Spiced Steak Caesar

Ed Note: We're going to put this entire recipe and photos up tonight on the site after we cook and photograph it one more time, but we couldn't resist adding it here today. This is an awesome dish -- relatively easy to prepare and a SURE hit. Also keep an eye for David Borzo's wine pairings with this dish.

Here's one of my favorite recipes!
The first bite is always a surprise to the taste buds. The fennel and thyme provide huge flavors that stand out from the caesar salad dressing.

For as many times as I've done this recipe I haven't brought my prep time down to 15 minutes. It's still hovering around 25 to 30 minutes. Crushing the fennel is the most time consuming process. I also like to mince my own garlic. To speed up the prep time hit the grocery store for these items:
-jar of minced garlic
-bottle of your favorite caesar salad dressing
We highly recommend Martin Brother's Calamata Feta
-two bags of Romaine or caesar salad lettuce
-jar of fennel seeds
-jar of ground thyme

Spices don't hold their flavor as long as we'd like them to, so if your fennel or thyme are over a year old think about a new jar.

Spiced Steak Caesar
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon fennel seeds, crushed
2 teaspoons dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 pound flank steak
1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/2 cup Basic Caesar Dressing, (recipe follows)

Mix garlic, fennel seeds, thyme, salt 1/2 teaspoonpepper and 1/2 teaspoonoil in a small bowl. Rub over flank steak. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak, cook 5 minutes on each side for medium rare, until internal temperature registers 145 degrees F, or until desired doneness. Place romaine in a large bowl. Add Parmesan, remaining 1 teaspoon pepper and dressing; toss to coat. Divide salad equally among 4 plates. Slice steak into thin slices across grain at a 45 degree angle. Arrange over salad.

Basic Caesar Dressing
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons juiced (about 1/2 cup)
2 canned anchovy fillets
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, press
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Place oil, lemon juice, anchovy fillets and Worcestershire sauce in a blender, Whirl until smooth. Stir in garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper. Refrigerate, tightly covered, up to several days. I recently cooked the flank steak on the grill instead of in the frying pan. I seared both sides of the flank steak over high heat and then moved it over to the medium low heat area of the grill for 5-6 minutes perside. I had a foil packet of water soaked hickory woodchips that added a light flavor of smoke to the meat.This didn't make the recipe as quick and easy, but if you're a grilling fiend, it's a fun alternative.

Clean up:
Skillet
Cutting Board
Small bowl used for mixing up the spices
Clean up time may depend on your choice of skillets.
There'll be some excess garlic and fennel in the pan
that'll take a little time to clean. Cutting boardwill be a juicy mess.