Beer Marinated Flank Steak

Miss Lu's recital was this weekend so my mom and my in-laws were coming to town to see my youngest starlet dance in her Saturday afternoon show.  Typically when Kris' parents come to see us they arrive the night before they have to get here, call us, and say that they just had dinner at IHop and will see us in the morning.  We were kind of expecting that when I was making out my shopping list.

While I was at the store shopping for the weekend Kris called me... now, I know this is strange but this is the kind of call that I enjoy.  "My parents are almost here and they haven't eaten."  The reason that I enjoy that call is I get to run loose in the store like I am on The Next Food Network Star  picking ingredients trying to figure out an extra meal or two and how to prepare it in a time frame that I didn't expect.

Ok it may be little juvenile but admit it... you have done it too.  Opened the pantry and picked your ingredients to make dinner a fun challenge... The meal for after the show was Flank Steak with Potatoes and Asparagus and it ROCKED!  It may seem like a few steps but it was really easy and worked well for a busy day.

Flank Steak
1 flank steak (about a pound and a half)
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
Coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 or 6 green onions sliced thin
1 12-ounce bottle of beer
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

Take flank steak and score in a criss cross pattern about 1/8 of an inch deep.  Put it in a non reactive dish and rub with the oregano, cumin, salt and olive oil.  Then add the rest of the ingredients and refrigerate for several hours or over night (soaked for about 6 hours).

While this is marinading make the dipping sauce and guacamole...

The Sauce

1 jalapeno pepper chopped
3 green onion chopped
1/3 cup chopped Vidalia onion (about half of one)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice from 2 limes
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Put the first 4 ingredients into a chopper and grind into a paste (it took a couple of minutes in mine) you want it to be well mixed but still have texture.  Then add the lime juice, salt and pepper and mix quickly and set aside.  Let it sit for at least a couple of hours so the flavors bloom.

Guacamole

1 avocado peeled and pitted
3 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
3 TBS chopped Vidalia onion (that is the other half of the one I used in the sauce above)
Juice from 1 lime
Coarse kosher salt (to taste)

Slice the avocado and mash it up with a fork then add the cilantro and Vidalia onion mix well then add the lime juice and salt.  Mix well and set refrigerate until dinner.

When it is time to go put the Flank Steak on a hot grill and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium rare.  Remove from the heat and let stand covered while you set everything else up.  I Served with roasted potatoes (recipe coming up, they were really good) and grilled asparagus).  Once everything was ready I sliced the flank steak across the grain about a quarter of an inch thick and served.  Add a little of the sauce then a touch of guacamole and serve.  The Sauce was great, fresh and bright with just a little bit of a spicy zing to it.  Next time I may add a little more Jalapino, the guacamole did quite a bit to take off the spicy edge.