Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos with Charred Poblano Crema and a Pomegranate, Pineapple Pico de Gallo
So for a stay at home mom (which apparently isn't a job, thanks people of Twitter), I am a pretty darn good chef! I mean, Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentis called my dish the most exciting dish from the premier of Food Network Star this last Sunday (June 4th, 2017). And since I have no job (apparently), a food blog and am a stellar human being; I will share the recipe with you!
So real quick, since I pay to have this URL, I am going to digress here and address this whole stay at home mom thing not being a job. Do I get paid, no? Should I, yes!
Being a nanny ($650+/week for 4 days a week while I was gone for Food Network Star)...
Personal live in chef, I have been offered $90,000 plus room and board before...
House cleaner $20-$30/hour...
-and-
I am married, so I put out (within the context of my 10 years and counting monogamous relationship)... I know the hourly rate for that varies greatly, but is it ALSO a paid position (albeit not exactly legal or classy). And I am not exactly ugly...
I feel like my "not job" is one hell of a discount for my husband!
In case you're still a pessimist, you can google it. Countless dudes have actually added up what it would cost them to pay their wives for all the "non-job" things they do and it isn't cheap. So suck it Twitter!
Tacos, right? Okay, unrelated and wildly grammatically flawed previous points aside, these are amazing tacos. And there is a reason that they were deemed the most exciting dish of the first night! A lot happened that first day on set, and the Food Network can't fit it all into 42 minutes of programming. But Bobby Flay told me that although my presentation was good, he couldn't wait for me to stop talking so that they could try my dish. That MY dish looked and smelled so beautiful that he was just so excited to eat it. That is pretty legit!
I feel like if I didn't write anything else about this dish, that alone should be enough to sell you on it. But I will go on. I have unlimited time to type this, because remember... I don't work. I have single pages dedicated to two parts of this recipe. My grilled marinated flank (or skirt steak) is seriously legit. It is my go to marinade for flank/skirt steak. I have quite a few friends who can raise their hands to claim the same thing! It is the perfect balance of slightly spicy with a sweet caramelization on the tender, flavorful meat. The poblano crema is also a great and simple recipe that makes a phenomenal sauce that can go on so many meats as well as vegetables. And as for the pomegranate pico de gallo, well I have friends who drove all over island trying to find pomegranates in their summer off season. As a whole, this dish is just so balanced with all of the contrasting and complimentary flavors. I hit so many flavor notes as well (textures too). I will say, when we eat it at home, we typically do it as a soft taco. If you wanted to take the tortilla and make it a tostada as I did in the show, you simply need to fry it, which we will go over when I get to the recipe. :) Basically go make this. Okay? Great!
Makes 9-12 medium sized tacos (I eat or or 2, my husband eats 2 or 3)
I am going to include a few hyperlinks, some ingredients/instructions as well as a list of additional ingredients you will need to put it all together. :)
Ingredients (additional):
Tortillas
peanut oil if you wish to fry them into tostadas
feta or cojita (for crumbling)
lime wedges, if you love extra lime like I do
Grilled Marinated Flank Steak (skirt steak works too, they are very similar)
I like to marinade my steak over night, but a few hours is enough time if you're doing this "last minute".
I make my pomegranate pico and poblano crema before/while the steak is cooking, then assemble everything (discussed below).
Ingredients/Instructions for the Pomegranate, Pineapple Pico de Gallo:
1 pomegranate arils (seeds)
2 cups diced pineapple (about 1/2- 2/3 of a pineapple after being cored)
1 bushel cilantro leaves
1 green tomato, diced
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup diced jarred jalapenos
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 tsp each)
1. In a lidded mixing bowl (best for storage) whisk together lime juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder and olive oil.
2. Dice 2 cups of the pineapple into 1/4"- 1/2" inch pieces, skin and core discarded.
3. Add the pomegranate arils to the bowl as well.
4. Add the diced green tomato (1/4" to 1/2" pieces as well) to the bowl.
5. Remove the cilantro leaves from the stem, chop the coarsely and add them to the bowl.
6. Add the diced, jarred jalapenos to the bowl and stir everything until it is mixed evenly.
7. You can add more salt, pepper or jalapenos to the mix at this point according to your tastes.
8. Cover and set refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
Putting it all together:
1. Begin with a tortilla.
If you are doing a tostada, allow peanut oil to gently bubble in a deep pan or skillet and carefully add the tortillas. They should brown/puff up and take roughly 1-2 minutes per side, depending on the oil temp. Carefully remove them from the oil, set aside and repeat.
2. Add the Charred Poblano Crema.
3. Add your slices or chopped Grilled Marinated Flank/Skirt Steak.
4. Top with the Pomegranate and Pineapple Pico de Gallo.
5. Add some crumbled feta or cojita.
6. Garnish with a lime wedge or some extra cilantro.
Enjoy!!!
