Grilled Flank Steak

Season a 3-4# flank steak with salt & pepper and place the steak (2-4#) in a bowl or pan - spoon your favorite marinade over it.  I drizzle my steak with olive oil (1/3 cup), a couple tsps. of balsamic vinegar, a touch of cayenne, lots of fresh chopped herbs (basil, thyme, oregano), a couple cloves of crushed garlic... turn the meat in the marinade a couple times to cover it evenly with the seasonings. Cover and refrigerage. Every 15 minutes or so, flip the steak over.  The longer you let it set, the tastier it'll be. I'd let it sit in the marinade for at LEAST one hour.

Heat your grill (we use gas, but charcoal is fine) until it's very hot.  Put the steak on the grill and cover it, letting it sear for 3-5 minutes. Flip it onto the other side and grill for another 2-4 minutes.  Turn the grill off, leave covered and let the meat stay on the hot grill for another 5-10 minutes (use your best judgment: less grill time for a thinner steak - more for a thicker one).  After you take the steak off the grill, do NOT cut it; let it sit for 10 minutes so that the juices stay INside the steak and not run out. Do this with ANY steak you cook! On a cutting board, slice the steak (angled) against the grain into 1/4" slices.

Flank steak is a delicious cut of meat if it's cooked properly. Overcook it (or cut it with the grain) and it'll be dry and stringy.

Sicilian Style Breaded Round Steak

Have 1-2# of thin, thin, THINLY sliced round steak seasoned with salt and pepper.  If they're not less than 1/4" thick, pound them with a meat mallet. (You can see in the photo below how thin they are.)

One at a time, dip them in:

1.) a pan of flour seasoned with S&P

then

2.) a pan of beaten eggs (2) seasoned with S & P, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (if you want a little heat, add some cayenne here or crushed red pepper

& finally

3.) a pan of crumbs:    1 C. breadcrumbs, 1 C. Panko crumbs (if you don't use these, use regular breadcrumbs) mixed with 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 1/2 teasp. oregano, 1/2 teasp. basil, 1/4 teasp. garlic powder,  1/2 teasp. seasoned salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Lay the cutlets on a large pan (& not on top of one another), cover them and chill for at least 1/2 hour (or more).

Heat olive oil (or vegetable oil) in a large skillet.  When very hot, lay the cutlets in the oil, leaving enough room so they don't crowd or overlap each other.

They'll only need to fry for a couple minutes on each side, so check them often so they don't burn! Once they're golden, turn and finish the other side the same way.  These are VERY THIN, so they won't need to cook as long as pork or chicken cutlets.

Remove & drain - then serve plain or with lemon slices (or if you have a favorite sauce)  --- and if you have any marinara you could make these into steak parmesan baked with sauce and cheese!

Taco Night!

An all time family favorite is TACO night!  I'll have a pot of refried beans, another pot of sauteed black beans with onions & lime, corn tortillas (charred right on the open flame of my gas stove) & flour tortillas.  Have bowls of chopped olives, cilantro, avocado - ANYthing your family enjoys!!   I make seasoned rice (cook the rice as directed in water seasoned with chili powder, garlic powder, salt/pepper, cumin & cayenne!) - We like grilled seasoned beef (ground or steak strips), seasoned chicken strips and seasoned grilled fish....   I put everything on the counter buffet style and everyone is free to make a bowl or a taco/burrito in whatever way they like!

Pork TWO WAYS

How do I cook efficiently? I'll make a couple meals at one time, especially when the weekend arrives and I don't want to be in the kitchen at kickoff time! This weekend- problem solved. I made pork two ways:

Buy a large, boneless pork loin (6-10#) and cut it in half.

I'll generously season one pc. (LOTS of black pepper, minced garlic, oregano, rosemary, lemon zest, salt...) and roast it in the oven @350º until it's done. I canNOT eat pork 'pink' (as chefs are promoting lately) - I use a meat thermometer to test the thickest part and remove it from the oven when it's reached.

The other half is for something else & today's something else happens to be pulled pork. 

Braciole

Classic braciole is made with flank steak - you can use that cut of meat with the following recipe, although my family prefers a thin-cut round steak or sirloin instead.

Take 4-6 pieces of lean meat (approx. 4" x 8" each) and trim any fat off.

With meat laid out on a cutting board or work surface, get the filling ingredients together - and place the same amount of toppings down the center (the long way) of each piece of meat - leaving an inch withOUT filling at each end.

Top each piece with:

2 Tblsp. grated parmesan cheese

1 Tblsp. grated or torn up provolone cheese

1 Tblsp. unseasoned breadcrumbs

2 Tblsp. grated pepperoni (or salami, or sopressata... )

a few torn up leaves of fresh basil

season with salt and freshly ground pepper

Roll up the meat (the long way- so that you have an 8" roll) and either tie them up (using cooking thread/string) or fasten them closed using a couple toothpicks (be careful not to break them!!).

Heat 4 Tblsp. olive oil in the pan and when the oil's hot, place the meat in the pan. Turning them only once or twice (carefully, using tongs), brown the meat. When they're nearly finished browning, slice up a medium sized onion and 6 cloves of garlic. Toss into the pan with the meat, making sure the garlic/onions don't brown. Once the meat's somewhat browned (they'll finish cooking in the sauce), lower the heat to medium.

Pour over the meat:

1-1/2 cups crushed tomatoes, 2 cups diced tomatoes with juice, 4 Tblsp. tomato paste, salt & pepper (to taste). Stir everything so it's mixed well. Toss 4-6 fresh basil leaves on the top of the sauce, cover the pan tightly and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove cover and turn meat carefully. Cover again and finish cooking until tender (the time depends on the cut/tenderness of the meat - test it with a knife to check).

When the meat is cooked, remove it to a plate and carefully remove the string or toothpicks. You can either serve the bracciole whole, or cut it into slices & serve over cooked pasta, spooning the sauce over it.