Tequila Marinated Flank Steak, Eloté, & Simple Summer Greens
We dusted, we painted, we yard-worked, & now we Eloté. I’m making the most of my weekend & disengaging from approaching workweek stresses by dedicating my Sunday Funday to a barbecue lesson from my in-house grill master. I’m tying that in with a Mexican-style barbecue for just us two in our happy place (aka - my backyard). Tequila Marinated Flank Steak, Elote, and Summer Greens are the menu, and my summer bbq loving soul is so happy. Especially since this has been a week of kind of thrown together meals. Long story short, it feels good to have a more curated & special dinner to savor the last moments of the weekend.
Summer 2019 - my time to expand on my culinary skills by taking that shit to the grill. We have a Green Egg & a Traeger, I have no idea to use either, and I have a strong desire to be my own barbecue boss. One thing I love about Summer dinners is molding a menu around some yummy barbecued meat - creating a dinner experience at home that feels curated and provides a variety of appropriately planned sides that are the perfect back-up dancers to the main course. Roadblock is that whenever I’m saving one of said bbq recipes, I get to the part that involves actually cooking the meat and either leave it at “grill it” or “pass the job along to your dinner date and get them to man the grill.” I mean - so half-assed. On the one side, it’s a great way to actually cook together, which is probably my favorite at home activity. But then there’s also the chance to get your personal grill master to teach you their ways. It’s a spin on taking an active interest in something your partner is really good at, & learning something from them, which is just as fun as letting them do it for you. As Jordan put it, he’s “inviting me to play in his house,” & I think we both had a good time with our Zehner version of Mastering the Grill - Pt 1.
The biggest take-away - grilling isn’t a scary task. It’s actually super freaking fun. & involved. I stuck to using the Egg, and learned about temperature control - manipulating the daisy wheel & vent in the back to get the temp right where I wanted it. Watched it like a hawk, & now I also have a better understanding of why my husband likes to sit and watch the grill as a mealtime hobby. I’m still no big expert, but I can totally get it started & control that temp to a do a quick cook of a steak or burger, or other item that doesn’t require 8 hours of cook time (that’s still a little outta my wheel house). I still call it a win! Moral of the story - if you’ve got a live-in grill master at your disposal, get a grill lesson from your babe. We both had a fun, and I stand firm in the fact that learning from your person - especially when it comes to cooking and learning to make something that’s their signature dish - is a pretty great past-time.
I made the marinade for my flank steak while I had my morning coffee, and just let my meat sit in the fridge and do its things all damn day until the grilling commenced. Orange & lime juice & garlic are what bring the flavor to this bad boy. It’s a citrusy steak - no way to get around it. But it’s delish. & a nice little kick to it due to some freshly sliced jalapeños thrown right in. I also saved my marinade (peños and all), boiled it stovetop while the steak cooked, and used it as a sauce for my finished product. So yummy & a new go to for me when it comes to summer bbqs with friends. It’s barbecued steak that’s tasty, flavorful, and takes like 10 minutes to cook - sign me up.
Summer 2019 can also be described at my re-committed love affair with corn on the cob. I have memories of going to the Summer Fair as a kid and that was always my mom’s afternoon snack of choice, and I ate a lot of it at my own house. I kind of grew to think it sucked, but my adulthood and willingness to try just about anything has lead to me learn that the world of corn on the cob, especially decked out corn on the cob, is pretty f*cking great. Eloté is the most popular loaded corn on the cob in my mind, & the perfect sort of fancy side to build a meal around. It’s salty+herby+cheesy, & one of those things you’ll eat, and be sad when it’s gone. I cheated a little and Lesley’s version of Elote, meaning there was now slathering it in mayonnaise because in no world can I get on board with that type of behavior. I stuck to letting the Cotija cheese do the talking, & it was Eloté to me.
I added in a super simple green salad for another veggie side. I used fresh lime, orange, & cilantro to make a light, citrusy vinaigrette. Sweetened with just a bit of honey and a hearty amount of fresh herbs - it was the vibrant & fresh & the perfect bite with a little bit of the steak. A simple salad that tasted really freaking good with a bite of the steak. Because the flavors in the marinade and dressing really mirror each other it helps make a perfect pairing on your own plate.
