Saturday, June 1, 2013

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Flank Steak

I spent the entire last evening planting. Keeping up with a large garden is hard work. We have a very short growing season. And this year's growing season seems a little off kilter already. We went from winter straight to summer it seems. One week it was 30 the next 90 degrees; which makes it very hard to plant and maintain things. Try tilling dirt in 90 degree weather or better yet mixing manure or compost. Heat and manure is a deadly combination, I promise. 

So, with all that, dinner had to be simple and done outside on the grill. Warm weather calls for outdoor cooking in my book, especially when you only get to do it a few months out of the year. 

Also, you know what I love?  Great fake out meals. You know, the ones that look like they took hours and seem really impressive, but were super easy to prepare. That is just what this recipe is. Everyone will be impressed, because it looks fancy; but it's totally not. All you need is 5 mins to prepare and a few ingredients. 


This recipe calls for flank steak, so here are a few facts for you to ponder. For the most part flank steaks are all about the same, they range from 1 to 2 pounds in weight and are usually ~12 inches long, ~6 inches wide and an inch thick. They are like this because of their location on the cow. Flank steaks come from behind the rib cage, beneath the loin and in front of the rear legs. They are also a lot leaner than a skirt steak and the muscle composition is very evident. There is a lot to picking the right cut of meat, let alone deciding which flank steak looks the best. In any case, here are a few tips on picking the right flank steak: 

1. make sure the steak is uniform in width to aid in even cooking
2. be sure it has a nice dark red color-closest comparison is probably to a bing cherry (so no brown looking meat)
3. look for marbling or spidery white lines running through it (in general because flank steak is so lean the more marbling the better-it really is what gives your steak flavor when the fat melds into the meat while cooking)
4. last but not least, make sure it does NOT smell! Nobody wants stinky meat! ;)



By the way, I spied this recipe on Family Circle awhile ago, if you want to go check it out and others like it.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Flank Steak
2 lb flank steak
1 15 oz jar roasted red peppers, diced
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz feta cheese, chunked
salt and pepper








Flatten your flank steak by pounding it with a meat tenderizer. I also let it sit with a little lemon juice to soften up the muscle. While your steak is resting, mix together red peppers, spinach, garlic and cheese. Sprinkle your steak with salt and pepper and then spread the mixture evenly across as pictured. It would probably be best to leave a 1 inch border, because I had to stuff some of the stuffing back in.












Roll the steak up, pressing tightly as you go. Tie it up in 3 locations using butcher's twine or cotton string. Now salt and pepper the outside as well. Pay attention to the grain of the meat and which way it is running.

Next I seared the outsides of my steak on a 500 degree grill. You need a very hot grill to get a nice sear. Once all sides were nicely seared  I wrapped it up in foil and moved it to the low heat side of my grill. I  let it cook there for 20 mins.








It looks like this when it first comes off the grill, as tempting as it is you need to let it rest for ~10 mins. If you cut into it too soon, all the juices run out.





Slice the steak against the grain and it will look all lovely and beautiful, and like you spent hours preparing this dish.



                           Serve a top a mountain of grilled romaine like so, or anything you've got on hand. 

Just a little fyi, hearts of romaine are amazing grilled. Sounds a little crazy, right? Lettuce? Grilled? I promise, drizzle on some olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and pepper and you've got yourself a tasty side dish. It surprised my entire family, go ahead give it a try and let it surprise yours too. 

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