Tag flank steak

Say Hello to Your New Favorite Spring Recipe: Seared Flank Steak

Are you ready for the juiciest flank steak you’ve ever had? I know those are big words, but I firmly believe you’ll love this recipe as much as we did. Created by Chef David Herman (catch him at your next hands-on cooking party, if you’re lucky!), this recipe made it’s first appearance at our Spring Recipe Testing. It was gone far too soon and left our team craving more. If you’re having doubts about the validity of these statements, take a look at this beauty:
Seared Flank Steak

You can’t tell me the tender slices of meat, the rich red wine jus, and tangy giardiniera don’t have your mouth watering. Fine. Try it for yourself, and be grateful that we’re sharing. I’m sure after the first bite you won’t be so willing.

The Aftermath

Seared Flank Steak with Red Wine Jus and Spring Vegetable Giardiniera
Similar recipes can be found in our Main Dish Library!

Ingredients
Giardiniera (makes about 2 1/2 cups):
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 bunch fresh oregano sprigs
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1/2 cup fresh cauliflower florets, coarsely chopped
3 asparagus, cut into ¼ inch pieces
1/2 Lemon (for juicing)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Steak:
4 pounds flank steak (You can substitute eggplant steaks for vegetarians)
1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 Tablespoon dried oregano (crushed in your palm)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 Tablespoons canola oil

Red Wine Jus:
1 cup red wine (preferably Italian)
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup demi-glace (You can sub a vegetable stock for a vegetarian sauce)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (You can leave this out for a vegetarian sauce)
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Methods/Steps
Prepare Pickling Liquid: In a sauce pan, mix together the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, garlic, oregano sprigs, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Prepare Vegetables: Chop the peppers, onion, celery, carrot, cauliflower and asparagus. Place the vegetables into a bowl and cover with the hot pickling liquid. Stir and set aside for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Strain Vegetables: When ready to serve, strain the vegetables from the pickling liquid, remove oregano sprigs and return to the bowl. Season giardiniera with lemon juice and olive oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Trim Steak: Trim the silver skin and excess fat from the flank steak. Do not discard any of the trimmings. It will be used to create the jus.

Prepare Dry Rub: Combine all spices in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over trimmed steaks.

Sear Steak: Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the canola oil and sear the steak on both sides until golden brown in color. Transfer the browned steaks to a parchment lined sheet pan. (For rare meat, cook steak to 125ºF, for medium- rare to 135-140ºF.) Save the sauté pan and all of the juices (fond) stuck to the bottom of the pan to create jus.

Prepare Jus: In the same sauté pan used to sear steak, on medium heat, add the steak trimmings and sear until browned but not burned (for a vegetarian version, use a new pan, skip the beef trimming and start with reducing the wine). Deglaze the pan with red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan well. Add thyme sprigs and reduce liquid by half. Add the demi-glace and Worcestershire sauce, cook for 4-5 minutes, remove the thyme sprigs and with a slotted spoon remove any remaining beef trimmings. Reduce heat to low and add the butter, salt and pepper. Taste and re- season with more salt and pepper as needed.

Plate: Slice the flank steak into thin strips against the grain. Divide the steak among the plates. Drizzle the jus onto the steak and top the giardiniera.

Serves/Makes
Serves 10

Recipe created by Parties That Cook’s Chef David Herman

Authentic Cinco de Mayo Recipe: Handmade Tortillas with Grilled Steak

Cinco de Mayo is upon us!! Get extra excited because it’s about to be a gorgeous weekend! (Unless you’re in Chicago. Sorry Chicago.) It’s time to don your sombrero, grab that margarita, and… work on your authenticity. First things first, you’ll need to know the most missed fact about Cinco de Mayo: It is NOT Mexico’s Independence Day (*cough* September 16). Read up on the history behind this weekend’s giant celebration on the internet’s most trusted source for information, Wikipedia.

