Cake, Batter, and Bowl

Flank Steak with Red Wine and Tamarind Sauce

Main Dishes

Ah yes, it’s finally time to share my very first beef recipe! We don’t eat a huge amount of red meat, but every once in awhile a serious craving strikes and I just have to devour a juicy burger or steak. I only recently began cooking steak at home though because I was always a little nervous I would accidently overcook a pricey cut. I finally decided to just dive in and go for it, and I’m so happy I did because I’m feeling much more comfortable now that I’ve had a bit of practice.

We’ve become very enamored with tamarind sauce, which is one of the condiments commonly served with samosas. I thought the flavor would pair well with red wine, so I used the two to marinate a lovely flank steak and then also make a sauce to top it. I cooked our steak under the broiler, but grilling it would also work well. The wine flavor is pretty pronounced, so be sure to use one that you like and not one of those “cooking” wines. This recipe is the perfect way to use up any extra wine you couldn’t quite finish the night before. Of course, you could alternatively open a new bottle and enjoy a couple glasses while you’re whipping up the marinade – such a win-win situation!

Flank Steak with Red Wine and Tamarind Sauce
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 cup red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup tamarind sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak

Sauce:
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup tamarind sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Directions:
To make the marinade, place red wine, olive oil, tamarind sauce, and salt in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Place steak and marinade in large food-safe plastic bag and make sure marinade evenly coats steak. Close bag, removing as much air as possible, and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning once.

Heat oven broiler. Remove steak from marinade and place steak on rack of broiler pan so surface of beef is 2 to 3 inches from heat. Broil 10 to 16 minutes for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning once. Remove; let stand 5 minutes to rest. Carve steak across the grain into long strips.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing red wine, tamarind sauce, and brown sugar in a small pot over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 7 minutes or until thickened and reduced. Spoon sauce over cut steak. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 568 calories, 30.7g fat, 1.5g fiber, 35.6g protein per serving
Cost: $3.63 per serving

Mediterranean Chicken Sausage and Chickpea Skillet

We’re back! Our trip to Lithuania was amazing and I’m going to work on sorting through all our pictures this weekend so I can share a recap with you. There were two things I couldn’t wait to do once we returned home though – one was sleeping in our own bed because we...

Mediterranean Couscous

Some things are just meant to be. A couple of weeks ago I was jogging through Harvard Square when I heard someone calling my name. I was disoriented for a second, but when I turned around, I was surprised to see that it was my friend Rashmi from college – crazy, huh –...

Mediterranean Eggplant Stacks

You may have noticed that I’ve been on a bit of a Mediterranean kick lately – chickpeas, roasted red peppers, and feta have all been making me very happy and this dish is no exception. I wanted to come up with a fun vegetarian main dish to serve at an upcoming dinner...

Roasted Rack of Lamb with a Fennel, Artichoke, and Chickpea Mash

Get this, my mom told me today that the reason I didn’t remember having mac & cheese growing up is because I didn’t like it! Apparently I always refused to eat it and would push it away and eat cereal for dinner instead! I mean I know I was an extremely picky...

Caprese Bulgur with Chicken Sausage

Apolinaras is like a kid in a candy store at any establishment that sells tools or hardware stuff. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful he’s so handy and likes to do all the maintenance on our cars and tackle home improvement projects. But, the other weekend I was so...

Southwestern Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese

Can you believe I never had mac & cheese growing up? I was actually first introduced to the blue box in college by my good friend Susie. We lived together the summer in between our sophomore and junior years and used to come home from our respective labs during...

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Lemon and Thyme

I’m on the hunt for new chicken recipes. We’ve been eating more poultry than usual lately due to my hubby’s weightlifting diet. While I haven’t joined him in slurping down protein shakes and chowing down on egg whites every morning, I try to keep things interesting...

Citrus Glazed Salmon

When I got home from New Orleans this week, I found 3 salmon fillets that my hubby had defrosted in the fridge. Apolinaras is a great cook and loves to grill and throw meals together with whatever is laying around. Because he doesn’t ever follow recipes or write...