Recipe of the Week: Grilled Flank Steak with Caramelized Onions

Caramelizing onions takes longer than you imagine, but you really need to take the time to coax out the sweetness. Slow cooking sliced onions concentrates the natural sugars, and the resulting stew can be used in a variety of ways, from stuffing pastry to slathering on steak, as we’re doing with this recipe.

Grilled Flank Steak with Caramelized Onions

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 tbsp                   olive oil, divided
4                            large sweet onions, peeled and sliced with the grain (from root to stem)
4 pc                      fresh thyme branches
to taste                salt and pepper
1 tbsp                   sherry vinegar
4                            flank steaks, about 8 oz each (or two large whole flank steaks)
3 tbsp                   butter, softened
1 tbsp                   fresh parsley, minced
1 tbsp                   chives, minced

Method

1) Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over a low heat, add the onions and thyme, stir well, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Slowly cook, stirring every few minutes, for at least an hour, and up to 1.5 hours, or until the onions are very soft and slightly golden brown. If you want you can continue to caramelize until the onions are even more brown, but it is up to your tastes. Season with salt and pepper and the sherry vinegar. Remove form the heat and allow to cool slightly at room temperature.

2) Preheat the grill to high. Season the steaks with salt and pepper, then rub with the remaining 2 tbs of olive oil. Grill the steaks, flipping every minute or two, until you’ve reached your preferred cooking temperature. For medium rare it will take about 8 minutes in total, but I recommend using an internal meat thermometer to check the doneness – 125°F is good for medium rare, as the steaks will continue to cook while they rest.

3) While the steaks rest, fold the softened butter into the onions. This will make the sauce more luxurious. Add the parsley and chives and mix well.

4) Slice the flank steaks against the grain and transfer to a platter. Dot the steak slices with some of the caramelized onions and serve with more onion on the side.