This marinated skirt steak with cilantro-lime ghee is a simple, quick weeknight dinner. And it’s paleo, from the new cookbook Paleo Planet by Becky Winkler.
Blogging can be a lonely job, y’all. Unlike with most jobs, you don’t have office mates or co-workers to chat with. As a special education teacher, I always had an assistant or two around to talk to and, even in my current job, I talk to all sorts of people in the schools I visit and have a lot of friends who do a job like mine. Education = not a lonely job.
But with blogging, you’re alone most of the time. I mean, my husband is here, but he’s watching TV or whatever while I am focused on writing. That is exactly what is happening as I type this. So, when I discovered the paleo blog A Calculated Whisk and Becky, the author, replied to one of my comments stating that she was soon moving to Chattanooga from Boston, I was super-excited. A bloggy friend in my city! Becky gets it…she blogs while working a full-time job just like me. We’re blog sisters (that is so cheesy. Sorry Becky.).
I was so excited when Becky asked me to review her new cookbook, Paleo Planet. The book was just released by The Harvard Common Press on November 3 and I was thrilled when it came in the mail. First of all, the book is absolutely gorgeous-a bright and airy, perfectly photographed paperback. Becky took all the pictures, you guys. I need to hang out with her more. Maybe I’ll soak up some of her photo magic.
The tagline of the book is Primal Foods from the Global Kitchen with more than 125 recipes. In the book, Becky has taken on international cooking from a paleo kitchen. Becky manages cornbread without the corn (my best friend, who had a corn allergy but desperately misses cornbread, will be so happy), noodles without the pasta (zucchini noodles aka “zoodles”, anyone?), and Colcannon (an Irish potatoes & greens dish) without the potatoes (let’s hear it for rutabaga!). There’s a photo for every recipe, and if the photos don’t make you want to eat every single dish in the book then you are the one with the problem (okay, that was a little harsh. Sorry.).
The book is divided into eight chapters: Spice Blends, Pantry Staples, & Sauces; Appetizers, Soups, Salads, & Snacks; Poultry; Beef, Pork, & Lamb; Seafood; Vegetables; Breakfast & Brunch, and Desserts. I decided to venture into the beef, pork, & lamb chapter and make the marinated skirt steak with cilantro-lime ghee. The hardest part was the ghee, which was totally worth it. You guys, it’s like brown butter without the brown bits. So yum. It was very easy to make, but make sure you have cheesecloth…I didn’t and had to strain the butter through a coffee filter (I have a problem with reading recipes sometimes).
Aside from that, the only difficult task is making sure that you marinate the steak long enough. It needs at least 2 hours to marinate so that it breaks down the tough fibers of the skirt steak a bit (you can do it overnight, though, or throw it in the marinade before you leave for work in the morning). After that, you just grill the steak for a few minutes (seriously: 6 minutes), rest it, and slice it. The softened ghee stirs into a compound ghee with a few simple, clean ingredients and flavors the steak beautifully. Everything about this marinated skirt steak sings.
I can’t wait to make more of the dishes from Paleo Planet, and I hope you guys will check out Becky’s book. You can order Paleo Planet from Amazon (affiliate), Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound.
Because I think that Becky’s cookbook is fantastic, I have included an affiliate link for purchase from Amazon. If you make a purchase via this link, I will receive a small commission. This will not change the cost to you!
I received a copy of this book for review, but as always, all opinions are my own!
Yield: 4-6 servings
2 hrPrep Time:
15 minCook Time:
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Ingredients
- 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
- 1/4 cup ghee, softened
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced (I use my garlic press for this)
- 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest (this was about the zest of one lime for me)
- 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- pinch cayenne pepper
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the ghee: Line a fine-mesh sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth. Set over a large heatproof bowl. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, swirling frequently. Allow the butter to come to a boil and watch closely until brown bits begin to form and fall to the bottom of the pan (these are the milk solids). When the brown bits turn a rich chestnut color, remove from the heat and strain through the cheesecloth-lined colander. Allow to cool to room temperature then transfer to a glass jar and store in the refrigerator.
- Marinate the steak: In bowl large enough to hold the steak, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, sea salt, and black pepper. Add the steak and turn to coat. Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Make the compound ghee: stir together all compound ghee ingredients until well-combined. Store at room temperature until ready to use.
- Cook the steak: remove the steak from the refrigerator 45 minutes before you plan to cook it. Preheat an outdoor grill, indoor grill (like a George Foreman), or a cast iron pan (I used a cast iron pan heated over medium-high heat).
- Pat the steak dry with paper towels and wipe away the large pieces of garlic. Grill the steak for at least 2 minutes on each side or to desired doneness (mine took 3 minutes per side to get a nice char on the outside and medium-rare on the inside).
- Remove the meat from the grill/pan and place on a cutting board or plate. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Carefully cut against the grain and serve with the cilantro-lime ghee.
Notes
The prep time includes minimum marinating time. It is important to cut fibrous cuts of meat like skirt steak or flank steak against the grain. If you cut with the grain, the long fibers of meat will be difficult to chew.
Click here to print the recipe for marinated skirt steak with cilantro-lime ghee!
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