CraigC
Guru
This should be served with typical Cuban sides, black beans and rice, yuca, Pan Cubano, tostones or maduros. Yuca is great with the mojo, yuca con mojo. This is one dish where a spicy chili is used.
Ingredients
For the classic sour orange mojo
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 Scotch bonnet chili, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 to 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup equal parts lime and orange juice or 1/3 cup sour orange juice
1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the skirt steak
1 1/2 pound skirt steak, trimmed, you could also use Churrasco flap meat
1 cup red onion, finely minced
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, minced
Grape seed oil
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 lime, quartered
Directions
For Mojo
1) Place the olive oil into a small saucepan and place it over medium-low heat.
2) While it is warming -- you do not want it to get too hot -- place the salt, garlic, cumin, and Scotch bonnet into a mortar and beat them up a bit with the pestle. You can also pulse it in a food processor.
3) Remove oil from heat. Add Scotch bonnet mix and let everything steep for 10 minutes or more.
4) Whisk in the juices and vinegar. Season with pepper to taste.
I think the mojo is at its best after 24 hours. Store any unused mojo in the fridge.
For steak
1) Season the skirt steak with salt at the same time you start to make the mojo. If you plan to let the mojo meld overnight, let the skirt steak do the same with the salt by placing it uncovered on a cooling rack and into the fridge.
2) Shake or stir the mojo really well. Ladle the mojo over the skirt steak, making sure to get lots of peppers, garlic, and sour juice into the mix. Let the steak marinate no more than an hour. If you marinate them for too long, you wind up hiding the beef flavor behind the marinade flavors; the whole idea of this steak is to let the marinade be just strong enough to be a mystery.
3) While the steak is marinating, heat a skillet over high heat. Add a splash of oil to the hot pan and then the red onions. Quickly sear the onions, trying not to let them soften a whole lot. Remove the onions to a bowl and let them cool before stirring in the parsley.
4) Heat a large heavy-bottomed skilled over medium-high to high heat. Once the pan is very hot, pour a few Tbsp of oil into the pan. It should be enough to generously coat the bottom.
5) Drain the steaks of the marinade and pick off any stuck-on garlic and peppers and return to mojo.
6) Gently lay the steaks into the sauté pan, being careful not to splash hot oil. Sear the steaks. Cook each side of the skirt steak until deeply caramelized.
7) Place the skirt steak onto a platter and shower them with the red onion and parsley mixture. Serve immediately with lime on the side for each diner to squeeze over their steak
8) In a sauce pan, bring remaining mojo to a boil, let cool and use as a sauce.
The steaks are much better done on a charcoal grill.
Ingredients
For the classic sour orange mojo
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 Scotch bonnet chili, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 to 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup equal parts lime and orange juice or 1/3 cup sour orange juice
1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the skirt steak
1 1/2 pound skirt steak, trimmed, you could also use Churrasco flap meat
1 cup red onion, finely minced
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, minced
Grape seed oil
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 lime, quartered
Directions
For Mojo
1) Place the olive oil into a small saucepan and place it over medium-low heat.
2) While it is warming -- you do not want it to get too hot -- place the salt, garlic, cumin, and Scotch bonnet into a mortar and beat them up a bit with the pestle. You can also pulse it in a food processor.
3) Remove oil from heat. Add Scotch bonnet mix and let everything steep for 10 minutes or more.
4) Whisk in the juices and vinegar. Season with pepper to taste.
I think the mojo is at its best after 24 hours. Store any unused mojo in the fridge.
For steak
1) Season the skirt steak with salt at the same time you start to make the mojo. If you plan to let the mojo meld overnight, let the skirt steak do the same with the salt by placing it uncovered on a cooling rack and into the fridge.
2) Shake or stir the mojo really well. Ladle the mojo over the skirt steak, making sure to get lots of peppers, garlic, and sour juice into the mix. Let the steak marinate no more than an hour. If you marinate them for too long, you wind up hiding the beef flavor behind the marinade flavors; the whole idea of this steak is to let the marinade be just strong enough to be a mystery.
3) While the steak is marinating, heat a skillet over high heat. Add a splash of oil to the hot pan and then the red onions. Quickly sear the onions, trying not to let them soften a whole lot. Remove the onions to a bowl and let them cool before stirring in the parsley.
4) Heat a large heavy-bottomed skilled over medium-high to high heat. Once the pan is very hot, pour a few Tbsp of oil into the pan. It should be enough to generously coat the bottom.
5) Drain the steaks of the marinade and pick off any stuck-on garlic and peppers and return to mojo.
6) Gently lay the steaks into the sauté pan, being careful not to splash hot oil. Sear the steaks. Cook each side of the skirt steak until deeply caramelized.
7) Place the skirt steak onto a platter and shower them with the red onion and parsley mixture. Serve immediately with lime on the side for each diner to squeeze over their steak
8) In a sauce pan, bring remaining mojo to a boil, let cool and use as a sauce.
The steaks are much better done on a charcoal grill.