Grilled Skirt Steak with Rosemary and Garlic and Tomato Salad
In an ideal world, the home cook would head to his local market or series of specialty shops on a daily basis and simply buy the freshest and best looking meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, bread, etc. and cook meals based on the quality of available product (in a perfect world, the home cook would raise or hunt her own animals, tend her own garden, and harvest from the sea). However, most of us do not live in an ideal or perfect food world so we make compromises with our food and food shopping.
I strive to cook in an ideal world and head to various food shops throughout the week, including a general, high quality/gourmet, mom and pop market in our area. During my last visit, I spotted some skirt steak in the butcher case that was advertised as, “Piedmontese beef” that is to say, razza bovina Piemontese raised here in the United States from cattle off spring originating in north western Italy. Piedmontese beef is known for being both lean and tender – a genuine paradox in the beef world but the proof is in the eating!
We grilled our skirt steak on an outdoor grill and marinated the beef for 3 hours in fresh rosemary, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. We served the Piedmontese beef with a tomato salad containing plenty of red onion and basil.
Ingredients:
- 1-1.5 piece of skirt or flank steak
- 1/4 cup of fresh rosemary (coarsely chopped)
- 5-6 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Process:
Marinate the skirt steak with extra virgin olive oil, fresh rosemary, and garlic (for at least 3 hours and up to 12-24 hours). Remove the steak from the marinade and dry with a paper towel. Season the meat liberally on both sides with Kosher salt and coarsley ground black pepper. Pre-heat your outdoor grill or cast iron skillet and sear 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove the meat from the heat source and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Cut the skirt steak into thin strip (against the grain).
