The far-traveled Romans were well acquainted with sweet spices and pepper. When the empire fell these spices no longer reached Western Europe. It wasn’t until after the year 100 that Venice acquired exclusive rights in the Near East and became the dominant spice marketplace in Europe for the next 400 years. Spices were held in such esteem that they served as stable exchange when the value of coins was in doubt. Also, a gift of spices was a valuable bribe to give to an Italian official. Here we use spices to dry-marinate flank steak and contrast flavors with the bright sweet-sour taste of grapefruit.

Trim steak of excess fat or silvery “skin”. In a small bowl combine all of the seasonings. Pat them into the steak, wrap the steak in plastic wrap and marinade in refrigerator for at lest 2 hours or up to two days.

One hour before serving, peel the grapefruits of the skin and separate into segments. Remove any white membrane or pith. Dry the segments on a paper towel.

Preheat broiler or grill.

Broil or grill the steak to medium rare. Let the steak cool for 15 minutes. Slice very thinly against the grain. Wrap the grapefruit sections with the steak slices and arrange on a serving plate. Serve at room temperature.

Makes 10 servings