Flank Steak with Spicy Tomato Ragout
Steak
1 1/2 lb. flank steak, trimmed of all visible fat
4 cloves garlic, bashed, and finely chopped
1/4 C. finely chopped sweet onion
1 jalape�o pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced (1 1/2 T.)
1 Roma tomato, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. light olive oil
Sauce
1/2 tsp. light olive oil
2 C. roughly chopped sweet onion
3 jalape�o peppers, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped
3 small (or 2 large) Italian plum tomatoes, such as Roma, quartered
1 141/2-oz. can crushed tomatoes in pur�e
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1 bay leaf
1 T. arrowroot mixed with 2 T. water (slurry)
Combine the garlic, onion, jalapeno, tomato, cayenne, allspice and salt in a bowl. Put the flank steak in a shallow dish and rub the mixture on both sides. Set the steak aside to absorb the flavors. While the beef is marinating, make the sauce. Warm the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Saut� the onions until slightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the jalape�os, tomatoes (both fresh and canned), salt, allspice, and bay leaf. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat. Cover and set aside. Preheat the broiler. Warm a large frying pan over high heat and add 1/2 tsp. of the oil. Lay the flank steak in the pan and brown for 1 minute. Slide the flank steak onto the rack of a broiler pan, browned side down. Set aside the frying pan but do not clean it. Spray the top of the flank steak with cooking spray and broil for 10 minutes, until it is crusted on top but still pink in the middle. While the steak is broiling, finish preparing the sauce. Pour 1/2 C. of water into the frying pan where the steak was browned and stir to remove the flavorful bits of meat from the bottom of the pan. Pour this liquid into a medium saucepan. Press the tomato sauce through a sieve into the same saucepan, discarding the pulp. Add the slurry to the sauce and stir over medium heat until thickened. Remove from the heat until ready to serve. Transfer the flank steak to a large plate, making sure not to lose any of the flavorful juices. Press down on the topping flat with a spatula or wide knife. Carve the steak into thin slices, cutting diagonally across the grain. Pour the juices from the broiler pan and the plate into the tomato sauce. To serve, lay three thin slices of meat on each warmed plate and top with a generous spoonful of tomato sauce.
Yield: 6 servings
Calories: 218
Fat: 7g
Fiber: 3g