Flank Steak with Cilantro-Almond Pesto

 

Flank Steak with Cilantro-Almond Pesto
From Cooking Light, May 2002

 

Oh Cooking Light, I'm sorry we have strayed from you.  When we first started dating CL was our cooking bible.  The recipes are well explained, use easy to find ingredients, and almost always turn out awesome.  Once we even tried to cook every recipe in an issue, ala Julie and Julia (we only got though about 1/4...our attention spans aren't that long!).  Heck, we gave housewarming subscriptions to any friend who moved for about a year back in 2010!  But alas, over time we have purchased a myriad of cookbooks and become devoted followers of a number of cooking websites, and now sometimes months go by and we don't make a single recipe from an issue.

 

Well, tonight we put an end to that and it felt so good!  Despite owning a cataloged collection of every issue since 2007, I found this recipe on the internet.  It's an oldie but a goodie, and a great way to get a little more grilling in before summer's end.  And bonus, the pesto is good on other meats, sandwiches, or pastas, just beware garlic breath after!

 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbsp slivered or chopped almonds, toasted
• 1 serrano pepper, roughly chopped (we left the seeds in for extra heat...your call)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 3 Tbsp plain fat-free yogurt (we used Greek, I think anything would work as long as it's PLAIN, not vanilla)
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
• 1 1-lb flank steak, trimmed
• additional salt and pepper, for meat

Preparation

1. Heat grill to medium heat.
2. Combine cilantro, almonds, serrano, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, and garlic in a blender or food processor.  Process until finely chopped.  Side note on device choice: I am enthralled by my new, huge food processor, but I think it was the wrong choice here.  The amount of stuff is too small, and it just kept getting stuck to the sides.  Go with a mini food processor or magic bullet if you have something like that.
3. Add yogurt and lime juice to pesto.  Process until smooth.
4. Salt and pepper flank steak.
5. Grill 6 minutes on each side, or until desired degree of doneness.
6. Place meat on a cutting board and allow it to sit for at least 3 or 4 minutes.  This will trap all the yummy juices.
7. Slice meat AGAINST THE GRAIN, so you have long strips.
8. Serve with pesto sauce.

Serves 4.

Posted in: Beef, Entrees, Grilling