Sunny Steak Carne asoleada, which translates
literally to "sunny meat", is a variation on carne asada that
traces its roots back to Mexico, but is also found in Honduras. To make
this dish properly, you should use flank steak and cook it on a charcoal
grill. The use of a charcoal grill is very important, as it infuses the
meat with its characterisitc flavor.
I did not use a charcoal grill - indeed, I don't have one and my gas grill needs be cleaned, so I just pan grilled it. I also didn't use flank steak. Indeed, I made this dish because I had bought eye of round steaks through a grocery delivery service to make milanesas, but discovered the steaks weren't thin enough for that purpose, so I had to find an alternative use for them. Eye of round is very tough meat, so it needs to be marinated and this recipe seemed to fit the bill. Alas, the marination didn't do much to add tenderness and the steaks were very tough anyway, and it also didn't infuse much flavor. It was still tastier than non-marinated eye of round, however. Flank steak is more flavorful on its own, so I think it probably would work better if used with that cut. Obviously, a it wasn't flank steak, I didn't bother cutting it before serving it.
Adapted from a recipe at Comidas Hondureñas.com |