My philosophy that good food is a pillar for good vibes stays rooted in moments like this where Sunday scaries are eliminated by taking part in preparing a sweet at-home dinner together. Cracking open some champagne, chit-chatting about only the fun stuff, and just being in a moment of doing something together. No stress, no phones, no thinking about anything or anyone else - it’s my environment to just let go of it all and be grateful for the moment in the now. It’s effortless in the moment, but I look back on this Sunday routine and run it back like a movie in my head, and it’s the act of preparing a meal together that fuels effortless happiness in our home, & I love it. It was needed after last week because it was a challenging one - some disappointing news related to our family business left me feeling pretty bummed, and really fucking anxious. But then I got asked one question - remember when you used to wish for what you have now? This was said to me on Monday, and in my moments of despair and panic through last week, I’ve found myself answering this simple question. 100% there was a time when I used to wish for what I have now - a sweet husband, two loving Chiweens, and a home filled with a family that makes me so uplifted. Just making dinner together & sitting at our picnic table, such a simple activities, reminded me of a time when I used to wish for this, and truthfully the thought that my home-life could be this great probably never crossed my mind. Point being that identifying the simple things that make every other life stressor dissipate, and making a point to immerse into those moments creates my environment where I can be so thankful for what I have now, & remain rooted in the knowing that the good aspects of my life put what feels earth shattering into perspective. It sounds so dramatic, but point being making a moment around a daily meal can be so uplifting & also lead me to those extra yummy at-home eats in the process.
For the steak
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1/2 an orange
1/2 c. tequila
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1/2 c, fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
3 tbsp minced garlic
2 lb flank steak
For the Salad
Juice of one lime
Juice of half an orange
2 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp Dijon
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1 head of romaine lettuce
1 avocado, halved and thinly sliced
3-4 radishes, sliced using a mandolin on the thickest setting
2 tbsp Cotija cheese
For the Corn
Fresh corn, cleaned with husks removed (3 or 4 ears of corn)
1/4 c. Cotija cheese
2 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 a stick of butter
Chili powder (for sprinkling)
Start with getting your steak going. Add all of the fruit juices, tequila, soy sauce, sugar, jalapeno, garlic, & cilantro to a large plastic bag. Secure the seal on the bag, and mix everything together by gently shaking the bag. Add in the steak, and reseal the bag, and massage marinade into the meat for 2 minutes. Set it in the fridge at least 3 hours, or up to 8.
Move to the salad. In a small dish, whisk together the fruit juices, EVOO, Dijon, & honey. Once emulsified, add in the cilantro. Prep the romaine by removing the ribs from each leaf, then roughly chopping the leaves into bitesize pieces (I chop mine into 1 inch thick strips). Rinse the leaves, and then place the romaine in a serving bowl. Pour half of the dressing + a pinch of salt & pepper over the lettuce & toss. Layer the avocado, radishes, & Cotija cheese on top of the dressed greens, and spoon the rest of the dressing over the top. Cover and set the salad in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
When you’re getting close to grilling, remove the steak from the fridge & let it sit out for 45 minutes. Remove the steak from the bag, and pour the marinade in a small saucepan. Place the marinade over medium heat, bringing it to a simmer, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. At the same time, place a large pot of water over high heat and bring it to a boil (this is for the corn).
Get the grill going, and keep in mind you’ll want to grill the steak at 400 degrees - cooking it on one side for 3 minutes, turning the steak 180 degrees and to cook for another 4 minutes, and finally flipping the steak to cook 3 minutes on the other side. Remove the steak from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Last step is to cook your corn. Crank the heat to high on your water, and wait for it to boil. Add in the cleaned corn ears, and let them cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove and place them on a cutting board for a minute. Holding the stick of butter in your hand, leaving one small end of it in the wrapper to create a makeshift handle, rub the stick of butter all over each cob, then set the corn on a serving tray. Sprinkle the cheese, cilantro, and just a pinch of chili powder over the corn. Set the platter in a 300 degree oven to stay warm (no more than 10 minutes).
Finish the prep by slicing your steak again the grain, transferring it to a platter, & spooning just a little of the marinade right over the top. Put the rest of the reserved marinade in a small dish to use during serving. Eat the steak with extra sauce & forkfuls of salad right on top, and get messy with the corn. The perfect backyard meal that can be prepped way ahead of time, and comes together for super balanced & light barbecue dinner.