Everybody Eats: Old favorite rejoins dinner rotation

You know how some families have dinner traditions? When I was little, it was French night. It consisted of French bread, cheese and fruit - an incredibly simple meal that pleased everyone, especially my mother.

Cooking every night for a family of eight is a thankless job.

My family is half that size, but the numbers really don't matter when dinner is a meal that must be made every night. An editor once told me the best way to get out of a rut is to take on a new project. I've had a few kitchen mishaps with recipes recently, so I decided to take a twist on that, revisiting some old 'new” recipes instead.

I first made Southwest Beef Salad with Cornbread Croutons about the same time I decided to stop battling my son over his eating habits. He's always been picky, but after years of threats and bargains around the dinner table, I had enough. He was allowed to make his own dinner if he didn't like what I made.

There was one stipulation. He had to at least try the dinner I prepared first. Imagine my surprise when I served this recipe and he ate the steak, the lettuce, one of the croutons and even tried a bite of red pepper. At the time, I felt like a shoo-in for Mother of the Year.

Four years have passed since this recipe rejoined my dinner rotation. I still think of it as the meal that made my son ... well, not an adventurous eater, but he no longer makes a separate meal at dinner time - a tradition I was happy to leave behind.

SOUTHWEST BEEF SALAD WITH CORNBREAD CROUTONS

10 ounces store-made cornbread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 pound flank steak, trimmed

Salt and pepper

7 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup lime juice (two limes)

1 jalapeno chili, stemmed, seeded and chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 heads bibb lettuce, leaves torn into bite-sized pieces

1 red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded, sliced thin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat rimmed backing sheets with vegetable oil spray and spread cornbread cubes in even layer on the sheet.

Coat cubes with oil spray and bake until crispy, about 15 to 18 minutes. Stir halfway through baking.

Pat steak dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat one tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet and heat over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook steak until meat registers 125 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

Process remaining 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in food processor until smooth. Transfer 1/3 cup dressing to large bowl and toss with lettuce and pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.

Slice steak thin against grain. Transfer lettuce mixture to serving plate, top with steak and croutons, and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Source:

'America's Test Kitchen Simple Weeknight Favorites” (America's Test Kitchen; 2012)