Last night when I left work I went home to meet up with Dallas. We were going to just chill out and cook and watch tv. I got off the el at Division on the blue line and was walking on Ashland towards Division. All of a sudden there was this tugging on my arm and my purse was getting wrenched away. I almost had a heart attack. Then I looked and it was Dallas pretending to mug me. He got quite a laugh out of it and the surprise he gave me.. as did the Hispanic lady who saw it all go down while she was waiting for the bus. I said I wished there was a big strong guy standing there pretending to punch him in the face for mugging me. THAT would have been REAL funny.

Anyway, the flank steak with caramelized onions and a balsamic glaze was really good. I think we finally have a rhythm down in the kitchen so we can spit out these meals really efficiently. Usually I get “assigned” something like “you make the basamic glaze” and then Dallas does the rest. Or actually, I act as the sous chef a lot, prepping stuff.. or doing sides. But always, no matter what, I get scolded for being too precise or detailed. It’s hard to take off a baker’s hat when you’re cooking and my first interest when I was younger was baking and candy and cake making, so when it says “reduce down to a quarter cup (about 5 minutes)” you better believe I’ve got my eye on the clock and the quarter cup measurer out waiting to see if it’s reduced enough. Anyway.. but I remember the first few times we tried to cook together and it was kind of a disaster. We both wanted to do everything and we wanted to each do it our own way. I don’t mind stepping back and letting him take control of it (nothing like getting dinner made for you!) and he doesn’t like doing sides and the other crap.. so it works.

The Cooking Light recipe for Flank Steak with Caramelized Onions and Balsamic Glaze follows -

Flank Steak with Caramelized Onions and Balsamic Glaze
From Cooking Light

A sauce made from reduced balsamic vinegar gives this steak unique flavor. Both the steak and onions contribute a hefty dose of potassium to this entrée–766 milligrams in each serving. Serve with steamed broccoli or asparagus, and drizzle some of the glaze over the vegetable.

2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Cooking spray

Bring balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small, heavy saucepan. Reduce heat to medium; cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté 18 minutes or until onions are golden brown. Remove from heat.

Preheat broiler.

Sprinkle steak with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and thyme. Place steak on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Cutsteak diagonally across grain into thin slices. Serve steak over onions; drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Wine note: Steak and caramelized onions are fabulous partners for numerous red wines. But the balsamic vinegar glaze presents a bit of a challenge since vinegar can make wine taste sharp. One variety stands up especially well to vinegar: syrah (also known as shiraz). There are many great syrah/shirazes available. Try Geyser Peak Winery’s shiraz from California, which is dense and lipsmacking–a steal at $18. -Karen MacNeil

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 3 ounces steak, about 1/4 cup onions, and about 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 317(28% from fat); FAT 9.9g (sat 2.8g,mono 4.8g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 26.9g; CHOLESTEROL 37mg; CALCIUM 95mg; SODIUM 375mg; FIBER 3.4g; IRON 2.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.6g

Maureen Callahan
Cooking Light, APRIL 2005