Stuffed Mexican Flank Steak

By Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Rating: 4(31)
Notes: Read community notes

Featured in: FOOD; Mexican Meat Roll

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Ingredients

Yield:Eight or more servings

4cups crumbled corn and cheese bread (see recipe) (made at least one day in advance)
1flank steak, about 1¾ to 2 pounds
Salt to taste, if desired
Freshly ground pepper to taste
5tablespoons safflower, corn or peanut oil
2cups finely chopped onions
1cup finely chopped celery
1cup finely chopped green peppers
2tablespoons finely minced garlic
2eggs, lightly beaten
4bottled pickled jalapeno peppers
2tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2tablespoons chili powder
1teaspoon dried cumin
1teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1cup drained, crushed canned tomatoes, preferably imported
1cup fresh or canned beef broth
Mexican table sauce (see recipe), optional

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 2
Put the crumbled corn bread in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 3
Place the flank steak on a flat surface. Hold a long, sharp carving knife parallel to the surface and cut the steak lengthwise in half to make two long rectangles of equal thickness. This may be done by the butcher. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper.
Step 4
Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a skillet and add half of the onions, half of the celery, half of the green peppers and half of the garlic. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is wilted. Let cool briefly. Add this to the corn bread. Add salt, pepper and the eggs.
Step 5
Remove and discard the stems of the jalapeno peppers. Chop the peppers and add them to the bowl. Add the parsley and blend well with the fingers.
Step 6
Spoon equal portions of the cornbread mixture onto each half of the meat. Carefully roll the meat jellyroll-style, starting at the narrower end of each portion of the meat. It will be almost impossible to enclose the filling without a portion of it falling out. This is a minor problem. Continue to roll and enclose each filling as neatly as possible. Tie the meat with string in several places to secure it.
Step 7
Heat the remaining three tablespoons of oil in a skillet and add the stuffed meat rolls. Brown the meat as neatly as possible on all sides, turning it carefully. Once more, a portion of the filling will fall into the skillet, which is to be expected.
Step 8
When the meat is browned, scatter the remaining onions, celery, green peppers and garlic around the rolls. Sprinkle the vegetables with the chili powder, cumin and oregano. Stir to blend and add the crushed tomatoes, broth, salt and pepper. Stir.
Step 9
Bring to the boil, cover and place in the oven. Bake about one hour. Transfer the meat to a serving dish and remove the strings. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and skim off the excess fat. Bring to the boil.
Step 10
Cut the meat into rounds and serve hot with the sauce. Serve with Mexican table sauce on the side, if desired.