad

We’re celebrating citrus this month: oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes are in season, and they are wonderful. These fruits add a little sunshine to my February. My frame of mind instantly brightens when the perfume of a sliced lemon hits my nose.

While fresh citrus is perfect for fruit salads such as my Sexy Citrus Fruit Salad and baking, including my Orange and Cranberry Quick Bread, it can be a welcome addition to a savory recipe, too. For example, the acidity of an orange and grapefruit cuts through a rich steak in this week’s recipe, Citrus and Steak Salad. It’s a winning combination that will set your mind toward warmer days ahead (something I need today as I watch a heavy snow fall outside my office window).

To make Citrus and Steak Salad, which yields four servings, you’ll need these ingredients:

• 1½ pounds flat iron steak

• 2 cups Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette, divided (recipe below)

• ½ cup orange segments

• ½ cup grapefruit segments

• 2 quarts baby spinach

• ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced

• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• ½ cup radish, thinly sliced

• ½ cup cucumber, thinly sliced

• ½ cup crumbled goat cheese

Directions and ingredients for Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette

• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

• 2 teaspoons orange zest

• ¼ cup lemon juice

• ½ cup balsamic vinegar

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1½ cups olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine orange juice, tangerine juice, orange zest, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, and Dijon mustard. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking vigorously. Add salt and pepper according to your taste.

What’s a flat iron steak?

A flat iron steak 1998 comes from shoulder of the animal. Yields a rich, beefy flavor. Also known as butcher’s steak it has gained popularity because it eats like an expensive cut while going easy on your budget (price near me, about $12 per pound). If it’s not in your meat case, ask your butcher to cut one for you. However, substitutes for a flat iron could be a skirt steak or flank steak. Sirloin steak is also comparable in price to a flat iron.

Directions for Citrus and Steak Salad

Place flatiron steak in container and add 1 cup citrus balsamic vinaigrette. Marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.

Heat grill (or grill pan) to medium-high heat. Grill steak to medium-rare or medium. Remove from heat and rest 5 minutes before slicing thinly.

In large mixing bowl, combine orange segments, grapefruit segments, baby spinach, red onion, cherry tomatoes, radish, and cucumber. Add remaining citrus balsamic vinaigrette, as desired, and toss well to combine.

To serve, divide salad and sliced steak among four plates and top with crumbled goat cheese. I also like to add a slice or two of crusty bread or warm garlic bread to round out the meal.

Citrus and Steak Salad is a nice switch from winter braises and stews. Give the recipe a try and let me know how it worked for you!

My citrus celebration continues next week with a sweet dessert for you, so stay tuned.

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About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.

Sexy Citrus Fruit Salad

Juicy oranges, grapefruit, and pomegranate are bathed in a Cosmopolitan-inspired dressing to create a tempting dish for a Valentine’s brunch or dinner.

Sexy Citrus Fruit Salad

What do women want for Valentine’s Day 2024? If you read magazines or websites, it’s everything from flowers or chocolate (yawn) to a scented candle (really?) to a pair of kissing coffee mugs (there’s the door, pal; don’t let it hit your behind on the way out).

While it’s true that everyone has their own love language, every woman I know would be most grateful for their man to take something off their plate, such as washing and folding a load of laundry or making them dinner. For my money, there’s nothing sexier than a man who can cook.

Call me crazy (and I’ll bet a few of you will), but I’d rather have a juicy blood orange sliced on a plate and fed to me than some goofy lace panties presented in that over-priced pink and black gift bag that will sit in my drawer from year to year.

Happily, citrus is in season and the pickings are plentiful. But until I find that culinary Prince Charming, I made my own Sexy Citrus Fruit Salad inspired by the delicious citrus fruits we have now and my favorite cocktail, the Cosmopolitan. It’s a wonderful addition to a Valentine’s Day breakfast in bed, as well as the perfect palate cleanser between courses of a home-cooked romantic dinner.

To make my Sexy Citrus Fruit Salad, which yields two servings, you’ll need these ingredients:

• 1 navel orange

• 1 pink or white grapefruit

• 1 blood orange

• 1 pomegranate or container of pomegranate seeds

• ½ ounce vodka

• ½ ounce Triple Sec

• ½ cup bottled pomegranate juice

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• Shelled pistachios for garnish

Making food for people I think is a powerful expression of love. I certainly felt that growing up in my family. Mom and Grandma made time to create nourishing and well-curated meals every day.  And fresh fruit salad was something special. It always was part of the Easter meal. Even Mom taking the time to cut the segments of our grapefruit halves were a loving gesture.

Those memories—and a killer Cosmo I enjoyed while out a few weeks ago—inspired me to whip up this quick recipe. Grab a sharp knife, a cutting board, and a kitchen towel; we’ve got magic to make!

Directions to make Sexy Citrus Salad

Cut the top and bottom off each piece of fruit. Cut off the skin and pith from the oranges and grapefruit by gently sawing from top to bottom. You can discard or check out these tips for using citrus peels .

 Slice the fruit into rounds and place in a bowl. Macerate with vodka and Triple Sec for at least 30 minutes. I used Missouri-made vodka from Cardinal Sin Distillery.

How gorgeous are these citrus slices? What amazing color. I used a Missouri-made vodka from Cardinal Sin Distillery to macerate the fruit.

Add pomegranate juice and sugar to a small saucepan and cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Reduce heat to low and let mixture simmer until it reduces by half to create a light syrup. This should take about 30 minutes. Allow mixture to cool.  