Now back to your authentic Mexican fiesta. (You didn’t know you were hosting? Whoops!) You’re going to need some food. We’ve got you covered with one of the top Mexican staples out there. Can you say fresh, handmade tortillas?? Yes, yes, we’ll give you a complete, tasty taco recipe, but the real star here is the tortilla. Soft, yet firm, thicker than the mass manufactured tortillas you’ll find at grocery chains, and with subtle flavor that won’t overwhelm the juicy steak and tangy pico de gallo – it’s the perfect vessel!

Just so you know, we picked this recipe out of all the latin recipes in our library. It’s been taste tested by the most discerning of pallets at our corporate events and team building off-sites in San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle and Portland. Trust us, it’s a good one. Enjoy!

Handmade Flour Tortillas with Grilled Steak and Pico De Gallo
This recipe can be found in our Appetizer Recipe Library!

Ingredients
Steak:
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons red chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 flank steak, about 2 pounds (can substitute skirt steak)
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Flour Tortillas:
2 cups flour+ more for kneading
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup hot tap water

Pico De Gallo:
4 large ripe tomatoes (about 2 pounds), chopped into small dice
2 jalapenos, minced
3/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped and rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of 1-2 limes

Methods/Steps
Marinate Steak: Combine the spices into a bowl. Stir to combine. Trim the flank steak of silver skin. Lightly score the meat with the tip of a knife. Rub the entire steak (front and back) with the spice mixture and olive oil. Set aside to marinate for at least 20 minutes.

Make Dough: In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the oil, a little at a time. Mix with a fork or your hands until the dough is crumbly. Slowly pour in the hot water and continue to mix with until the dough starts to come together. At this point, start kneading dough in the bowl until it is smooth and elastic and no longer sticky. You may need a little more flour. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
Pro Tip: You can expedite this process by using a food processor fitted with the dough or steel blade. Pulse the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly pour in the oil, pulse until the mixture starts become crumbly. With processor running, slowly add the hot water and mix until a ball forms and starts traveling around the sides of the bowl. Process the dough for about 30 seconds. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl and be soft but not overly sticky. Transfer the dough to a floured board and cover with a kitchen towel for 20 minutes.

Roll and Cook Tortillas: Pre heat a flat griddle pan over medium-high heat. Cut the dough into quarters. Cut each quarter into eighths to yield 32 small pieces about the size of a large grape. Cover them with a kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a very thin, almost see through circle, or as close to a circle as possible. Immediately place the tortilla onto the hot griddle. Only roll out as many tortillas as will fit on the pan at a time or they will start to dry out while they wait to be cooked. Cook on one side until you see bubbles forming on the surface. Flip and cook on the other side until soft bubbles form again. You will see light brown spots form. Repeat process. When the tortillas are cooked place them into a tortilla warmer to keep them hot or into a bowl covered with another kitchen towel.

Grill Steak: Once tortillas are cooked, flip the griddle pan over to the ridged grill side. Once the grill is smoking hot, sear the steak for about 4 minutes per side. Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest under foil for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Broiler Alternative: Place marinated steak under a broiler for 4 minutes, flip, and broil another 4 -5 minutes. Do not slice until ready to serve.

Make Pico de Gallo: Remove stem end and chop the tomatoes into small dice. Place tomatoes and all of the juice into a medium bowl. Chop the jalapeno and cilantro and add to the bowl. Chop the red onion and place into a sieve. Rinse the onion under cool running water to remove some of the onion fire. Shake off excess water and pat dry with paper towels. Add the onion to the salsa along with the salt and the juice of one lime. Mix, taste and add more salt and lime juice if needed.

Make Vegetarian Alternative: If you have some vegetarians, remove some pico de gallo from the bowl and make a Black Bean Pico de Gallo. Simply add some canned rinsed black beans to the salsa. Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Assemble: Slice the steak in half lengthwise, with the grain, and then THINLY slice each half (should yield about 65 very thin slices See chef for demonstration on how to slice.) Place a couple strips of steak onto a tortilla. Top with a heaping teaspoon of the pico de gallo. Place little tacos onto a platter and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro. For vegetarians, spoon the black bean pico de gallo onto the tortilla and serve on a separate platter.

Serves/Makes
Makes about 32 3″ mini tacos

Recipe created by Parties That Cook | www.PartiesThatCook.com