The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

SKEWERED SOUTHWEST STEAK

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Flat-iron beef steak, cut from the shoulder muscle of the animal, provides a nice alternativ­e to flank steak in this quick- marinade recipe (see the note, below).

You’ll need 8 to 10 midlength metal skewers or you’ll need to soak that same number of wooden skewers in water for 10 minutes; it’s easy to do while the meat marinates. We tested this under the broiler but feel free to cook the skewers on a gas grill, if you’d like.

Serve with a mix of smashed/roasted small potatoes and roasted red peppers, or with baked sweet potato fries.

3 large cloves garlic

1 lime

Kosher salt 8 stems cilantro 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (regular or jalapeño-flavored) 2 tablespoon­s extravirgi­n olive oil 3 tablespoon­s lowsodium soy sauce

1 ¼ teaspoons ground

cumin

1 ¼ pounds flat-iron steaks (may substitute flank steak; see headnote and note) Position an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler element; preheat the broiler.

Peel the cloves and put them in a mini (or regularsiz­e) food processor; pulse until finely chopped, then cut the lime into 8 wedges and squeeze half of them into the food processor bowl. Add a two-fingered pinch of the salt, leaves from 6 of the cilantro stems, the hot sauce, oil, soy sauce and cumin. Puree to form a smooth marinade.

Starting at one of the short ends of the rectangula­r pieces of steak, cut crosswise (against the long grain) into 1/4-inchthick strips. Lay them in a baking dish or place them in a gallon-size zip-top bag. Pour the marinade over the meat and toss to coat. Let sit for 10 minutes, then thread the strips, weaving them in a wavy in-and-out style to fill each skewer. (Think: Loch Ness Monster humps.) Place on a broiler pan or grill pan; broil (top rack) for about 4 minutes for medium-rare, or longer for the degree of doneness you like.

Divide the skewers among individual plates; season lightly with salt. Garnish with sprigs from the remaining cilantro stems and serve with the remaining lime wedges. Serves 4.

Note: If you use flank steak instead, trim any excess fat and cut it on the diagonal, against the grain, into long strips.

Per serving: 280 calories, 32 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydra­tes, 15 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 90 milligrams cholestero­l, 730 milligrams sodium, 0 grams dietary fiber, 0 grams sugar Adapted from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and National Cattlemen’s Beef Associatio­n.

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