This is one of the more fun things that I cook. It is easiest with some assistance from
ukelele, but the rest of you will just have to find someone else, or do without, because you can't have her.
You will need
- 1 lb flank steak
- 2 red bell peppers
- 100 sq. in. fresh basil
- Some good parmesan cheese
- Some balsemic vinegar
- A small pan
- A very hot flat surface, sich as a cast-iron skillet
- A baking pan
- A cutting board, wrapped in saran wrap
- A brick, wrapped in aluminum foil
Put the vinegar in the small pan and put it on the stovetop at the lowest setting to reduce.
Put the peppers in the baking pan and put it under the broiler.
Slice a quarter-cup or so of cheese into thin, thin, almost paperlike slices.
Slice the flank steak as thin as you can manage.
Turn the peppers. They should be looking black on the side that was facing the broilers.
Roll up and cut the basil so that it is in thin streamers.
Get the surface nice and hot.
Turn the peppers again.
One by one, take the slices of flank, put them on the cutting board, and press the brick on top of them until they are thin sheets. Then take the sheet, lay it flat on the hot surface, and watch carefully. After about ten seconds, it will visibly twitch; remove it instantly with a spatula.
At some point in this process, turn the peppers.
At the end of this process, remove the peppers. The skin should be black and stiff. Remove skin, stem, seeds, and ribs. Slice the flesh.
Lay the meat on a couple of plates, pink side up, one layer thick. lightly sprinkle with salt and freshly-cracked black pepper. Lay the cheese on this. Lay any remaining meat on this. Then basil, then peppers. Finally, drizzle the reduced vinegar over the whole assembly.
Serves two or three. Eat immediately.