Here's a quick and easy recipe that has become a bit of a signature piece for me over the years. It's got great flavor, great presentation, provides a hearty entree, and takes very little time to prepare. This is a recipe I've modified from one that I learned way back during my time in grad school. It is:

Allan's World Famous Garlic Ginger Flank Steak

First, you make the marinade. Combine:

* 1/2 cup dark soy sauce (none of this "lite" crap)
* 1/2 teaspoonful (or so) of spicy hot sesame oil (Mongolian Fire Oil will do, too)
* 1/2 bulb of garlic, which you will crush fresh with your own press (none of this pre-crushed nonsense)
* A few tablespoonfuls of diced ginger. Dice it as fine as you can manage manually; don't crush it to a pulp with a machine

That's it. That's the marinade. If you're any good at peeling and mincing the garlic, you can have this whipped up in ten minutes or less.

Next, take the meat:

1 1/2 to 2 lbs. flank steak

Score the flank steak on both sides with a knife. Put it in a glass pan, and mash half of the marinade into one side. Flip it over, and mash the rest of the marinade into the other side.

Let stand for anywhere from a half hour to a few hours. I've occasionally allowed a steak to marinate in the fridge for a couple of days, but the maximum benefit appears to be hit after one day. Three hours is actually very effective.

Okay, so you've prepared the marinade, and you've prepared the steak. Now, when you're about ready to eat, you can either fire up the grill or turn your oven on to the "Broil" setting. Broil (or grill) for seven minutes. Flip the steak over. Broil (or grill) it for another seven minutes.

Ta-da! You now have a perfectly cooked, medium-rare flank steak that will be oh-so-tender and oh-so-tasty.

Cut the steak against the grain into strips and serve.

Serve with garlic bread, salad (romaine-lettuce works particularly well), and optionally a pasta side-dish. And if you're so inclined, a good red wine, naturally.

Variations:

Try cutting the garlic fine with a knife instead of using a garlic press. Produces a different flavor, and brings out the ginger. (This is Paulette's prefered variation.)

Try smoking with hickory wood chips on your grill or on a smoker. The hickory does mute the garlic flavor a bit, but it all works quite well together.