Grilled Skirt Steak With Caramelized Butter and Cumin
- Ready In:
- 1hr 5mins
- Ingredients:
- 14
- Serves:
-
6-8
ingredients
- 4 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained (28 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1⁄2 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 4 hot peppers or 2 green bell peppers
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground aleppo chilies or 1 teaspoon medium-hot paprika
- 3 lbs skirt steaks, trimmed of fat and any silver skin, and cut into 6- to 8-inch-long pieces
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 large pita breads, cut in half
- plain Greek yogurt or other whole-milk yogurt, for garnish
directions
- Heat the oven to 375°F
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, simmer the tomato chunks with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the garlic, and the salt and pepper for about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes break down and become soft and saucy.
- Meanwhile, in a small skillet, melt one stick of butter on low heat and simmer for about 12 minutes until the butter turns nut-brown and smells like hazelnuts. The solids will begin to separate and then fall to the bottom. Butter turns from brown to black very quickly, so watch closely.
- Immediately remove the butter from the heat, and strain through a fine sieve into a dry container. Set aside to cool. The butter is very hot, so be careful not to spill any water in it as it cools; otherwise, the butter will spit and bubble, the way hot oil does.
- Stir half of the caramelized butter into the tomato sauce and purée it in a blender until smooth. Reseason it with salt and pepper; set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, put the peppers in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and season them with salt and pepper.
- Place the peppers on a baking sheet, and roast them in the oven until they are soft and collapsed, 8 to 10 minutes. Set them aside but keep them warm.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the cumin with the oregano and Aleppo chiles, and sprinkle the skirt steaks evenly on both sides with the spice mixture.
- Grill the steaks over charcoal, or sear them as follows: In a large, heavy skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat, mix 1/2 tablespoon of the canola oil and 1/2 tablespoon of the remaining butter. When the butter turns brown, add the steaks and sear them on the first side, allowing them to brown for about 5 minutes.
- Lower the heat if the pan becomes too smoky or if the spices begin to burn. Cook for another 5 minutes if you want the steaks more well done.
- Put them on a platter to rest and wipe out the pan. Brown the remaining steaks with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter and canola oil.
- Arrange the pita halves on a platter. Remove the steaks from the pan and rest them on the pita. As the meat rests, the juices will soak into the bread.
- Top with the tomato sauce, yogurt, and peppers, and serve with the extra caramelized butter to drizzle over all.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Sandi From CA
Arcadia, California