Be sure to read these b-4 cooking The real first step is to make the Napa Cabbage Slaw

Here are a couple of easy ideas for using leftover grilled steak and cabbage slaw. Summer soup: Simmer some of the cooked slaw in vegetable broth or chicken stock. For a thin soup, use about 1/2 cup of the slaw per serving; for a heartier version, use about 1 cup per serving.

Season with a dollop of the barbecue sauce. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add finely chopped or shredded grilled flank steak, about 1/4 cup per serving, and cooked fresh Chinese noodles, to taste. Pita sandwich: Combine leftover cabbage slaw and finely sliced flank steak; season with barbecue sauce. Heat on stove or in a microwave. Fill pita bread halves with the mixture. Add a dash of hot sauce, then top with sliced cucumbers and chopped tomatoes.

Or, substitute rice paper for the pita breads. Refresh the rice paper in cold water, then top with the slaw/steak mixture (at room temperature), the hot sauce, cucumbers and tomatoes. Roll up and enjoy. the hot sauce, cucumbers and tomatoes. Roll up and enjoy.

Author's Notes: When I was growing up in Pleasanton, a family summer favorite was barbecued flank steak.

Magically marinated and cooked over the coals, it was probably our second- favorite hot-weather meal behind hamburgers and hot dogs. Hey, we were young!

But this simple dish took a quantum leap when my mother and her friend Gloria started a successful local catering business. Thus was born the Flank Steak Roulade infinitely more elegant than just a slab of beef.

I remember watching in awe as that dynamic duo synchronized the filling and rolling. Rolling that was the secret. If you rolled the bundle too loose, it would fall apart when cooked and cooled.

When I graduated from audience to assistant, I got the job of securing these tender rolls with toothpicks ``Remember, always three toothpicks, always three. .'' Many roulades later I discovered that those ringing words were important after cooking and cooling the roulades, you always knew to remove three toothpicks, ensuring safety for unwary eaters.

Later, when I was catering on my own, a modified Flank Steak Roulade appeared on countless menus, in countless variations.

For easy eating throughout the week, follow this plan: First, buy and marinate extra flank steak. Your first night's entree will be Grilled Whole Flank Steak but don't make it first.

***The real first step is making the Napa Cabbage Slaw, which shows up in several guises. The second step is forming the roulade. Now it's time to grill.

For convenience, cook all the meat at the same time: the roulade and the thin piece of flank steak, which will be saved for later in the week, and tonight's steak, which you'll serve with reheated slaw.

In a day or so, when you're ready for the roulade, you'll find that assembly is a matter of minutes. Simply spread soft lavash (an Armenian flat bread) with a wild mixture of cream cheese, wasabi and pickled ginger; wrap it tight around the roulade; and chill briefly before slicing.

The final meal is even easier. It's a main-dish salad of romaine lettuce, slices of the reserved grilled steak, and fresh fruit: mango, orange and grapefruit.

Layered atop a bed of rice noodles and moistened with a zesty vinaigrette (which is seasoned with a bit of the remaining barbecue sauce), it's another no-cook winner. By: DAN BOWE, Special to The SF Chronicle