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Save $10 on any purchase over $75 at eWineRacks.com - promo code: SW-8937
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Marinade ½ cup soy sauce 1/2 cup dry red wine 3 large cloves of garlic, smashed ¼ cup chopped parlsey ¼ tsp black pepper 1 flank steak (about 1/1/2 lbs)
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a shallow pan. Add the flank steak and coat well. Marinade 7-8 hours turning several times. Grill the steak over high heat but not directly over the source of heat. Cook 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove to a platter and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Slice thinly on a diagonal.
Serve with your choice of vegetables.
Finally, finally -- an easy one. This is my kind of meal, and I know just the wine I want to drink with it. I grew up with backyard barbecues in the Summer, with burgers and hot dogs and, when we were celebrating, with steaks. When I was young, that meant soda or ice tea. When I reached an age where my father approved, I had beer with the meal. Years passed before I began to sip wine instead. At first I could not see why I would switch, for a cold beer just seemed so right with meat off the grill. Then one day I was introduced to the classic wine match for steak: Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine is the most food-friendly of all beverages, and the match-up of beef, particularly steak, with a good Cabernet Sauvignon. (I would say a great Cabernet Sauvignon -- but remembering the prices on the great ones makes me gulp hard.) I still like that beer when it is offered, but this is what I really want. So with that settled, I went down and looked under the staircase for one. I came up empty. Merlot, Shiraz, Syrah ... no Cabernet! After muttering a few things, I realized this was an opportunity. I decided to shop for this one. I set three rules for myself. The Cabernet needed to be rated 85 or above by Wine Spectator magazine, cost $15 or less, be available widely, and be from an American winery. Then I hauled out my back issues and started looking, wondering what I would find. To my surprise, there were quite a few. None were rated above 90, but I had a selection to choose from between 85 and 90. The low priced one on my list ended up being the Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon California Vintners Blend 2001 (rated 85, about $10). Other candidates included the Columbia Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2000 (86, $15), the Villa Mt. Eden Cabernet Valley Tall Trees 2001 (88, $15), the Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley Grand Estates 2000 (88, $15), and the Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley 2000 (88, $15). I ended up choosing the Chateau Ste. Michelle. A word on ratings and prices here: those above came from Wine Spectator, a respected magazine. However, prices vary and I was able to find these wines for less. Ratings reflect the view of some talented and educated wine experts -- but their taste might not match yours. Generally speaking, the best wines will be 90 or above on this 100 point scale; very good ones will be 85-89, and wines below 80 are often disappointing. The thing to remember is that wine is about what you enjoy, not a rating someone else puts on a bottle. Use ratings as guidelines, but learn what you enjoy by tasting. If you prefer a wine other than a Cabernet, feel free! There are a host of others that will do well: Australian Shiraz, Merlot, Chianti, even Spanish Rioja. If you will be using a heavy barbecue sauce, think about the Shiraz especially. If you wish a foreign Cabernet, I'd suggest trying the Concha Y Toro Casillero del Diablo (that's "Cellar of the Devil") out of Chile. You can usually find this under $10, but it is a bit on the light side. |
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Last modified: August 07, 2007 |
