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Braised Stuffed Rolled Steak
(Morcon)
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| What You Need: |
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A 2½ - to 3-pound flank steak
1 tablespoon soy sauce, preferably Japanese
1 tablespoon strained fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic
2 medium-sized carrots, each scraped and cut lengthwise into 6 thin strips
1 canned chorizo de bilbao, cut lengthwise into 8 thin strips, or other highly seasoned garlic-flavored sausage cut into lengthwise strips
4 slices lean bacon, cut in strips lengthwise
3 dill pickles, about 5 inches long, each cut lengthwise into 6 strips
3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise into quarters
2 tablespoons lard
3 cups water
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 large, firm ripe tomato, quartered
1 medium-sized bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Butterfly and flatten the steak in the following way: with a long, very sharp knife cut the flank steak in half, horizontally, from one long side to within ½ inch of the other side.
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2. Spread the steak open, place it between 2 sheets of wax paper, and pound it with the side of a cleaver or kitchen mallet to flatten it into a thin sheet. Trim away all gristle and excess fat.
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3. Lay the steak, cut side up, on a large jelly-roll pan. Rub the surface of the meat with the soy sauce and lemon juice, then scatter on the garlic. Let the steak marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for an hour or so.
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4. Starting at one end of the steak arrange the carrots across the grain of the meat in a parallel row. In a similar fashion, make successive rows of sausage, bacon, pickles and quarters of eggs. Carefully roll the steak with the grain, jelly-roll fashion, into a long, thick cylinder.
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5. To tie the morcon, cut an 8- to 10-foot length of kitchen cord. Wrap one end of the cord around the steak about 1 inch from the end of the roll and knot it securely. Then, in spiral fashion, loop the cord around the length of the meat roll to within about 1 inch of the opposite end. Wrap the end of the spiral tightly around the steak and knot it securely.
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6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a heavy casserole large enough to hold the morcon comfortably, heat the lard over moderate heat until a drop of water flicked into it splutters instantly. Brown the meat in the hot fat, turning it frequently with tongs or a spoon and regulating the heat so that the meat colors richly and evenly without burning.
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7. Transfer the meat to a plate and pour off all but a thin film of fat from the casserole. Pour the water into the casserole and bring to a boil over high heat, meanwhile stirring constantly and scraping in any brown particles that cling to the bottom and sides of the casserole.
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8. Add the onion, tomato, bay leaf and salt, and return the meat to the casserole together with any liquid that has accumulated around it. Bring to a boil again, then cover tightly and place the casserole on the middle shelf of the oven.
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9. Braise the steak for about 1½ hours, or until the meat is tender and shows no resistance when pierced with the point of a small, sharp knife. While it is braising, turn the steak over every half hour or so.
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10. To serve, transfer the morcon to a cutting board and carve it crosswise into ¾ -inch slices. Arrange the slices attractively on a heated platter.
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11. To make the sauce, rub the remaining contents of the casserole through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing down hard on the vegetables with the back of a spoon before discarding them. Taste for seasoning and serve the sauce separately in a small bowl or sauceboat.
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