Time Saving Tip: Seasonings & Marinades Part 2

If there's something I'm expert on, its emotions. You can tell by how well I'm connecting with the other two people in this photo...

that was a joke by the way. I just thought it was awkwardly funny picture

You know the phrase, or should I say the condition, that diet magazines refer to as, " the emotional eater"? Well, I'll gladly claim that one; not as some kind of disorder or shortcoming but as a personality trait. I mean, let's face, what do I do that IS NOT emotional?

Yeah, I couldn't come up with an answer either.

So you have to think on your feet when you are a mood driven eater. It may work for some personality types to plan meals days (or weeks... eek!) in advance, but that simply doesn't work for me. I've come up with several strategies to accommodate this... ehem.... emotional disposition to food:

Pre-marinading your meat speeds up your prep time considerably. Instead of having to thaw out meat and then marinade for hours, when it's thawed out- it's ready to go.

It is also a few less ingredients you have to measure and dishes you have to dirty at dinner time.

Pre-marinading eliminates that 'thawed out taste' meat can sometimes have.

For the sake of this example, I'll use flank steak. Flank Steak has had this reputation of being 'tough' like one of the Outsiders from S.E. Hinton's Novel.

Flank steak used to be the kid from the other side of the tracks,

but we're changing that right quick

The flank has captured my foodie heart. Its an inexpensive cut of beef, and when marinaded properly is pretty amazing. I pick up mine at Costco where they come in the twin pack, so I always freeze at least one, if not both at the point of purchase.

Step 1:

Mix the Marinade (for 1-1.5 lbs of flank):

• 1/2 cup full bodied red wine (i.e. Shiraz, Cabernet)
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• Freshly ground pepper or red pepper flakes if your feelin' frisky

Step 2: Bag it up

Then pour the marinade in a plastic freezer bag overtop the flank steak. TIP: do NOT use the cheap freezer bags. Buy the pricy kind, and if you need to, double bag it. Trust me, its not worth the savings in this application.

Mark the bag with a sharpie, indicating the date and contents.

Step 3: Thaw the Meat

When you are ready to thaw: thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Quick thaw: let sit in room temperature water for a few hours.

Step 4: Make it happen

To cook: throw it on the an oiled grill for a total of 8-10 minutes for medium; 10-12 minutes for medium -rare. Let it rest for a couple minutes before slicing.

Step 5: Serving

The steak is excellent solo with red potatoes and steamed asparagus (or green beans). However, we also like it on tacos, salad, or steak sandwich. It makes excellent leftovers and keeps well for up to a week.

Now get in that kitchen and make me a sandwich.