Why don't I just marry her?--Stuffed Flank Steak

Stuffed Flank Steak

The New Holly Clegg Trim & Terrific Cookbook Copyright 2002,2006

1 red bell pepper, roasted or jarred peppers, drained I used jarred
1 (10-ounce) bag fresh baby spinach I could only find a 6-ounce bag
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ cup Italian bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 pounds lean flank steak, butterflied
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the roasted pepper, spinach, garlic, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a food processor and process until chopped into small pieces and well mixed.

Place the mixture on the flank steak. Starting with the long side, roll the steak up jelly roll style. Season with the salt and pepper. Secure with a toothpick. I tied it.

Place in a baking pan, and bake for 45 minutes. I cooked it 10 minutes longer. Slice into pinwheels, and serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings. Per serving: 343 cal, 40g pro, 9g carbs, 16g fat, 2g fiber, 93mg chol, 361mg sodium

____________________________

Yes, more Holly Clegg. I decided to make this knowing I could get flank steak at Costco and also knowing that it was expensive. Had I realized just how expensive (close to $7 per lb), I probably wouldn't have planned to make this, but I was already committed by the time I saw the price.

I was surprised that I didn't get as much of a jelly roll appearance as the picture in the cookbook. I probably needed to do a better job of butterflying my flank steak and even though I used less spinach than the recipe called for, I think there was too much stuffing. The flank steak I used was smalled than 3 pounds. I had to cook this about 10 minutes longer. It was hard to tell if it was done. It came out perfectly - pleasantly pink. It was a nice piece of meat but, yikes, almost $7 per pound??

As far as flavor, I'm not sure. I don't eat a lot of spinach so I wasn't sure if I was tasting the spinach or if I had overdone the garlic (my new garlic press is just too much fun). It had a very strong flavor but I enjoyed it. I wouldn't serve this for a romantic dinner - the garlic doesn't mellow out very much.

***Warning the rest of the story may nauseate some people***

My husband had an emergency dental visit on his way home from work before having this for dinner. As soon as he got home, I headed out to the gym. Since it was way past his usual dinnertime, he was overly hungry and it seems that he put the entire rest of this stuffed flank steak on his plate. When I got home, I saw that most of it was in the trash. A big hunk of $7 per pound meat. In the trash. I think it was a combination of his very sore mouth,the spinach (not something he's eaten very much of in his lifetime), and the strong flavor. I didn't really expect him to eat much of it but I didn't expect to find it in the trash. Did I mention it was almost $7 per pound for the meat???? There had to be over $5 worth of meat in the trash. Waste, waste, waste. As if I weren't spending enough time stopping the 3-year old from throwing things in the trash that don't belong there.

With the spinach, red peppers and garlic - this is my contribution to Sweetnick's ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday.

Blast From The Past: Beef Kabobs With Oriental Sauce from June 2006. I loved these when I made them. I'm anxious to make them again and see if I love them just as much as the first time.

Question of the Day: Are you wasteful or thrifty?