Right Flank

Most butchers have cuts that they like enough to take home and cook on their own grills. These prized pieces of beef -- flank steak is one of them -- have real flavor and offer something to chew on (literally). If it's tender meat you're after, this isn't for you. You'll never hear flank praised for having a texture "like butter" -- for some people, the ultimate compliment when it comes to steak. Meat with a bit of chew tastes beefy, and a little marinade will tenderize it enough to make it delightful. Lately, for the marinade, we've tried using bright-yellow "ballpark" mustard, rather than the more refined French Dijon, and discovered we like the tangy flavor it brings to the meat. Flank is a large, flat cut, and it cooks quickly, particularly if you crosshatch the surface to keep it from curling. You have to stay by the grill and keep a meat thermometer on hand. If the thickest part is rare, the thin ends might be more well done. Use them for the next day's fajitas. Or, while the grill is fired, cook an extra steak to eat later in the week.

GRILLED FLANK STEAK WITH BALLPARK MUSTARD GLAZE
SERVES 4
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 flank steak (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds) On a plate with the tip of a blunt knife, mash the garlic and salt until the mixture forms a paste.

Transfer the garlic to a bowl. Add the pepper, oil, mustard, and brown sugar. Stir until smooth.

Set the steak on a cutting board. With the tip of a sharp knife, make a crosshatch pattern on both sides. Rub the mustard mixture all over both sides.

Transfer the meat to a baking dish large enough to hold it in one layer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Light a gas or charcoal grill. Remove the steak from the baking dish.

When the grill is medium-hot, cook the steak for 10 minutes, turning once, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the steak registers 125 degrees for medium-rare. Or cook a few minutes longer, until the thermometer registers 150 degrees (medium).

Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. Using a long knife, cut the meat on an extreme diagonal against the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve at once.

FLANK STEAK FAJITAS
SERVES 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into strips
1 serrano chili pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper, to taste
4 10-inch flour tortillas
1/2 grilled flank steak, cut into short strips
2 tablespoons lime juice (for sprinkling)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (for sprinkling)
1 cup guacamole
1/2 cup bottled picodegallo or another
chunky salsa

Set the oven at 400 degrees.

In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, and chili pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic, salt, and black pepper, and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Meanwhile, set the stack of tortillas on a sheet of foil. Wrap them up and heat them in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until they are hot.

Stir the steak pieces into the onion mixture. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, just to warm the meat through. Sprinkle with lime juice and cilantro and toss well. Remove the pan from the heat.

Spoon some of the fajita mixture on the lower third of a tortilla. Top with some guacamole and pico de gallo sauce. Roll the tortilla up. Continue with the remaining tortillas. Serve at once.

BALSAMIC DRESSING
MAKES ABOUT 3/4 CUP

On lazy nights, combine leftover flank steak and salad vegetables such as lettuces, sugar snaps, radishes, and blanched green beans. Sprinkle this substantial salad with a hearty balsamic dressing.

Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil

In a bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar until the salt dissolves. Whisk in the mustard until the mixture is smooth.

Whisk in the oil 1 teaspoon at a time until all of the oil is added and the mixture emulsifies. Taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper if you like, and sprinkle over a salad.

Note: Refrigerate leftover dressing in a plastic container; let it come to room temperature before whisking again until smooth.

ASK THE COOK: Cast Away

My mother bought me a collection of yard-sale cast-iron skillets. Is there any way to clean and season these, or would it be better to buy new skillets?
SHARON MacNULTY /// Boston

There is no match for a well-seasoned iron skillet. As a boy back in Valatie, New York, diving like Jacques Cousteau, I found what I thought to be a historical skillet on the bottom of Kinderhook Lake. That was in Electric Park, frequented by weekend visitors from New York City (and at one time by well-known gangsters, like Dutch Schultz). Alas, the skillet I found was someone's trash, but some 40 years later, it reliably turns out bacon, sausage, potatoes, and scrambled eggs with no ill effects from a few years in the drink.

For your pans, use steel wool to remove any accumulated gunk, then rinse and put them on the stove over high heat or in a hot oven to dry and burn off any food or contaminants. Let the pans cool, then coat the cooking surfaces with vegetable oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Heat the pans in a 350-degree oven for an hour or on the stove over medium heat for 30 minutes. When the pans cool, rub the cooking surfaces with a soft cloth. The salt will help scour and gently polish the surface; the oil will seal any pitting incurred when your pans were in their period of neglect. To keep your pans seasoned, after each use, wipe them with a cloth or paper towel, rinse with warm water (do not use soap or abrasive cleaners), and dry them over low heat for a few minutes. When cool, rub the cooking surfaces with vegetable oil.