I read somewhere (a dialogue in some stupid British novel between two poseurs dining in a gastronomic restaurant) that salsa verde, which in my mind is essential to Mexican cuisine, had a British cousin. Since I don't think of those flavors as being British, I was quite skeptical and turned to the Internet, which led me to a recipe, supposedly from 1439, which I felt could stand in as the "long lost family member".
1 cup finely chopped assorted herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, tarragon, whatever works for you)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger root
6 strands saffron
1/2 cup dry white wine (though I do now that red is traditional with beef, I wanted acidity rather than tannic depth of flavor in this sauce)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tsps fish sauce
1 bunch kale, washed and very finely chopped
1 bunch dandelion greens, washed and very finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs flank steak
3 anchovies
2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
A few hours before you plan on serving the dish, mix the 3 anchovies, the Worcestershire sauce and 2 teaspoons of the oil in a shallow dish, mashing the anchovies well to break them down. Place the flank steak in the marinade and place in refrigerator to absorb the flavors. Turn once during the time that you marinade the meat; anywhere from 2 to 6 hours will work.
Most people butterfly their flank steak, stuff it, tie it and roll it before cooking it in the oven but I insert a knife in the thickest portion and work it through the meat lengthwise to create a pouch where I can insert the stuffing. A) this seems like less effort than the stuffing, rolling and tying and b) I want to grill flank steak since that is its main purpose as far as I am concerned.
When you are ready to actually prepare your dinner, start with your sauce so that the flavors have time to bloom while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Remove the meat from the fridge and measure out 1 tablespoon of the marinade.
Heat the wine, vinegar and fish sauce in a saucepan, just until the liquid comes to a boil. Add the saffron.
Place 1 clove of garlic, the ginger, the cinnamon and the finely chopped herbs in a bowl. Pour over the hot liquid, just enough of it to cover the herbs; you may not need all of the liquid. Stir once to combine and set aside. Retain the remaining liquid for the stuffing.
Put the remaining oil and garlic clove in a large skillet over medium heat. As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, add your washed greens, the remainder of the sauce liquid and the tablespoon of marinade. Cover the greens and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring from time to time, until they are cooked down and tender. Drain into a colander and press out excess liquid with a spoon. Salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the broiler to 500 degrees.
Remove the meat from the marinade and blot the outside dry with a paper towel. Stuff the pouch with as much of the greens as you can fit; you can serve any remaining on the side.
Place on a lined baking tray and put under your broiler or, preferably, cook on an outside grill. For medium rare meat, I cooked mine for 4 minutes on each side.
Remove from the heat, cover loosely with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before eating. Flank steak tastes best when sliced against the grain so make sure that you do that when portioning and serve topped with a generous spoonful of the sauce. I didn't salt the sauce because both the meat and filing were sauced and I din't feel it needed it but please salt to taste.
