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 Entertainment | Restaurants & Dining | July 2006 
Grilled with a Spanish Accent
 Aleta Watson - McClatchy Newspapers
| | Pico de Gallo Norteño decorates this traditional Mexican carne asada dish that includes beans and guacamole. (Rick E. Martin/San Jose Mercury News) |
Grilled steak takes on international pizzazz with sauces and marinades from Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia.
What better way to celebrate summer than by grilling a big, juicy steak in the back yard? No matter which way the diet pendulum swings, a slab of red meat remains one of the most popular foods to toss on the grill.
Some of the most appealing ways to serve steak come from Latin America, where lively sauces bring out the best in beef. Whether it's carne asada from Mexico or bistec a la Criolla from Colombia, steak takes on a vibrant personality when it's grilled with a Spanish accent.
The bright, assertive flavors of chilies, herbs, tomatoes and vinegar play well against the deep, smoky taste of meat cooked over live fire.
The good news is it only takes a little more work to prepare a show-stopping steak than to grill a plain one. These recipes draw from the traditions of Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia as well as those of Argentina, where beef is a national obsession.
Zarela Martinez, author of "Zarela's Veracruz" (Houghton Mifflin) and owner of the Manhattan restaurant that bears her name, is an evangelist for regional Mexican food. She loves recado de adobo colorado – an earthy marinade made with achiote paste and sour citrus juice – on grilled steak as much as on the more common roast pork. Achiote paste, made from ground annatto seeds, is available at most Mexican markets, usually with the spices or near the meat cases.
Marinate thinly sliced skirt steak (sold in Mexican markets as arrachera) overnight in the thick red sauce, then grill it quickly for a deeply flavored rendition of carne asada. Add some cooked pinto beans, guacamole, tortillas and Martinez's pico de gallo salsa, and you have a feast.
In Venezuela, steak gets a boost from the traditional guasaca sauce. This zippy variation of guacamole blends vinegar, mustard and horseradish with the usual avocado mixture for an extra kick. It's a bit too much for chips but a great counterpoint to meat.
Milder Creole flavors complement the beef in the bistec a la Criolla from Colombia. Sirloin is coated with mustard, cumin and vinegar before grilling, then topped with a jammy relish of tomato and onions made sweet by slow cooking.
For classic Latin American steak, you can't beat the Argentine combo of nicely charred beef and vinegary chimichurri, an herb-laden salsa that doubles as a salad. Our recipe, from the Culinary Institute of America, is a dressed-up variation with tomatoes, red bell pepper and jalapeño. It's excellent but unconventional. Purists may want to omit those ingredients for a more restrained sauce that relies primarily on herbs for its flavor.
!Viva el bistec Latino!
Recipes
ACHIOTE MARINADE
Marinate thinly sliced skirt steak in this marinade overnight. Grill it to your taste and serve with pico de gallo salsa. The marinade also works well with chicken and pork.
Yield: Makes about 2 cups, enough for 2-3 pounds meat
3/4 cup commercial achiote paste; see cook's notes
1 cup orange juice
1 cup grapefruit or lime juice
1 habañero chili, seeded, deveined and minced, using plastic gloves
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds, freshly ground in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon dry Mexican oregano, rubbed between the hands
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Cook's notes: Look for blocks of achiote paste in the spice section or near meat counters in Mexican markets. Use caution when working with fresh chilies; wash hands and work surface thoroughly upon completion and do NOT touch eyes or face.
Procedure:
1. Combine all ingredients in blender. Process with an on/off motion until thoroughly puréed.
Nutritional information (per serving, assuming 1 tablespoon): Calories 60 (77 percent from fat), fat 5.1 g, protein 0.5 g, carbohydrates 4.0 g, no fiber, sodium 210 mg, calcium 2 mg
Source: Zarela Martinez
PICO DE GALLO NORTENO
Yield: About 4 cups
2-4 fresh jalapeño or serrano chilies, tops removed but not seeded
1 garlic clove, peeled
4 large ripe, red tomatoes, peeled but not seeded
6-8 green onions with part of the green tops
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
1 teaspoon dry Mexican oregano, or to taste, crumbled
Juice of 1 large lime
Salt to taste
Cook's notes: Use caution when working with fresh chilies. Wash work surface and hand thoroughly upon completion and do NOT touch face or eyes.
