This Beer-Marinated Flank Steak with Aji and Guacamole seemed to perfectly fit the bill as I was craving some guacamole and wanted to incorporate it into the dish somehow.
I went and picked everything up at Berkeley Bowl - including the beautiful grass-fed beef that ended up living up to its $3.50/lb extra price tag. Then I got to cooking and, besides the guacamole, I made everything! Derek can take credit for the terrible butchering of my beautiful piece of meat as I asked him to score the steak as it calls for in the recipe. When I came into the kitchen post-Derek score...I was horrified! There, in front of me, was a piece of meat with scores so deep into the meat that you could see light through it if you held the piece up. Yes, Derek scored THROUGH the meat in many parts. He blamed it on the sharp knife, I blame it on carelessness. Regardless - I was a little peeved but I was told that it would work out - and I guess I couldn't do anything at that point but hope that was true!
Original recipe found here
Steak
1 1 1/2-pound grass-fed flank steak
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1.5 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse kosher salt
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (about 3)
6-ounces dark beer
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Aji Sauce
Guacamole (homemade with tomatoes, cumin, cilantro, etc.)
Arugula
Using sharp knife, lightly score flank steak about 1/8 inch deep on both sides in a crisscross pattern at 1/2-inch intervals. Place steaks in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle steaks on both sides with oregano and cumin and generous amount of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle olive oil over both sides of steaks, rubbing oil and spices into meat. Add green onions, beer, and Worcestershire sauce, turning steaks several times to coat both sides. Cover and chill at least 3 hours, turning occasionally. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. We marinated it overnight.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill rack lightly with oil. Grill steaks to desired doneness, 3 to 4 minutes total per side for medium-rare, turning steaks 1/4 turn after 1 1/2 minutes to form crisscross grill marks, if desired. Transfer steaks to cutting board; let rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice steaks across grain. Transfer to platter and serve with Aji Sauce and Colombian Guacamole.
Aji Sauce
we did a half recipe - full recipe is below
1/2 cup coarsely chopped seeded jalapeño chiles (about 4 large)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped green onions (about 2 large)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped sweet onion (such as Maui or Vidalia)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (I added more)
2 tablespoons (or more) red wine vinegar or fresh lime juice (I used a little white wine vinegar and more lime juice)
3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine jalapeño chiles, green onions, sweet onion, and cilantro in processor; puree until paste forms, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula several times. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and process until mixture is blended but some texture still remains. Transfer to small bowl. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and more vinegar to taste, if desired. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.
This recipe would have been great as a fajita, wrapped in tortillas. I opted for over a bed of arugula served with a little bit of corn tortilla on the side. That way I had some bites of "salad" and some bites of a wrapped up tortilla "taco." The meat was so tender and juicy - not always characteristic of flank! I could really pick out the grass-fed flavor profile as well as the beer - a dark German beer.
For company, this is a fantastic make-ahead meal that comes together in just minutes once it's time to cook!
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