Flank Steak w/ Ancho Chile Rub and Chipotle-Tomatillo Salsa

Hola, friends! I know I know I know I know I know…Another Mexican-influenced dish…What can I say? I just can’t get enough.

Rick Bayless has always been one of my favorite TV chefs. From watching his endearingly stilted delivery on PBS’s  “Mexico, One Plate at a Time” to seeing him live at the Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend a couple years ago, I’ve always liked this guy. Besides being really easygoing and making exotic cooking seem approachable, he transformed my idea of Mexican food from one-note Americanized rice, bean and flour tortilla iterations to a stunning variety of complex flavors and comforting textures from the unique culinary traditions of the country’s different regions.

We already had a flank steak from Trader Joe’s in the fridge. I just had to go out, pick up some tomatillos and corn tortillas, and get a few things for a salad to go with: some roasted beets, red onions and poblano chiles, served over mixed greens with a lime, cilantro and Worcestershire sauce vinaigrette, topped with shaved Pecorino Romano. The steak was the easy part–just a quick rub of ancho chile powder, garlic, brown sugar, cumin and Mexican oregano…then it sat until it was time to throw it on the grill. It was delicious on its own, but even better with a simple, three-ingredient salsa of roasted garlic, roasted tomatillos and canned chipotle chiles in adobo.

Flank Steak w/ Ancho Chile Rub

 

Total Time: 35 min (plus marinating time, if possible)

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed through garlic press
• 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2-lb flank steak

Method

• Mix together garlic, ancho powder, brown sugar, oregano, cumin, pepper and salt until blended. Spread a heavy coating over both sides of the steak. If time allows, refrigerate steak 4-8 hours
• Heat one side of a gas grill to medium-high. Lay steak on hot part of grill, cover and cook 5 minutes. Flip, cover and cook 5 minutes. Move steak to cooler part of grill, cover and cook about 5 minutes, or until steak reaches desired doneness. Tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain and serve with chipotle-tomatillo salsa, with corn tortillas on the side

Chipotle-Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 8oz tomatillos, husked, rinsed, halved
• 2 canned chipotles en adobo
• Salt to taste

Method

• Preheat oven to 400. Spread garlic and tomatillos on baking sheet, drizzle lightly with oil and roast 10-15 minutes until soft.
• Scoop garlic and tomatillos into food processor or blender, along with chiles and 2 Tbs water. Process to a coarse puree, adding more water if salsa is too thick. Pour into a dish and let cool

Red Mole Enchiladas with Shredded Turkey

We got a lot of mileage out of our Thanksgiving turkey this year…After two dinners of straight-up turkey, turkey sandwiches, turkey soup with wild rice, and two more nights of turkey gumbo, we finally had come to the last of our bird. And it was time, I thought, to do something a little less…American.

I had been wanting to try this recipe for chicken enchiladas with red mole, but I thought the turkey would make a good substitute (I’ve read turkey is a more traditional ingredient in Mexican cuisine than chicken, anyway, as turkeys are native to Mexico). So, I shredded up the last drumsticks and wings (how did those not get eaten earlier?) and ate some of the last turkey I’m sure I will have in a long time…

BTW, the accompanying soup is a puree of black beans, roasted onion, garlic and tomato, cumin, oregano and creme fraiche (which we had leftover from Thanksgiving, but sour cream or Mexican crema would work, too). If you have an immersion blender, this silky soup is a breeze to make and, as a Mexican side dish, it’s a nice break from the overplayed accompaniment of refried or stewed pinto beans.

Red Mole Enchiladas with Shredded Turkey

Total Time: 2 hours

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients

• 8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 8 medium (about 4 ounces total) dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferable Mexican
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• a big pinch cumin, preferably freshly ground
• a scant 1/4 teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or pork lard, if you’ve got it)
• 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) whole almonds (with or without skins)
• 1 medium white onion, sliced 1/8 inch thick
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 3 plum tomatoes
• a scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces roughly chopped Mexican chocolate
• 2 slices firm white bread , toasted
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 10-12 corn tortillas
• 3 cups cooked, coarsely shredded turkey

Method

• Roast the unpeeled garlic directly on a dry heavy skillet over medium heat until soft and blackened in spots, about 15 minutes; cool and peel. While the garlic is roasting, toast the chiles on another side of the skillet: 1 or 2 at a time, open them flat and press down firly on the hot surface with a spatula; in a few seconds, when they crackle and send up a wisp of smoke, flip them and press down tot toast the other side. In a small bowl, cover the chiles with hot water and let rehydrate 30 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even soaking. Drain and discard the water
• Combine the oregano, black pepper, cumin and cloves in a food processor or blender, along with the chiles, garlic and 2/3 cup of the broth. Process to a smooth puree, scraping and sitrring every few seconds. If the mixture won’t go through the blender blades, add a little more liquid. Press through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl
• In a medium-size heavy pot, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil or lard over medium. Add the almonds and cook, stirring regularly, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the almonds to a blender or food processor. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until richly browned, about 10 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to scoop the onions in with the almonds, leaving behind as much oil as possible. Add the raisins, stir for one minute so they puff up, then use the slotted spoon to scoop them in with the almonds
• Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until blackened on one side, about 6-8 minutes, then flip them over and roast the other side. Cool, peel and add to the almond mixture in the food processor, along with the cinnamon, chocolate and bread. Add 1 cup of the broth and blend to a smooth puree, scraping and stirring every few seconds
• Return the pot to medium-high heat and, if necessary, add a little more oil or lard to coat the bottom lightly. When very hot, add the ancho mixture and cook, stirring almost constantly, until darker and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add the pureed almond mixture and cook, stirring constantly for another few minutes, until very thick once again. Stir in the remaining 4 1/3 cups of the broth, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium-low for 45 minutes. Taste and season with salt and sugar until the mole is slightly sweet and balanced
• In a dry, non-stick skillet over high heat, warm tortillas one at a time until soft and pliable, about 10 seconds per side, and keep covered under a kitchen towel so they stay warm
• To finish the enchiladas, in a medium-size saucepan, combine the turkey with 1 1/2 cups of the mole and warm over medium heat. Bring the remaining mole to a simmer. When you’re ready to serve, quickly make the enchiladas by scooping 2 generous tablespoons of chicken onto a tortilla, rolling it up and placing it on a warm dinner plate, seam side down. Continue making enchiladas, arranging 2 or 3 per plate, then douse them liberally with the mole