Best Bavette Steak With Tahini Vegetable Salad Recipes

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TAMARIND-MARINATED BAVETTE STEAK



Tamarind-Marinated Bavette Steak image

Skirt or flank steak is eaten a lot in America, and in France, but hardly at all here in the UK. This is madness, as it is so much cheaper than any other sort of steak and so rich in flavor. I think what has put people off in the past is that, in Britain, it has been cooked in low and slow braises, which turns it into shoe leather. Bavette is the external part of the skirt (onglet being the internal connecting tissue) and all you need to do to cook it is, as my butcher puts it, "sear the hell out of it and serve it rare." I find 2 minutes a side on a very hot, ridged griddle optimum, but this does mean it's only for those who like their steak blue. The other key point is how you carve it: it must be sliced against the grain. That holds true with all steak, but with a cut like bavette, it will be inedibly chewy if you disobey. Luckily, the grain is very so it's very easy to identify and then cut across it. You don't have to get the whole piece. I don't like cooking individually cut steaks, as it's all in the fine slicing as far as I'm concerned, but a 500-gram (1-pound) piece will be plenty to feed 4, and is the size I often go for, cooking it for exactly the same amount of time as indicated below. The tamarind and soy marinade tenderizes the meat, but also gives such a glorious tanginess (I have a sour tooth). I keep Thai tamarind paste, which is condensed almost into a brick, in my fridge, and that's why I proceed as below. But if you are using tamarind paste out of a jar (and which tends to be runny), then use 75 milliliters (2.6 ounces) and simply add it to the rest of the marinade ingredients, without cooking it or adding water. Either is fine, but it just so happens that the genuine article is better, and less expensive. I serve this thinly sliced, as if it were a joint of beef, but it would also make for fantastic beef tacos, and is wonderful cold, stuffed into a baguette or tossed into a salad, so leftovers are a real boon.

Provided by Nigella Lawson : Food Network

Categories     main-dish

Time 8h45m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 6

50 grams (1.75 ounces) tamarind paste
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup hot water, from a recently boiled kettle
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 tablespoon runny honey
Bavette steak (whole piece)

Steps:

  • Put the tamarind paste, soy and hot water into the smallest saucepan you have, and stir over a low heat to dissolve the tamarind. When it's as smooth as you think you can get it--the tamarind paste I use says it's without pits, but I do find the odd one, and I don't bother to get rid of them--remove to a bowl or jug, whisk in the oil and honey, and leave to cool. Do not use until it is cold.
  • Put the bavette steak into a resealable freezer bag, pour in the cold marinade and squelch it about so that the thin steak is covered on both sides, then seal, lay on a plate and put in the fridge overnight or for 1 day.
  • Bring it back to room temperature, prepare a large piece of kitchen foil, then heat a ridged griddle till very, very hot. Lift the steak out of its marinade, letting any excess (and there will be a lot) drip back into the bag and then slap the meat on the griddle and cook for 2 minutes a side.
  • Immediately (I use tongs for all this) transfer the steak to the piece of foil and make a tightly sealed but baggy parcel, and let the meat rest, on a chopping board, or any surface that is not too cold, for 5 minutes. Then unwrap the foil, transfer the steak to a board, and carve in thin slices against the grain.

BAVETTE STEAK WITH TAHINI-VEGETABLE SALAD



Bavette Steak With Tahini-Vegetable Salad image

Searing a boneless steak in plenty of fat gives the meat crisp edges while keeping it juicy. While you can use any cut of boneless steak in this recipe (which is adapted from Kate Kavanaugh, the owner of Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe in Denver), bavette steak, also called flap meat or sirloin tip, is a particularly flavorful and tender choice. Ms. Kavanaugh likes to serve it alongside a crunchy vegetable salad that is layered with thinly sliced strawberries and tart rhubarb and tossed with a lime-tahini dressing, but any tangy salad will work well with the richness of the meat.

Provided by Melissa Clark

Categories     dinner, weeknight, salads and dressings, steaks and chops, vegetables, main course

Time 25m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

1 1/2 pounds bavette steak (sometimes called flap meat or sirloin tip) or flank steak, preferably grass-fed and finished
Flaky sea salt, as needed
2 tablespoons ghee, tallow or neutral oil
2 tablespoons tahini, preferably raw
Finely grated zest of 1/2 lime plus juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cold water
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
10 to 12 medium-firm strawberries, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced rhubarb (about 1 stalk) or peeled carrots
1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 hakurei or other small sweet turnips, thinly sliced into rounds (about 3/4 cup)
3 medium radishes, thinly sliced into rounds (about 3/4 cup)
1 quart mixed tender greens
2/3 cup packed coarsely chopped mint
1/2 cup packed chopped basil

Steps:

  • Pull the steak out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking to come to room temperature. About 5 minutes before cooking, generously season steak all over with flaky sea salt (this helps the salt retain some crunch).
  • Heat a cast-iron or other heavy-duty skillet over medium-high until hot enough that a drop of water will sizzle on contact. Add ghee to the skillet and let it melt.
  • Add bavette steak and cook, flipping every 2 minutes, until medium-rare, about 8 minutes total, or until medium, about 10 minutes total. (Bavette steak has a tendency to puff up as it cooks, taking longer than the average steak to reach medium-rare. You'll want to reduce the cooking time if using flank steak.) Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, make the salad: In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lime zest and juice, olive oil, cold water and 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt until smooth. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
  • In a large bowl, toss together strawberries, rhubarb, cucumber, turnips and radishes. Add just enough dressing to coat, then taste and add more salt, if needed. Add the greens, mint and basil to the bowl and toss gently, adding more dressing and salt, if needed.
  • Slice steak against the grain and serve with salad.

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