Flank Steak With Black Beans And Rice Recipes

MY SISTER RIA'S FAVORITE FAJITAS, WITH BLACK BEANS AND RICE

Steps:

• Combine marinade ingredients in a shallow dish. Turn flank steak in marinade and let stand 15 minutes. The meat can be placed in marinade in the morning and allowed to marinate until suppertime if you enjoy very strong, spicy flavors. The short marinade will result in a milder tasting meat which is more palatable to many not-too-hot taste buds.
• Follow directions on packaged rice and get it simmering, it will take 18 to 20 minutes.
• Heat a grill pan to high heat and sear the flank steak 4 minutes on each side. Reduce heat and cook meat 6 to 8 minutes longer, turning occasionally.
• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over high heat. Blister tortillas 30 seconds on each side and stack them on a plate. Loosely wrap tortillas with foil and place them on the dinner table. Add oil to hot pan and sear sliced peppers and onions for fajitas. Season peppers and onions with salt and pepper. Char edges and stir-fry the peppers and onions until just tender, 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer to a platter and cover with loose foil to keep hot. Add another tablespoon oil, garlic, jalapeno and chopped onion; saute for 2 minutes. Add black beans and spices to the pan and heat through for another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer beans to a serving dish. Top beans with cilantro and scallions.
• Remove meat from grill pan and let it rest 5 minutes for juices to distribute. Transfer peppers and onions to grill to get the sizzle effect going. Slice meat very thin on an angle against the grain. Pile meat on top of cooked peppers and onions and take the hot grill to the table, letting rest on trivets or a cool wire rack. Stack meat and veggies in warm tortillas and enjoy with a side of spicy black beans.

PUERTO RICAN-STYLE STUFFED FLANK STEAK

Steps:

• For the rice: Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the turmeric and cook, stirring, until toasted, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook until all of the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the mayonnaise and garlic. Adjust the seasoning with salt and let cool completely. Set aside.
• Prepare a grill for direct and indirect heat: For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes, turn off one of the side burners and turn the remaining burners down to medium. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer's guide for best results.) If your grill has a thermometer, aim to keep the temperature at about 350 degrees F throughout grilling.
• For the peppers and plantains: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium flameproof skillet over the direct-heat side of the grill until hot and shimmering. Add the peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes; set aside. Add the plantain halves cut-side down and cook, flipping once, until golden and caramelized, about 5 minutes per side. Let cool, then cut one of the plantain pieces in half lengthwise to make 3 strips total. Set aside.
• For the beans: Put the beans and 2 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and squish the beans with your hands until broken down enough to hold together but not completely a paste. Set aside.
• For the flank steak: Set the flank steak on a cutting board with a short end facing you. Starting at one long side, slice the steak in half horizontally, leaving 2 inches at the opposite long side uncut so the pieces stay together. Open up the steak like a book so you have 1 big piece. Pound the steak with a meat mallet to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with the roasted garlic and herb seasoning.
• Position the steak vertically in front of you so the short ends are at the top and bottom of the cutting board. Pat the rice into an even layer all over the steak. Starting a third of the way in from the left side of the steak, lay down one plantain strip vertically on the steak. Moving right, line up 4 scallions next to it, followed by a third of the peppers and a third of the beans. Repeat 2 more times with the remaining ingredients, starting with a plantain strip and ending with the beans. Starting at one of the long ends, roll the steak around the filling like a jelly roll. Tie closed at 1-inch intervals around the circumference with kitchen twine. Tie 1 more piece of twine lengthwise around the meat to secure it. Coat the meat evenly with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
• Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the steak on the direct-heat side of the grill to brown all 4 sides, about 10 minutes total. Move the steak to the indirect-heat side of the grill, cover the grill and cook, turning occasionally and basting with the remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce during the last 5 minutes of grilling; cook, testing the temperature frequently, until the very center registers 115 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer for a steak that is well done on the outside and medium rare in the center, about 30 minutes more. Transfer the steak to a cutting board to rest for 15 minutes.
• Untie the steak and slice on a slight bias into 6 thick slices. Serve with more barbecue sauce on the side.

PABELLON CRIOLLO

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the flank steak in a pot with the bouillon, and cover with water.
• Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Saute half of the minced garlic in a medium pot with 4 tablespoons of the vegetable oil for 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat.
• Add 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.
• Add the rice to the boiling water , lower the heat, and simmer the rice, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for 5 minutes more.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to a skillet, and saute half the chopped onions with the rest of the minced garlic until soft.
• Add the can of black beans (undrained), 1/2 cup water, chicken bouillon , cumin, garlic powder, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced.
• Slice the cooled steak against the grain into thin slices. The meat should be very tender and falling apart. Shred the larger pieces into bite-size pieces with your fingers.
• Add 2 tablespoons butter to a skillet and cook the rest of the chopped onions until soft. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup of the steak pan juices, and the sliced steak and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
• Arrange the meat and tomatoes on 1/3 of a serving platter. Place the rice next to the meat, and then place the beans on the other side of the rice, to resemble the stripes of a tri-color flag.
• Serve with fried plantains on the side and enjoy!

FLANK STEAK WITH BLACK BEANS AND SLAW

Steps:

• Sprinkle the steak with 2 teaspoons chili powder and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak; cook about 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Meanwhile, make the slaw: Toss the cabbage with the lime juice, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons cilantro, the remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder, and salt to taste. Chill until ready to serve. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and beans and bring to a simmer. Coarsely mash the beans with a spoon; continue cooking until slightly thickened, about 4 more minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and salt to taste. Slice the steak; top with the black beans and serve with the slaw.
• Photograph by Antonis Achilleos

ROPA VIEJA

Steps:

• Season beef or pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high until lightly smoking. Working in batches as needed, cook the meat in a single layer, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch, reducing heat as necessary if the oil smokes excessively.
• Add braised peppers and onions, tomatoes, olives, raisins, capers and chicken stock. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, cover with the lid slightly cracked, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping any crust that has formed at the edges of the pan back into the liquid, until meat is completely tender and shreds easily with two forks, about 2 1/2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Shred meat with two forks, and serve immediately with white rice, black beans and hearty greens. Ropa vieja can also be shredded, allowed to cool, and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. It will improve in texture and flavor with time.