A Simple Dinner to Eat Outdoors - Grilled Steak, Grilled Lettuce and Brownies (And Maybe Toasted Marshmallows)

I‘ve always enjoyed grilling and eating outside. It somehow seems so special, especially if there is another couple or two, to have a meal outdoors watching for the first signs of sunset (and maybe if there are children involved toasting a few marshmallow over the coals as we waited).

To me the secret of cooking and serving outside is to organize the menu so there is no running back and forth from the kitchen to the grill.  I recommend cooking the steak and salad on the grill, baking some potatoes ahead of time to wrap in foil and reheat on the grill, and making Karen’s Very Chocolate Brownies for dessert (maybe topping them with some of those toasted marshmallows).

Be sure to let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing as thinly as possible against the grain (cutting perpendicular to the long meat fibers) for the juiciest and most tender results. The steak can also be cooked indoors under a broiler or in a grill pan or on an electric grill. Last time I tested this recipe I used London broil, but my favorite is with flank steak.  Skirt steak also works well. The marinade also works well on Portobello mushrooms if you are looking for a vegetarian option, but maybe you'd want to switch out the potatoes with a filling and protein-packed side dish such as quinoa

Red Wine Marinated Grilled Steak
Serves 6-8

1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup red wine
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled fine
2 lbs. flank steak,London broil or skirt steak
Vegetable oil

Mix the olive oil, wine, garlic, pepper, salt and oregano. Reserve 1/4 cup. Place the steak in a glass dish or plastic zipper storage bag. Add remaining marinade. Marinate for 2 hours, turning occasionally. Before preheating grill, brush rack with vegetable oil. Preheat grill to medium high heat, place steak on grill and discard the liquid it marinated in. Grill steak, turning and basting occasionally with the previously reserved marinade. Timing will depend on your grill and the cut of meat you are using. Cook to just slightly less done than you prefer (since it will continue to cook while it rests), remove meat to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting into very thin slices against the grain.

Grilled Lettuce Salad
Serves 4-6

Head of romaine lettuce
Vegetable oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper (or to taste)
2 Tbs. lemon juice (or to taste).

Separate and wash lettuce leaves. Shake off excess water and dry. Grease grill rack with vegetable oil. Heat grill to medium. Mix olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss with lettuce until coated. Lay lettuce flat on grill rack. Check and turn regularly until slightly wilted and charred. Take off grill, cut into bite-sized pieces and toss with lemon juice.

Karen’s Very Chocolate Brownies
Serves 12-16

1 cup vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing pan
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
1 -12 oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 11x14” baking pan. Melt unsweetened chocolate and set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Without stirring, add the oil and the eggs to the center of the flour mixture. Add the vanilla and melted chocolate. Now stir, starting slowly, then beating well until smooth and dark brown. Add chocolate chips and mix well. Pour batter into pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until edges look crisp and have shrunk slightly away from the sides of the pan. Place pan on rack and let cool. Cut into bars or squares.
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A version of this post first appeared in j. weekly.