Procedure:
1. With a large, sharp knife, chop chilies very fine. Mince garlic. Coarsely chop tomatoes. Finely chop green onions and cilantro. Place garlic, tomatoes, green onions and cilantro in large bowl. If the tomatoes are very dry, gradually add up to 1/2 cup cold water to achieve a light salsa consistency. Stir to mix ingredients.
2. Add chilies, a little at a time, tasting, until it is as hot as you like. Add oregano. Squeeze lime juice into the salsa.
3. Gradually add salt to taste. Serve immediately.
Nutritional information (per serving, assuming 2 tablespoons): Calories 12 (15 percent from fat), fat 0.2 g, protein 0.1 g, carbohydrates 2.2 g, no fiber, sodium 146 mg, calcium 6 mg
Source: "Food From My Heart," by Zarela Martinez (Macmillan)
GUASACA SAUCE
Porterhouse steaks are a good match with this creamy, avocado-based sauce. Although the instructions call for a mortar and pestle in the first step, a food processor or blender also may be used.
Yield: 6 servings
1 red onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 serrano chilies, with seeds, chopped
4 ripe Hass avocados, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup pure olive oil
1 tablespoon Colman's mustard powder
1 tablespoon American-style yellow mustard
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 cups peeled and seeded ripe plum tomatoes
Salt
Cook's notes: Use caution when working with fresh chilies; wash work surface and hands thoroughly upon completion and do NOT touch eyes or face.
Procedure:
1. Combine onion, garlic and chilies in mortar and mash into paste with pestle. In blender combine avocados, vinegar, oil and both mustards; purée.
2. Add mashed garlic mixture and puree until smooth.
3. Transfer to a bowl and fold in cilantro, parsley, horseradish and tomatoes.
4. Add salt to taste. To serve, spread the sauce on steaks fresh off the grill.
Nutritional information (per serving, assuming 2 tablespoons): Calories 91 (69 percent from fat), fat 7 g, protein 1.1 g, carbohydrates 5 g, fiber 0.2 g, sodium 240 mg, calcium 12 mg
Source: "Douglas Rodriguez's Latin Flavors on the Grill," by Douglas Rodriguez (Ten Speed Press)
BISTEC A LA CRIOLLA
Yield: 4 servings
4 (8-ounce) boneless sirloin steaks, 3/4- to 1-inch thick, trimmed of fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons Dijonmustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium-sized red onion, diced
2 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
1 bay leaf
Procedure:
1. Trim steaks of excess fat and season on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large glass or ceramic baking dish, whisk together mustard, cumin and vinegar. Place steaks in dish, turn to coat both sides, cover, and let marinate in refrigerator 1 hour. Heat grill to very hot.
2. In medium-sized non-reactive skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, tomatoes and bay leaf. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook until mixture is soft and thick, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, grill steaks until done to your liking, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Serve immediately, topped with the tomato-onion relish.
Nutritional information (per serving): Calories 606 (43 percent from fat), fat 29.1 g, protein 81.2 g, carbohydrates 4.1 g, fiber 0.3 g, sodium 246 mg, calcium 27 mg
Source: "Bistro Latino," by Rafael Palomino (Morrow)
CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
Yield: About 2 cups
1 teaspoon salt
8 garlic cloves, peeled, minced
12 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
1/4 cup minced oregano leaves
1/2 cup finely diced tomato
2 jalapeños, minced
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Procedure:
1. Sprinkle salt over minced garlic and mash to a paste with flat side of chef's knife. Transfer garlic to non-reactive bowl and add red pepper, onion, parsley, oregano, tomato, jalapeños, water, olive oil and red wine vinegar.
2. Mix well and refrigerate 1 hour to let flavors blend. Serve cold with grilled steak of your choice.
Nutritional information (per serving, assuming 1 tablespoon): Calories 58 (76 percent from fat), fat 4.9 g, protein 0.8 g, carbohydrates 3.9 g, no fiber, sodium 181 mg, calcium 3 mg |
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