Today my teenager, S, took to the kitchen, to prepare his first meal in the Cooking Deal. He decided on Mini Flank Steak Tortillas with Chipotle-Lime Sour Cream, from Dave’s Dinners (which is a really fantastic cookbook, by the way, and on my list of cookbooks to be reviewed).

I’m very happy to say that my instincts about his abilities were definitely correct. I doubt anyone could have looked at and tasted the final result and guessed that this was his first foray into the kitchen outside of his last school project (making crepes).

I say “looked at”, because my personal experiences in the kitchen are such that I know I can concoct heavenly tasting things easily enough, but getting them to actually LOOK the part is the challenge (that’s why I welcome all the Muses I can find!).

But luckily, S doesn’t have this problem.

Before we get to the pictures and the recipe itself, it was also a day of self-learning basics. “Self-learning”, because he was very adamant that he handle everything himself. So a lot of this is after-the-fact knowledge that he now has:

1. Just because a measuring spoon says “1/2″ on it does not mean it’s the right measuring spoon. Those markings that say “tsp” OR “tbsp” really do make a difference. Really.
2. When a salt container gives you two possible openings, you can bet that one of them is for slipping the measuring spoon in, doing away with the need to shake the container over the spoon. But if you’re going to shake the container over the spoon, it’s a good idea not to do it over the bowl into which you are planning to add the salt.
3. One canned chipotle means one chipotle from the can. Not one entire can of chipotles. The wording is confusing. Luckily he decided not to include the sour cream right in the tortillas, so everyone could add as much or as little as they wanted. After our first taste, we each opted for the lesser side. But it was still very very good.
4. The grain of the meat means those lines running down the length (or width) of the meat. Cutting across the grain does not mean cutting along the grain. And cookbooks will usually specify the thickness of the cut.
5. When a cookbook says “thinly” or “thin”, there’s usually a reason. Like having enough filling to assemble all your tortillas. On the other hand, large pieces (whether of meat or red pepper) had a great taste to them and were very satisfying to chew.

My husband and I really enjoyed our lunch. Unfortunately, S discovered he didn’t like this particular blend of spices. But he did enjoy watching us devouring our lunch. And when asked if he had a good time, he said yes, he definitely did.

As a bonus, he left us a clean kitchen, too. (I’m almost tempted to bold that, because it is quite something to celebrate, on top of a lovely meal!)

Tomorrow, he’s making meatloaf.

Now onto the recipe and pics (which really don’t do the meal justice)!

Mini Flank Steak Tortillas with Chipotle-Lime Sour Cream
from Dave’s Dinners

For the tortillas:

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, pressed
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp adobo sauce (from canned chipotles below)
1/2 tsp salt
15 grinds fresh black pepper
1-1/2 pounds flank steak

For the chipotle-lime sour cream:

1 cup sour cream
3/4 tsp salt
1 canned chipotle, minced
Zest of 1/2 lime

1 large red pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
6 flour tortillas
1/2 bunch cilantro sprigs, tough stems removed

1. Combine the olive oil, garlic, lime juice, Worcestershire, chili powder, adobo, salt, and black pepper in a shallow baking dish and mix well. Add the steak and flip it several times to coat it well with the marinade. Cover and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Make the sour cream by stirring together all the ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Cook the flank steak about 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Return pan to the heat. Add the sliced red pepper to the hot pan and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Use a paper towel to rub the inside of the pan clean.
5. Toast the tortillas in the pan about 45 seconds to a minute on each side. Keep moist and pliable by sealing in a plastic bag.
6. To assemble the tortillas, slice the meat across the grain into thin slices. Cut the tortillas in half. Put 3 to 4 slices of meat and some red pepper slices into the center. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a couple of cilantro sprigs. Fold up and serve warm.

Makes about 12.

More pictures of our scrumptious lunch:





Bookmark this: BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | reddit | Yahoo MyWeb