Divide fruit into two small bowls or, for extra fun, two martini classes. Drizzle with pomegranate syrup and sprinkle with pistachios and pomegranate seeds. Fresh mint leaves would also be a good garnish to this dish.

How to make the perfect Cosmopolitan

I had pomegranate juice left over, so what’s a girl to do? Make herself the perfect Cosmo, of course! This classic vodka cocktail dates to the 1930s but really came into the spotlight in the 1990s, thanks to Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw character. Traditionally made with cranberry juice, the pomegranate is a nice twist.

To make one perfect Cosmo, you’ll need:

• 1½ fluid ounces vodka

• ¼ fluid ounce fresh lime juice

• ¼ fluid ounce triple sec

• ¼ fluid ounce pomegranate juice

• 1 cup ice

• 1 slice of lime to garnish

Combine vodka, lime juice, triple sec, and cranberry juice in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, cover, and shake until cold. Serve in a chilled martini glass with your twist of lime.

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About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.

Pho-inspired Beef and Noodle Soup

A quick beef stock simmers with aromatics and warm spices and is served over rice noodles and thin beef.

Pho-inspired Beef and Noodle Soup

The best soups start with a great stock. Vegetables, rice, proteins, or noodles are good, but for me, the test of an outstanding soup is the broth. For my money, one of the world’s best soups is Vietnamese pho, and we’re highlighting this dish as our National Soup Month celebration continues.

The national dish of Vietnam, pho (pronounced fuh) is a late 19th-century invention that first showed up in northern Vietnam during French colonial times. This beautifully fragrant and restorative soup traditionally takes two days to make and involves among its steps roasting beef bones for the broth.

At least once a year, I treat myself to a bowl of traditional pho at Mai Lee Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant. I savor this treat. But I—like many people—will not spend two days making pho at home. There are loads of quicker recipes out there—one of my favorites comes from chef Jet Tila.

For this recipe, however, I’ve tweaked something from an old Weight Watchers cookbook. For my Pho-inspired Beef and Noodle Soup, quality, organic beef broth is steeped with fresh ginger and a sachet of wonderful warm spices to create an intoxicating dish that will warm your tummy and soul. Let’s get cooking!

To make Pho-inspired Beef and Noodle Soup, which makes four servings, you’ll need these ingredients:

• ¾ pound lean, trimmed sirloin

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 1 medium onion

• 2 nubs fresh ginger

• 4 cups low-sodium organic beef bone broth

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 2 star anise pods

• 10 black peppercorns

• 6 whole clove

• 1½ tablespoons fish sauce

• 4 ounces dried rice noodles, preferably rice vermicelli

• 3 scallions, sliced on bias

• 4 lime wedges

• Non-stick cooking spray

Create a beautiful beef stock with onion, ginger, and a sachet of warm spices for Pho-inspired Beef and Noodle Soup

If you’ve not cooked with fish sauce before, two things: First, a little goes a long way, and second, fresh fish sauce should be clear and a pretty amber color.

Look for thinly sliced beef in your butcher’s case. Another method is to put a sirloin steak in the freezer for 35 or 40 minutes until it’s nearly frozen and slice the meat super thin. If there’s an Asian market near you, I encourage you visit. A world of food will be revealed to you in addition to the convenience of finding all ingredients pho in one place.

For the beef stock, you can use a box or make the stock with jarred beef base. I like Penzeys beef soup base that’s available through their stores or online; Better Than Bouillon is a brand available almost everywhere and is a good substitute.

Instructions for Pho-inspired Beef and Noodle Soup

Pour the beef stock into a Dutch oven. Peel onion and cut into chunks. Add to the pot. Cut ginger into large slices (no need to peel) and add to the pot. Combine cinnamon, peppercorns, clove, and star anise in a square of cheesecloth and tie securely to make a spice sachet. Lower into pot and heat over medium to medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for 30 minutes.

As the stock simmers, spray a skillet with non-stock and bring to medium-high heat. Quickly sear the thinly sliced beef (about two minutes). Turn off pan and set aside.

When stock has finished simmering, remove the sachet, onion, and ginger. Broth should be gently infused by aromatics and spices. Salt and pepper to taste and stir in fish sauce and keep warm while you prepare noodles.

Soak rice vermicelli in a large bowl filled with room-temperature water for 5 to 15 minutes. They will be ready when limp. Divide noodles into four portions. Transfer a serving into metal mesh noodle/dumpling strainer and dip the basket into a pot of boiling water for 3 to 5 seconds. Shake off excess water and transfer to a bowl.  

Place slices of beef on top of noodles and ladle hot broth into bowl. Garnish with slices of scallion and serve with a lime wedge.

Condiments—yes or no?

It's a personal choice. At Mai Lee, pho is served with a small plate of wonderful things including sliced peppers, fresh cilantro, bean sprouts. A small cup of hoisin sauce is included to dip beef before eating. Personally, I don’t like cilantro, so fresh basil or parsley might work as an accoutrement.

How to store pho

The broth will keep a few days in an air-tight container and freezes well, too. The noodles should be made only when it’s time to serve the pho.

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About the blog

Three Women in the Kitchen is an award-winning food blog offering today’s home cooks comforting, hearty recipes with a personal touch. The website also pays tribute to Deborah’s mother, Katie Reinhardt, and paternal grandmother, Dorothy Reinhardt (the “three women” in the kitchen). Whether you’re an experienced or a novice cook, you’ll find inspiration here to feed your families and warm your heart. Subscribe today so you won’t miss a single delicious detail.