Stuffed Flank Steak Brazil low-fat, bursting with flavor

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Apr 23, 2003 | by Associated Press

Stuffed Flank Steak Brazil is a hearty dish, bursting with flavor but not overloaded with fat, enough to feed eight diners. Its substance comes from the stuffing that includes hard-boiled eggs, spicy black-bean filling (that's the Brazilian element) and spinach, rolled up inside the steak.

No one is going to feel underfed after a meal with this as a main course, perhaps with a choice of side vegetables. The recipe is from "1,001 Low Fat Recipes" (Surrey Books, 2003, $19.95 paperback) by Sue Spitler, a recent addition to her popular low-fat series.

This is a useful recipe to keep in mind as the days swing from cool to warm. You can serve the dish piping hot from the oven, or chill and slice it and serve it cold.

STUFFED FLANK STEAK BRAZIL

1 beef flank steak (2 pounds), butterflied (see note)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon salt

Black Bean Filling (recipe follows)

2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves

4 whole thin carrots, cooked

3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

4 cups reduced-sodium fat-free beef broth

Lay meat flat on counter; cover with waxed paper and pound to an even thickness, using flat side of meat mallet. Sprinkle all surfaces of meat with vinegar, garlic, thyme and salt. Let stand while preparing filling, or transfer to jellyroll pan and refrigerate, covered, up to 12 hours.

Spread Black Bean Filling over meat; cover with spinach leaves. Place carrots about 3 inches apart on spinach, parallel to grain of meat; place egg quarters between carrots. Roll meat, starting from the short end, to form a thick roll; tie with kitchen string at 2- inch intervals.

Place meat in roasting pan; pour broth around meat, adding water if necessary to come 1/3 of the way up the side of the meat. Cover tightly with lid or foil. Bake at 375 F for 1 hour, or until meat reaches internal temperature of 130 F. Place meat on platter and let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Or, chill, slice and serve cold. Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 314 cal., 9.6 g total fat (3.7 g saturated fat), 122.8 mg chol., 730 mg sodium, 34.5 g pro., 20.6 g carbo.

Note: If you wish, ask your butcher to butterfly the flank steak. Or, to do it yourself: place it on the cutting board; with sharp knife, cut in half, horizontally, to within 1/2 inch of one long side.

BLACK BEAN FILLING

1 cup boiling water

1 ancho chili

Two 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Pour water over ancho chili in small bowl, and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes; drain and remove stems from chili. Puree chili in blender with a small amount of soaking water until smooth.

Coarsely mash beans in medium bowl; stir in chili puree, onion, parsley and cumin. Makes about 3 cups.