Cecina

Dehydrated Flank Steak, Ponzu, Sunchoke Purée, Pinto Bean Purée, Salsa Cruda, Cilantro

Chef Gerardo Alcaraz of Aldama | Brooklyn
Yield:  2 servings

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Adapted by StarChefs | March 2023

INGREDIENTS:

Flank Steak:
9 ounces flank steak 
1 ounce lime juice
½ ounce coriander seeds 

Ponzu:
Yield: 2 liters
1 liter soy sauce
50 grams roasted serrano chiles
50 milliliters lemon juice
75 milliliters lime juice

Sunchoke Purée:
Yield: 2 liters
1 pound butter
1 liter whole milk
4 pounds sunchokes, peeled and diced
Salt

Pinto Bean Purée:
Yield: 2 liters
4 ounces garlic
6 ounces chopped Spanish onions
1 ounce chopped serrano chiles 
1 pound pinto beans
1 ounce toasted avocado leaf
2 ounces canola oil
Salt

Salsa Cruda:
Yield: 2 liters
1 ounce guajillo chiles
1 ounce chile de árbol 
1½ pounds roughly chopped plum tomatoes 
3 ounces roughly chopped Spanish onions
Salt

To Assemble and Serve:
Neutral oil for frying
½ ounce cilantro macho

METHOD:

For the Flank Steak:
Place steak in a shallow baking dish. Season with lime, coriander seeds, and salt. Refrigerate and marinate overnight, or at least 12 hours.

For the Ponzu:
In a Vitamix blender, combine soy sauce, chiles, citrus, and 25 milliliters water. Blend until smooth. Strain through a chinois and set aside.

For the Sunchoke Purée:
In a stockpot over medium heat, combine butter, milk and sunchokes. Bring to a boil. Transfer to a Vitamix blender and purée until smooth. Season with salt. Keep warm.

For the Pinto Bean Purée:
In sautépan over medium-high heat, combine garlic, onion, and chiles. Sweat until onions are translucent and mixture is fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside. In a stockpot over medium-high heat, combine beans and enough water to cover. Cook until beans are tender. Strain and transfer beans to a Vitamix blender. Add onion-chile mixture, avocado leaf, and oil. Purée until smooth. Season with salt. Keep warm.

For the Salsa Cruda:
In a sautépan over medium heat, toast chiles until fragrant. Transfer to a food processor with tomatoes and onions. Pulse until well combined. Season with salt and set aside. 

To Assemble and Serve:
Dehydrate Flank Steak 3 hours. Set aside. In a saucepan over high flame, heat oil. Fry steak 1 minute. Transfer Flank Steak to a large serving plate. Spoon over 1 ounce Ponzu, 2 ounces Pinto Bean Purée, and 2 ounces Sunchoke Purée. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with a small ramekin of Salsa Cruda.

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