While I haven’t been to Hillstone’s in ages, (even before the Pandemic, I couldn’t stand the crowds), I do miss this salad. I tried to re-create it at home, but it never tasted exactly right until I found this recipe online at La Dolce Vita, written by Fred Bollaci, known as the Healthy Gourmet. I had leftover steak and a beautiful Mallika mango from my tree (one of only 3 I’ve had this year), so I had most of the makings for this salad.

I didn’t have ramen or lo mein noodles, so subbed angel hair pasta and didn’t have arugula or watercress (although I love both!) so subbed Romaine and spinach. Don’t skip the herbs, however, as they really add another, fresh, dimension to this salad. If you’re not a steak-lover, this salad would also work great with leftover pork or chicken. This is the perfect salad for Miami Foodies this summer. The temperatures have been brutal, so who wants to heat up the kitchen? Even my meat and potatoes husband Zeke, enjoyed this sweet, savory and spicy salad for dinner. I hope you will too.

Houston’s Thai Steak and Noodle Salad

Serves 4

Steak

1 1/2 inch ginger, peeled, finely chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 garlic powder

1/4 olive oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

3/4 pound filet mignon steaks, 1 inch thick

Kosher salt

Dressing

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup hot chili paste (I used sriracha)

1/4 cup peanut oil

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Kosher salt

Salad and Assembly

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 large mango, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 bunch arugula, leaves torn

1/2 bunch watercress, tough stems removed

2 medium carrots, finely shredded

2 scallions, chopped

2 cups finely shredded savoy cabbage

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, cut into 1 inch piences

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup torn basil leaves

1/4 cup torn mint leaves

1/4 cup crumbled toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes (I skipped this)

1/4 cup finely chopped, salted, roasted peanuts, plus more for serving

Lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation:

Steak

Whisk ginger, soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Whisking constantly, gradually add olive oil, then sesame oil. Transfer to a small resealable plastic bag and add steaks. Close bag, pressing air out and turn steak to coat. Chill at least 6 hours and up to 12.

Prepare grill for medium heat. Remove steaks from marinade and pat dry. Season lightly with salt. Grill, turning every 2 minutes, until lightly charred all over and the temperature in the thickest part reads 12o, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before cutting into 1″ pieces.

Dressing

Whisk lime juice, chili paste, peanut oil, fish sauce, sugar, honey and garlic in a small bowl to combine. Taste and season with salt if desired.

Salad and Assembly

Cook noodles in a small pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking. Toss with oil in a large bowl. Add mango, arugula, watercress, carrots, scallions, cabbage, tomatoes and dressing and toss to coat. Add steak, avocado, cilantro, basil, mint, coconut flakes and 1/4 cup peanuts. Gently toss to combine. Top with additional peanuts and sere with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Divide salad among plates, piling as high as possible. Top with additional peanuts and serve with lime wedges.

Recipe by Hillstone Restaurant Group

Up Next: Foods to Always Have in the Freezer, Mango Mania.

The other night I approached an elderly lady who travels to Italy each year in the month of May (the same month as my Italian aunts would visit). I went to whisper in her ear. She pulled away violently from me: “Don’t kiss me!” she shuddered. I leaned in and whispered to her, “Isn’t it sad that Italy is closed?” and she nodded yes. I walked away.

It’s not that I had a trip planned to Italy, or anything like that, but the realization that I CAN’T visit Italy now is incredibly sad to me and also, kind of unbelievable. The fact that the cafe’s, trattorias, bars, piazzas, coffee houses, museums, galleries, shops and parks are closed to the public, that spots once filled with people- St. Marks Square, the Spanish steps in Rome, Saint Peter’s Square- now look like ghost towns, is just sad, sad, sad.

My favorite part of an Italian trip years ago with my sister and our daughters, was how all the inhabitants of the little Tuscan town (San Casciano de Bagni) where we were staying would gather in the piazza in the late afternoon. Old women holding hands, older and younger couples walking arm in arm, young children with their parents, would all come out before dinner, to stroll, talk and spend time together. And now, just like that, gone. Finito.

After playing a tennis match Tuesday, I found out the rest of our season has been cancelled, so that match (unbeknownst to me) was my last. That seems like nothing when compared to everything else that’s going on. The Miami Open’s tennis tournament is cancelled, Ultra (a blessing to some) silenced, Miami-Dade schools are closed and Disney World, where I was supposed to take my grandson Wyatt this month, is closing, along with countless other events/places. Today it was announced Golf’s Grand Dame, the Masters is being postponed, as is the Boston Marathon, the first time in it’s history.

It seems as if the world is coming to an end.

I took my son Christopher to Italy around five years ago. We visited Rome, Florence, Siena and Sorrento. His favorite meal was a huge antipasto plate we ate in Florence, before going to see the David at the Academia. We took the train from Florence to Naples and then to Sorrento, where we were staying. After a crazy train trip and shuttle to our hotel, we finally checked in, got settled and took our glasses of wine onto the balcony. We watched the sun set over Mt. Vesuvius. It was stunning.

The next day we went to Capri and spent the day walking around admiring the amazing views, eating pizza with zucchini blossoms and fresh mozzarella and being followed around by a little dog Christopher named Luigi. We had a wonderful day. As we waited for the ferry to take us back to Sorrento, I had an Aperol Spritz.

Aperol is a liqueur invented in 1919, based on an infusion of selected herbs and roots. It’s also called a Spritz Veneziano and is typically served in a wine glass and garnished with an orange slice.

It’s an easy drink to make yourself. I suggest you make one and enjoy it in the seclusion (and safety) of your backyard, with a nice antipasto plate. It’s orange color, reminiscent of the brilliant sunset in Sorrento, is a harbinger of things to come. La Dolce Vita, the sweet life of Italy, with kisses and hugs and pinches, will one day return and so will our own normal lives; when it does, we will appreciate it all the more.

“Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life.” Anna Akhmatova

Aperol Spritz

3 ounces Proscecco

2 ounces Aperol

Splash of Soda Water (preferably Italian)

Put ice in wine glass. Add Aperol, Prosecco, sparkling water and garnish with an orange slice.