Cooking 101 | Flame-Grilled Flank Steak and Vegetables With Chimichurri Sauce

Healthy and hearty aren’t often used to describe the same meal.

But this tasty meal developed by JCCC chef apprentice Byron Landis is both, as well as an excellent way to keep the kitchen cool when you’re fixing dinner on a sultry spring evening.

Landis grew up in a restaurant family. His parents own the 54 Diner in Pratt, Kan., and he has been cooking since he was 9. This recipe, however, is one that is more likely to appear at a family meal than on the diner menu.

Landis starts with flank steak, a lean cut of meat that offers 6.3 grams of fat — 2.6 grams of saturated fat — per cooked 3-ounce serving, according to the USDA. A 3-ounce serving is about the size of a deck of cards. It’s a great choice for someone who’s looking for a lean source of protein.

Flank steak comes from the part of the cow that moves every time the animal takes a step, Landis said. That keeps it lean but also makes it tough, so it’s important to do all you can to keep the meat tender and tasty.

Sear the meat over high heat, cook it to medium-rare to medium doneness, and let it rest for 20 minutes before serving. The resting period allows the juices to be reabsorbed into the meat and keeps it from becoming dry.

Slicing flank steak into thin slices also creates tenderness because diners don’t encounter long strings of muscle. Cut the steak across the grain and at an angle into 1/4 -inch slices

The steak is paired with a colorful vegetable medley that’s loaded with vitamins and nutrients. Potatoes add starch, and the whole meal is cooked on the grill, keeping the kitchen cool.

The vegetables add a healthy heartiness to the meal, filling diners up without overloading them with calories.

Since the potatoes are precooked, they need to be grilled only long enough to develop some color and pretty searing marks. Both the onion and red pepper are cut in half for grilling to make them easier to handle. Once they’re removed from the grill, cut them into bite-size pieces.

Flame-Grilled Flank Steak and Vegetables With Chimichurri Sauce

Makes 4 servings

Steak and vegetables:

2 pounds flank steak

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

8 baby red potatoes, cooked soft but firm and sliced into 4 pieces each

1 medium zucchini, diamond cut (see Step by Step)

1 medium yellow squash, diamond cut

1 red bell pepper, cut in half

1 red onion, cut in half horizontally to keep the onion rings whole

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch each of salt and black pepper

Chimichurri Sauce:

1 small green bell pepper, washed, seeded, stemmed and minced

3 cloves garlic, minced fine

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons thin-sliced green onions

To prep steak and vegetables: Rub steak with salt, pepper, garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil. Place in a covered non-metallic container and marinate for one hour in refrigerator.

Place potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil and pinch each of salt and black pepper in mixing bowl. Toss together; marinate 30 minutes in refrigerator.

For the sauce: Place all ingredients except green onions in blender and quickly pulse the blade three times. Remove from blender; add green onions. Refrigerate for 30 minutes

On a gas grill: Remove steak from marinade. Sear both sides on grill over high heat. Move to the side of the grill, cover and slowly cook to medium rare to medium, 7 to 9 minutes. Let rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Drain oil from vegetables. Place onion on grill over medium heat; grill until tender, about 10 minutes. Halfway through, add potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper. Grill until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.

Cut pepper and onion into bite-size pieces. Slice steak across the grain into 1/4 -inch slices. Arrange on plate with grilled vegetables; serve chimichurri sauce on the side.

Per serving, without chimichurri sauce: 777 calories (57 percent from fat), 49 grams total fat (13 grams saturated), 116 milligrams cholesterol, 36 grams carbohydrates, 49 grams protein, 675 milligrams sodium, 5 grams dietary fiber.

Per serving, sauce only: 30 calories (3 percent from fat), trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 6 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 473 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

The stylist

Recipe and food styling by Byron Landis, 20, a fourth-semester student in the JCCC Hospitality Management program. He is an apprentice at Lake Quivira Country Club.

ABOUT THE COLUMN
Cooking 101 is a bimonthly column exclusive to The Star designed to introduce home cooks to basic cooking techniques. The recipe, food styling and photography are from culinary students and instructors at Johnson County Community College’s hospitality management program.

View the original article here