Marinated Flank Steak

I apologize for being M.I.A. recently. I had a busy week of late meetings and volunteering at a local art festival, so I haven't cooked since Tuesday. But, I am back on track now and have some great dishes lined up for this week. Tonight I am making a flank steak, which has been marinating all day. I am going to grill it and top it with a basil sauce. Flank steak is a great piece of meat to make because it isn't fatty and it is very affordable.

For the steak:
1 flank steak (about 1.5 to 2 lbs.)
salt and pepper
the juice of two limes
balsamic vinegar, I eyeballed it, but probably about a 1/4 cup
2 gloves of garlic, pushed through a garlic press
olive oil

Season the steak well with salt and pepper. Place in a large sealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, mix the lime juice, vinegar and garlic. Slowly stream in some olive oil while whisking. Again, I eyeballed it. This is not a science, but I probably used a couple tablespoons. Pour the marinade into the bag, seal and toss around. Let marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with PAM. Place the steak in the pan and grill on each side for 7 minutes for medium-rare, depending on the thickness of the meat. Mine was about 3/4 of an inch to one inch thick. If you like your steak more done, than cook it a little bit longer. Remove the steak from the pan to a plate. Let rest for at least 10 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute. If you cut into it immediately all of the juices will pour out and the steak will be dry. Once rested, thinly slice it across the grain. The grain is the muscle tissue of the meat. It is the lines that run lengthwise along the meat. Cutting against it, or perpendicular, makes it more tender and easier to chew.

For the sauce:
1 cup basil
2 cloves of garlic
pinch of cracked red pepper
olive oil

In a food processor, pulse the basil, garlic and red pepper until finely chopped. Turn the food processor on again and stream in olive oil until it reaches a sauce-like consistency. Pour a little over the warm steak.

I served this dinner with a Caesar salad and baked potato (for my husband) and a sweet potato (for me). I had leftover meat, so I plan to pack steak caesar salads for my and my husband's lunch tomorrow.