Stuffed Grilled Flank Steak

     Lately I've been thinking about grilling some kind meat stuffed with something yummy.  Caroline spent Father's Day this year with her boyfriend Adam's family.  Adam's dad is a grilling master and Caroline was raving about the wonderful stuffed flank steak he cooked up for their feast.  I remembered a recipe from The Betty Crocker International Cookbook I received in 1981 for a wedding gift.  It has a wonderful recipe for Matambre Arrollado (translation: "Hunger Killer Roll") or Argentinian stuffed flank steak.  The Betty Crocker recipe called for browning the meat and then cooking it in liquid until tender.  The temperature has been so extremely hot this summer and I'm in a grilling mode instead of cooking in a warm kitchen, so I figured if I tenderized the steak well enough, I could do it on the grill.  The results were very yummy and the left overs were even delicious served cold the next day.

Ingredients:

1 large flank steak (or at least a pound)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon salt (and more to sprinkle)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Another clove of garlic, minced or pressed
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 peppers such as serrano or jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 whole cooked carrots, cut lengthwise and then lengthwise again
1 hard boiled egg, quartered
Cooking string that has been soaked in water for about 10 minutes

Steps:

1.  “Butterfly” the steak by carefully cutting it through the middle with a very sharp knife.  Be careful that you do not cut it completely through so that it stays in one large piece.  Open it up and lay it out in a 9x13 inch baking dish or similar container.

2.  Make a simple marinade of ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 garlic cloves put through a press, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and a tablespoon of fresh parsley (if you happen to have it).  Pour it over the steak and refrigerate it for several hours (best overnight, but I don’t always think that far ahead).  During the day, turn the steak over every couple of hours or so.

3.  Shake the excess marinade of the steak and lay it flat – cut side up.  Press another clove of garlic and rub it on the steak.  Lightly sprinkle it with salt and pepper.  Chop and seed 2 tomatoes, dice and seed 2 small peppers such as Serrano or Jalapenos, and dice one small onion.  Mix the tomatoes, peppers, and onions together and spread them over the steak.  Quarter a hardboiled egg and line the pieces down the middle of the steak.  Cut two precut carrots in half lengthwise and then in half lengthwise again. Line them down the steak to the left and right of the egg so there are two strips of carrots on either side.

4.  Roll the steak up from the end and tie it with cooking string or twine that has been soaked in water. I like to tie it in three places - the two ends and the middle.

5.  Over medium heat, grill the rolled steak about 7 minutes per “side” to achieve some nice brown marks.  Turn the heat down to low and cook about 7 more minutes.

6.  Let the steak rest about 5 minutes before cutting it into slices.  Yum – Enjoy!