Thursday, October 13, 2011

Ancho-marinated skirt steak with warm black bean salad


I have been asked how I do it with my hip being so bad.  Well on really bad days we either eat simple or out of the freezer.  Tuesday we finished the lasagna that I made when Sandy and Dave were here.  I served it with a spinach salad that had croutons and hard boiled very fresh eggs from Pam’s chickens.  Tuesday I was on the verge of killing, so we had microwaved broccoli, the Idaho brand of instant mashed potatoes with 4 cheeses and cod with Penzeys seafood spice on it, baked in the oven.   Nothing much to write home about, but the meals were good and good for you.   Today I am better so we are having a hopefully wonderful meal.  The beef is marinating and I have all the dicing and chopping done.  I got this out of Sunset magazine.  This morning I noticed that it serves 6 with a 1 ½ # skirt steak, mine weighed 2.5# so I called Jo and Dave to come over.  Ingredients:
½ C Syrah or other dry red wine
½ C red wine vinegar, divided
6T EVOO, divided
2 T minced garlic, divided
1 T plus 1 t pepper
2 t kosher salt, divided
2 t ground cumin, divided
2 T chopped fresh oregano leaves (I used died, 1/3 less, 2 t)
1 T ground dried ancho chilies or chili powder
1 skirt steak, 1 ½ #.  (Sometimes called flank or tri-tip, depending where you live) 
2 fresh poblano chilies
1 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cans black beans, (15 oz each) drained and rinsed
1 large red pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½” chunks
1 ½ C cherry tomatoes, halved
About 3 green onions, sliced (including green tops)
¼ C chopped fresh cilantro
I hope you are still with me after that list of ingredients.
Directions:
1.       Either early in the day or the night before combine ¼ C vinegar, wine, and EVOO with 1T garlic and pepper, 1 t slat and cumin, the oregano and chile power in a resealable plastic food bag.  Rinse and dry the steak and add to the bag, seal and turn to coat.  Chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.   
2.       Preheat broiler.  Halve, stem, and seed the poblano.  Lay skin side up on a baking sheet and broil 4” from heat until well charred, 6-7 minutes.  I did mine on top of non-stick aluminum foil and after broiling I gathered up the ends of the foil to create a pocket for the peppers to steam.  Let stand 10 minutes, peel and coarsely chop.  One caution, I did not think they were that hoot, they are, wear rubber gloves.  I just rubbed my nose and it is burning. 
3.       Heat the outdoor grill to high (450-500)
4.       In a large frying pan over medium-high heat sauté onion and remaining 1T garlic in 2T EVOO until soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in beans and remaining 1/4C vinegar and 1 t each pepper, salt, and cumin; turn heat to low. 
5.       Oil the grill well.  Lift steak from marinade (discard marinade) and grill, turning once, until browned on both sides but still pink in the center 7-10 minutes total.  Transfer to a board and let rest at least 5 minutes. 
6.       Meanwhile, add poblanos, red pepper, tomatoes, 3 green onions, and cilantro to bean mixture, and stir occasionally until warm.  Slice steak on the diagonal across the grain and serve on warm bean salad.  Garnish with more green onions if you like.
I made corn bread to go with the meal.  I have made all kinds of cornbread recipes, but I find my mother’s recipe the best.   She was the original semi-homemade person.
Ingredients:
1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix
1 large egg
1 small can of creamed corn. 
Directions:
1.       Mix in a bowl and pour in a 9x9 pan.  Bake according to pkg. directions. 
I added a few jalapenos to go with this recipe.  Well, we all liked it.  The beef was excellent and it all had a little heat, but not too much.   Jim served Crozes Hermitage, 2003. There is a note on the back of the bottle that he bought it for $11.59 at total wine, but no date. 
For dessert, Jo brought jam cake that I am just beginning to hear about.  It was very good.  I bought a cookbook from the Nashbille Loveless Cafe and have seen a recipe in there.  So much to learn.  A good time was had by all.  Jim is cleaning up the dishes as I complete the blog.  I love having dish help.     

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