Recipes
Skewered Southwest Steak
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 large cloves garlic
1 lime
— Kosher salt
8 stems cilantro
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (regular or jalapeño-flavored)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
11/4 teaspoons ground cumin
11/4 pounds flat-iron steaks
Preparation
Position an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler element; preheat the broiler. If you use a grill-heat up to medium-high.
Peel the cloves and put them in a mini (or regular-size) 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-inch-thick 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.
