No grill? No worry!: Steak Tacos with Sweet and Spicy Pickled Onions

A good portion of our last summer was spent discovering and perfecting the Mexican street taco.  We made batch after batch of carnitas and carne asada with various toppings, kept simple to be authentic, and hit our stride after a while.  Marshall's birthday last year even had a taco theme.  We had a huge BBQ at my parent's house and backyard with close to 30 people and Marshall and I cooked up chicken, carnitas, carne asada, and marinated portobello mushrooms.  I threw together homemade guacamole, pico de gallo, and salsa verde, as well as the below-mentioned pickled onions.  Lime wedges and warm Trader Joe's homemade corn tortillas were provided and we flew through all our food.  Everyone enjoyed our tacos and Marshall was delightfully pleased with his grilling and cooking skills.  Since I'm usually the one to cook for our parties, it was great to hand over the responsibilities to Marshall for his birthday. 

After my previous post (in addition to the above paragraph) talking about how great it is to grill, it seems rather scandalous that I would follow up with a recipe for steak tacos without using a grill.  But I am.  The thing is, these steak tacos are awesome.  They're not carne asada (only modeled after), but they do taste authentic and entirely delicious.  They're also very easy to make AND, like I said earlier, they don't need a grill.  You actually don't miss the lovely grill flavor, since the steak is so incredibly tasty and succulent.  This was also a wonderful way to make really great steak tacos when it's too cold to grill or when you don't have a grill at all.  You don't need an indoor grill (like a George Foreman), either, which is great.  These are perfect apartment tacos-you can ferret away for an evening to the dusty streets of Mexico City and sink your teeth into these incredibly tender and tasty tacos!

Oh, and did I mention the recipe is built for 2 people?  That's right.  I found this awesome recipe in America's Test Kitchen's Cooking for Two 2010 collection.  You can, of course, increase this recipe as needed, but it's great for being on your own or sharing with the one you love, like, or just live with.  :)


Steak Tacos
Serves 2

Herb Paste
1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro
3 Cloves of Garlic, peeled
3 Scallions, roughly chopped
1 Jalapeño Chile, stemmed and seeded
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice

Steak and Tacos
12 ounces Flank Steak
Kosher Salt
1/4 teaspoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Vegetable Oil
6 (6-inch) Corn Tortillas, warmed

Garnishes
Lime Wedges
Cilantro Leaves, torn
Radishes or Cucumbers, thinly sliced

1.  For the herb paste:  Pulse the cilantro, garlic, scallions, jalapeño, and cumin in a food processor until finely chopped, 10-12 pulses.  add the oil and process until the mixture is smooth and resembles pesto, about 15 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Transfer 2 tablespoons of the herb paste to a medium bowl, whisk in the lime juice, and set aside.
2.  For the steak:  Pat the steak dry with paper towels.  Cut the steak iwth the grain into 1-1/2-inch-wide strips.  Using a fork, poke each steak piece 10-12 times on each side.  Rub the steak pieces with 3/4 teaspoon salt, place in an 8-inch square baking dish, then coat evenly with the remaining herb paste.  cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour.
3.  Scrape the herb paste off the steak and season with the sugar and pepper.  Heat the oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Brown the steak pieces well on all sides adn cook until the steak registers 125F on an instant-read thermometer (for medium-rare), about 7-10 minutes.  Transfer the steak to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes.
4.  Slice the steak thinly across the grain into small pieces, add to the bowl with the reserved herb paste and lime mixture, adn toss to coat.  Season with salt to taste.  Spoon a small amount of the sliced steak into the center of each warm tortilla and serve, passing the garnishes at the table.
Credit:  America's Test Kitchen:  Cooking for Two 2010, p. 12.


Sweet and Spicy Pickled Onion

1 Red Onion (small-sized), halved and sliced thin
1/2 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
2-1/2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Jalapeño Chile, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into thin rings (you can always leave the seeds in for more heat)
1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt

1.  Place the onion in a medium heat-resistant bowl.
2.  Bring the vinegar, sugar, jalapeño, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.

3.  Pour the vinegar mixture over the onion, cover loosely, and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
4.  When cool, drain the onion, discard the liquid and serve.  The pickled onions can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Credit:  America's Test Kitchen:  Cooking for Two 2010, p. 12.