Stuffed Mexican Flank Steak New York Times Magazine, February 3, 1985 Craig Claigbourn with Pierre Franey Yield: 8 or more servings 4 cups crumbled corn and cheese bread (made at least one day in advance) 1 flank steak, about 1¾ to 2 pounds Salt to taste Freshly ground pepper to taste 5 Tbsp. safflower, corn or peanut oil 2 cups finely chopped onions 1 cup finely chopped celery 1 cup finely chopped green peppers 2 Tbsp. finely minced garlic 2 eggs, lightly beaten 4 bottled pickled jalapeno peppers 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley 2 Tbsp. chili powder 1 tsp. dried cumin 1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled 1 cup drained, crushed canned tomatoes, preferably imported 1 cup fresh or canned beef broth Mexican table sauce, optional Preheat oven to 350o. Put the crumbled corn bread in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Place the flank steak on a flat surface. Hold a long sharp carving knife parallel to the surface and cut the steak lengthwise in half to make two long rectangles of equal thickness. This may be done by the butcher. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper. Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a skillet and add half of the onions, half of the celery, half of the green peppers and half of the garlic. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is wilted. Let cool briefly. Add this to the corn bread. Add salt, pepper and the eggs. Remove and discard the stems of the jalapeno peppers. Chop the peppers and add them to the bowl. Add the parsley and blend well with the fingers. Spoon equal portions of the cornbread mixture onto each half of the meat. Carefully roll the meat jellyroll-style, staring at the narrower end of each portion of the meat. It will be almost impossible to enclose the filling without a portion of it falling out. This is a minor problem. Continue to roll and enclose each filling as neatly as possible. Tie the meat with string in several places to secure it. Heat the remaining three tablespoons of oil in a skillet and add the stuffed meat rolls. Brown the meat as neatly as possible on all sides, turning it carefully. Once more, a portion of the filling will fall into the skillet, which is to be expected. When the meat is browned, scatter the remaining onions, celery, green peppers and garlic around the rolls. Sprinkle the vegetables with the chili powder, cumin and oregano. Stir to blend and add the crushed tomatoes, broth, salt and pepper. Stir. Bring to the boil, cover and place in the oven. Bake about one hour. Transfer the meat to a serving dish and remove the strings. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and skim off the excess fat. Bring to the boil. Cut the meat into rounds and serve hot with the sauce. Serve with Mexican table sauce on the side, if desired.

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