quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Arrachera

We had some friends over the other night and as we do sort of regularly, had some arrachera. This is just flank or skirt steak that you marinate for a while before you put it on the grill. I've seen and heard of all different kinds of marinade. Everything from just beer and cumin to pineapple and cayenne pepper and some secrets that the cooks won't reveal. This is how we do it. Our friend, Butch, gives this his seal of approval. I bought 2 flank steaks, Each about 5 in. across and 10 in. long, some tortillas and some veggies.

Took a large zip lock bag opened it up and put it in a bowl with the opened side up (of course).

3/4 cup of good olive oil
3/4 cup red wine
about 1 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
about a tbsp. black pepper
a few shakes of salt
a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 lime squeeze all the juice out of it and put the skins in also


All of that in the zip lock then the meat. fold the bag so you get all the air out and zip it shut. Squeeze and push on it to arrange the meat so it is lying flat when you lay the bag on it's side. Put it in the fridge, The longer the better. Overnight is good but a couple of hours works ok. The shorter the marinade time the tougher the meat is going to be,sooo, the shorter the time the thinner you have to be sure to slice the meat when it's done.

We always saute up some veggies to put on the tortillas with the arrachera.

2 poblamo peppers in slices
2 jalapeno peppers minced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 med. sized onions sliced or julienne
some broccoli cut into small pieces
some string beans
2 plum (roma) tomatoes diced

heated up a frying pan med high with a couple of swirls of olive oil.
Put the broccoli and string beans in first, let them get a little soft then the rest of the stuff. Got it all almost done and turned the heat off.

After we were had happy houred a little we lit the grill and after it was ready Butch grilled the meat. He turns the meat often. Says its his secret way of doing great grilling. After a little bit he put some more of the marinade on the steaks. Cook the steaks about 8-10 min. We like them a little pink inside. Remember the finger poke test? The firmer it is the more done it is.

When the steaks were almost done. I put the heat to the veggies and heated up the tortillas 3 at a time in a dry pan.The meat was done. I sliced it across the grain and thin.

It was great!! We took a tortilla, put a few slices of meat and some veggies on it and dug in!