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| photo by L. Gatto-White |
Today’s restaurants, in keeping with our subdued economic climate and the ‘waste not’ ecology of the environmentally enlightened, have been transforming their up-scale premises into wallet- friendly bistros with a homey neighborhood feel (never mind that in Paris three-thousand such beloved mom and pop enterprises have recently closed their doors). It isn’t just the retro décor and communal seating that’s new, it’s the menu too; bistro fare is very hearty tasty food, derived from humble ingredients and served fast, hence the name bistro, a word entering the French lexicon with the 1815 Russian occupation of Paris during which impatient Cossacks would shout “Bystro!” at their French servers urging them to hurry-up (truc, don’t try this now).
Bistro cuisine is mounds of tender mussels steamed in wine and herbs with sides of golden shoestring frits and gobs of luscious garlic aioli, hearty savoury deep-brown daubes made from shanks, shoulders or anything close to muscle and bone which reveals its sumptuous finger-licking goodness when braised slowly in wine with aromatic herbs and root vegetables. Bistro food is also the often over-looked cuts like the flank steak (also called London broil), skirt and hangar steaks or inside round which are lean, prominently grained and best marinated then pan-fried fast no more than medium- rare, then sliced on an angle across the lengthwise grain.
These cuts gaining in popularity are inexpensive, tender and delicious if prepared, cooked and served properly. The flank steak is one of my favourites and is the classic choice for steak fajitas. It is a piece always bought whole, cut from the area between the hip and ribs near the diaphragm, it is a thin, long piece tapered at one end, its size and weight varying with the age and breed of cattle.
Marinated in a piquant rub, these flank steaks are fast to fry, then dress in a fresh, tart chimichurri sauce, wrap in a soft floury tortilla and accompany with a side of smoky, savoury Spanish rice; so ‘bystro’ to the table before they get cold!
Flank Steak Fajitas
(Serves four)
Ingredients:
- 2 flank steaks approx. ¾-1 lb. each
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tbsp. butter
- ½ sweet red onion thickly sliced
- 2 red or green cubanelle peppers cut in thick strips
Marinade:
- 2 tbsp. each: olive oil red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. each: dry chili flakes, oregano, coarsely ground pepper, garlic powder
- 2 tsp. each: soy sauce and honey
To serve: 4-8 medium or large flour tortillas (depending on appetites)
Method:
- With a sharp knife, cut very shallow diagonal lines in a criss-cross pattern across both sides of each steak to tenderize and allow the marinade to penetrate well
- Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients
- Smear both sides of the scored steaks and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight
- In a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat warm ½ tbsp. olive oil
- Remove steaks from refrigerator to bring to room temperature
- Fry the onion and peppers strips until soft and brown on the edges, remove from pan and set aside
- Add the remaining ½ tbsp. oil and the butter to warm pan, when foaming, add the steaks
- Cook on each side for 3 -5 minutes depending upon thickness, you just want to get a good carmelization, the centre should only be slightly firm , turn only once
- Remove steaks from pan and rest covered on a rack for a few minutes,
- To cut cut: hold your knife on an angle, slice the steaks widthwise, across the grain in thin strips
Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 1 tsp. capers
- ½ jalapeno chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp. lemon or lime juice
Method:
- Cook arugula and basil in boiling salted water for 3 seconds, then immediately plunge into cold water
- Dry greens well and process in a blender until smooth with rest of ingredients, except citrus juice, salt and pepper
- Stir-in citrus juice, add salt and pepper to taste before serving
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