Marinated Skirt Steak Tacos

 

Marinated Skirt Steak Tacos

Most of the time, when I make tacos, I use the go-to recipe my mom used, ground beef. She would use a packet of Lowry's taco seasoning (not an ad) or some other packet, but I love making my own taco seasoning. The other night, however, I wanted to make tacos that would be remembered for generations. I think I did that. (I also know that we ALL have taco recipes with myriad fillings that are what I call "repeat offenders" because they are That fantastic). I hope you share your recipes with your family and friends. Share them with me, too!!!

Let's get to it, shall we?

Ingredients

2 - 3 Skirt steaks

1 onion, halved and sliced into crescents

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

2 fresh limes, zested and juice (or store bought juice)

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 - 2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

My Mexican Spices

2 rounded tablespoons Smoked Paprika

1 teaspoon+ Chipotle or your favorite chile powder

1 rounded teaspoon granulated garlic, or powder

1 rounded tablespoon ground Cumin

2 tablespoons dried or fresh oregano

1 rounded tablespoon dried or fresh thyme

salt and pepper

I marinate meats from 30 minutes to 3-4 hours. Add all of the Mexican spices to a small bowl. To a large bowl or baking pan, add the wet ingredients and half of the Mexican spices and whisk till thoroughly incorporated. Be sure to add a hefty pinch of fresh cilantro to the pan or bowl.  Place the skirt steaks into the marinade. I often slice the steaks in half length-wise and in half width-wise to make sure they all get soaked in the marinade. Science Lesson for the day:  the vinegar and lime juice will help begin to break down the connective tissues in the steaks which will make the meat tender. The longer you marinate the meat, the softer the steak. 

Marinating in a glass pan. Marinate the steaks in the refrigerator if you will be soaking them for more than thirty minutes or an hour. 

In the meantime, prep the onions and get your skillet or grill ready. I sure to do love these from the grill, but they are delicious coming from a hot flat top or skillet, as well. 

After you have marinated the skirt steaks as long as you can, remove the bowl or pan, and allow it to come to room temperature. The meat will seize up in the hot skillet or grill if you throw them on cold, so please plan  accordingly. 

When the meat is coming to room temperature, lightly spray the skillet or flat top with vegetable oil and turn the heat to high. Add a piece of garlic or onion to the skillet and when it begins to sizzle, it's ready for the skirt steak. 

The following photos are from two separate meals this last week using marinated skirt steak. One is tacos and one is Steak Nachos. The marinade recipe is exactly the same for both. The cooking is slightly different, as I do not fully cook the steak for nachos as the oven will finish off the cooking for me.  I do fully cook to medium-rare for tacos. 

Get a good sear on the steaks, making sure Not to turn until they release by themselves. They'll have a great caramelization on them!

Let the steaks rest several minutes before slicing them at a bias.  Take a taste test from the end, which, to me, is The Best part! You should be able to taste Everything!

In the same skillet or grill (indoor or outdoor), throw the onions on over high heat. Let the onions begin to soften and turn that brilliant caramel color, which releases the most amazing sweet and smoky flavors! Don't let them burn too much, but some is extra flavors!

When everything has finished, the steak rested and sliced, the tortillas warmed (or not) and plated, add your favorite cheese, the steak, onion and fresh cilantro. No need for salsa or hot sauce with these, but hey, you do you, Boo! 👻

Okay, I added some salsa verde Cholula to my tacos.  I love it so much! (Not an ad).  

To use skirt steak for nachos, please check out the following photo essay!  Thank You!

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. 

Please follow the spices, marinade and cooking directions for the skirt steaks. Except....I do not fully cook the steak. I sear it until fairly rare and let the oven finish off the cooking process. Allow the steaks to rest on a cutting board several minutes before slicing at a bias. 

Place foil over a cookie baking pan and spread tortilla chips all over the foil. Add generous amounts of cheese atop the chips.  Place the steak slices all over the cheese. Add diced onion and cilantro over the steak and cheese, if you wish. I do! 😁

Sprinkle more cheese atop the steak and herbs, along with the remaining spice blend (remember, we added half of it to the marinade). 

Bake for up to 18 minutes, or until the cheese has fully melted. Let your nose be your guide. You'll know when that unburnt but fully melted cheese and cooked steak aroma wafts out of the oven when you open it!

There is no elegant way to plate nachos. You must garnish it with whatever you wish (I used fresh cilantro), but you can add radish, fresh oregano, thyme, sour cream, pico de gallo, or whatever salsa you wish!  Make these recipes your own!  Cooking is a delight in which the cook shares Love. 

