TAMARIND-MARINATED BAVETTE STEAK
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
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
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
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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