Carne Asada
In the spirit of the season, here is a slightly modified Carne Asada recipe. Very tasty and easy. Make sure you slice the meat over the grain of the meat (not with it) for the most tender slices. You can really play with this recipe as it has a lot of wiggle room. Just don’t go overboard with the acid as the vinegar and lime is already quite a bit. You can adjust the heat some and personally I don’t really think you can taste the cilantro all the much so if you’re not a fan, cut it back quite a bit. Great for cookouts any time and with margaritas. Enjoy.
Source – http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/002046carne_asada.php
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds flank or skirt steak
Marinade:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño or a few Serrano chile pepper, seeded and minced (I use more)
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin seed (best to lightly toast the seeds first, then grind them)
1 large handful fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, finely chopped (great flavor in the stems)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons champagne or white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
METHOD
1) Lay the flank steak in a large non-reactive bowl or baking dish. Combine marinade ingredients and pour the marinade over the steak. Make sure each piece is well coated. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours. (Or just shove the whole thing in a zip-top bag.) This makes for a wet but not voluminous marinade. Make sure all surfaces are well coated. The recipe calls for 1-4 hours but I usually do it at least overnight but sometimes two. Also consider adding lime zest for that extra kick.
2) Preheat your grill over medium-high flame (you can also use a cast iron grill pan on high heat for stove-top cooking). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Remove the steak from the marinade. If you are cooking indoors, you may want to brush off excess marinade as the bits may burn and smoke on the hot pan. Season both sides of the steak pieces with salt and pepper. Grill the pieces for a few minutes only, on each side, depending on how thin they are, until medium rare to well done, to your preference. You may need to work in batches. Remove the steak pieces to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.
(Optional) Serve with warm tortillas (flour or corn). Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side in a dry skillet or on the grill, until toasty and pliable. Alternatively, you can warm tortillas in a microwave: heating just one or two at a time, place tortillas on a paper towel and microwave them for 15 to 20 seconds each on high.
(Optional) Serve with pico de gallo (fresh tomato salsa) and chopped avocados. I also add lettuce, grilled onions, grilled bell peppers, and pickled jalapeños.
Serves 4-6.
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