Now, with that, Go Cook For Someone You Love!❤

As always, I Thank You for your visit and your time.  I am Always tremendously grateful for you. Please say Hi, either here (I know, it's a it's a bit difficult here) or on Facebook or X/Twitter, or Threads. I'm almost everywhere.  Almost. 

~Martin

In-House Cook

Me, blogging today.  Hi! ✌❤✌

Lemon Chicken and Garlic Spaghetti

 

Lemon Chicken and Garlic Spaghetti

I must apologize because, I knew I was going to blog this recipe but I got caught up in the joy of cooking this and totally forgot to take ingredients and process photos. I have three photos in all.  This recipe is so simple, however, that the three ought to suffice. Let's get to it, shall we?

Ingredients

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 package chicken boneless/skinless chicken thighs, sliced into strips

1 package diced pancetta

6 scallions, sliced at a bias; separate white from greens

3 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning, separated

1 pound spaghetti pasta, or, your favorite pasta

1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano 

8 cloves garlic, gently crushed and sliced into discs, 4 + 4 (two halves)

6 -8 leaves fresh basil, torn or sliced julienne

salt and pepper

4 tabs butter

6 + 2 tablespoons evoo

1 good splash your favorite white wine

The prep work for this no-sauce downright flavor-FULL pasta dish is the hard part.  Once that is done, the rest is pure fun.  The aromas are unforgettable. First, unpackage the pancetta and set aside. Zest and juice the lemon in a medium to large bowl. On a cutting board, cut the scallions, separating the thin white root end from the greens. Place the white part of the scallions in with the pancetta. Gently smash the garlic and slice the cloves into discs and place half in the pancetta container with the scallion white root ends. Set aside the other half.  Next, tear or cut the fresh basil and set aside. Now cut the 4-to-6 chicken thighs into thin strips and set aside. Remove the cutting board for washing. Whew! The hard part is done. Easy, right?  I knew you'd see it my way. 😁

Now, add the six tablespoons of evoo to the lemon zest and juice. Add one rounded tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning to the same bowl. Add the splash of wine and half of the garlic discs. Add one-third of the scallion greens, a pinch (whatever that is to you 😉) of salt and pepper and stir with a whisk or fork vigorously. Now add the chicken strip bits and let sit for at least thirty minutes to marinate. *If you have time, longer, up to four hours, would be awesome!  If not, let's go!

Bring four or five quarts of water to a boil. Add a half handful of salt to the water and stir. It's the only time you have to season the pasta, itself. 

In a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, add two tablespoons (drizzle twice around the skillet) of extra virgin olive oil (evoo) and two tabs of butter. Add the pancetta and garlic and stir to mix the ingredients up well. Now would be a good time to properly get your dry ingredients set up. 

By now the water in the pot should be boiling and the salt added and stirred. Add the pasta and stir every couple of minutes to keep it from sticking to the bottom.  After about ten minutes, taste test to determine when the pasta should be done. 

Just as the garlic begins to turn golden, add the white root ends of the scallions and stir well. Smell that garlic and butter aroma?  Nothing much in the world is better than that, am I right?  You could add a pinch of pepper, if you like, but the pancetta is adding salty flavor to the mix. Using a wooden spoon, move the mix to the perimeter of the skillet. Add the entire bowl with the chicken and marinade to the skillet over high heat now.  Saute about five minutes, stirring the marinated chicken to cook evenly. After about six minutes, stir to incorporate all of the ingredients and simmer over medium heat to reduce the non-oil liquid in the marinade. Watch to make sure the ingredients are not sticking to the skillet. The liquids will reduce quickly!

I added some red and green slivered peppers to the dish, which were leftovers from fajitas. You can add whatever you want.  It's your recipe now!

It's also time to add the second tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning. 

I had to steal this photo from my previous blog post, but the same application applies to this dish. When the pasta is cooked al dente, just about done, add the pasta, using a utensil, to the skillet with the chicken and aromatics. Also, add the remaining butter to the pasta. Save a quarter or half of a cup of salty starchy pasta water and add it to the skillet over medium-high heat. Finally, add the third tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning and scallions to the pasta and chicken. Toss to incorporate all of the ingredients.  This may take several minutes, whether you use tongs or another pasta tossing utensil. Make sure the butter and pancetta, garlic and chicken mixes with the mob of pasta thoroughly.  

This is going to be soooo good!

To plate, add to a large bowl or to a plate with a rim. Garnish with the fresh basil and remaining scallion greens. Get fancy if you like!  I am still learning how to fancy-plate pasta.  I'll get there. 😃

Now, Go Cook For Someone You Love!  Pasta is food for the soul and love.  Go!  Shoo!  Cook!

As always, I am so grateful for your visit and time. I appreciate all of you!

~Martin

In-House Cook