MONDAY RECIPE POST - CARNE ASADA

This week's recipe comes from Cafe Delites and its host is Karina.  You can see the original recipe here.  There is a lot more information than I have added to mine, so it's worth a look as the original recipe has all of Karina's notes.  And thank you Karina for a delicious recipe that we will be very happy to make again (I added the tortillas).

Carne Asada

Preparation time: 2 hours

Cooking time: 8 minutes

Total time: 2 hours 8 minutes

Serves: 4 people

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 pound (500g) skirt or flank steak*

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large shallow bowl or plastic container.

Add the meat, rotating to evenly coat, and cover with plastic wrap (or lid if using container). 

Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. 

Heat barbecue (or grill) on high heat. Note that lean flank steak is best cooked rare.  Skirt steak can be cooked well without losing moisture or flavor because it has more fat marbling.

Remove the flank steak from the marinade, and discard excess marinade.

Grill for 5-7 minutes per side, or until desired doneness is reached.

Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. 

To serve, slice against the grain into thin strips.

Notes:

*Flank steak is best cooked rare or medium, while skirt steak can be cooked well.

In case you are in an area where tortillas are hard to come by, I added a recipe found at this website.  I didn't make them as they are sold at all the supermarkets around here.  Consequently no photos but check out the site if interested, also to read any tips provided.

Best Ever Homemade Flour Tortillas

Author: Chris Scheuer

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Servings: 16

Calories: 124 kcal

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, vegetable oil or other fairly neutral flavored oil

1 cup warm water

Combine flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix dry ingredients until well combined.

Add oil and water with mixer running at a medium speed.

After about 1 minute, or when mixture comes together and begins to form a ball, decrease mixing speed to low.

Continue to mix for 1 minute or until dough is smooth.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 16 equal portions. Turn each piece to coat with flour. Form each piece into a ball and flatten with the palm of your hand. Cover flattened balls of dough with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes (or as much as 2 hours) before proceeding.

After the rest period, heat a large pan over medium heat.

Roll each dough piece into a rough circle, about 6-7 inches in diameter, keep work surface and rolling pin lightly floured.

Don’t stack uncooked tortillas on top of each other or they will stick together.

When the pan is hot, place one dough circle into the pan and allow to cook about 1 minute or until the bottom surface has a few pale brown spots and the uncooked surface is bubbly.

If browning too fast, reduce the heat a bit.

If it’s taking longer than a minute to see a few pale golden brown spots on the underside of tortillas, increase the heat a bit.

Flip to other side and cook for 15-20 seconds. The tortillas should be nice and soft but have a few small brown spots on the surface. 

Remove from pan with tongs and stack in a covered container or zippered bag to keep the tortillas soft. 

Serve warm or allow to cool for later use.

When ready to use, place a slightly damp paper towel in the bottom of a microwave-safe container (with a cover) that will hold the stacked tortillas.

Microwave uncovered for 15-30 seconds (start with 15) or until warm, then keep covered to hold heat while serving.

Store in an airtight container or zippered bag at room temperature for 24 hours or refrigerate for up to 1 week.

To freeze, separate tortillas with parchment paper or waxed paper and place in a zippered bag before placing in the freezer.

What did we think?  

This is a fun food and something we both enjoyed putting together, also we thought it was very tasty.  Above you can see what we added to our tortilla, and folded them over to eat like a sandwich.

I bought these 8-inch flour tortillas to layer our ingredients.

We cooked the meat the day before serving.  It made for an easy, put together meal the day of, and the flavors were even better (yes we taste tested after cooking).

I also added a tablespoon of sour cream to top it off.

We didn't use the avocados as ours weren't ready.  They would be a nice addition and will remember to buy them early enough to ripen next time.  

I would like to make or buy a good salsa to add next time.

Instead of the cheddar cheese that we use in recipes, I had cotija cheese in the fridge bought for a previous recipe.  I am including information about the cheese that I found interesting.  

"Cotija cheese does not melt, so it is often used in Mexican cooking as more of a "finishing" cheese to enhance the flavor of dishes like beans, tacos, enchiladas and tostadas.

Cotija is a Mexican cheese made from cow's milk that is salty in flavor and crumbly in texture.  Named after the town of Cotija in the state of Michoacan, cotija cheese comes in two different types - fresh and aged (or añejo).

Though both types are relatively salty, the fresh version is soft while the aged version is much harder, similar to Parmesan."

Bon Appétit!