Steak Roll-Ups

 

Here's a little treat for all the red meat fans out there.  If you don't like or don't eat red meat, I think this recipe would work just as well with chicken breasts.

Steak Roll-Ups
Goat Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato, and Spinach Steak Roll-Ups with a Red Wine Reduction

1-1/2 to 2 lbs. flank steak, trimmed
2 oz. sun dried tomatoes
2 tsp. olive oil
3 oz. soft goat cheese
2 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups red wine

Since no two steaks are going to start out the same, let me tell you what end result you are shooting for -- you want the roll-up steaks to be approximately 4-5" W x 7-8" L x 1/4" thick.

After trimming off the extra fat, I cut my original flank steak into 4-5" wide strips, then butterflied each to get two steaks out of each section.

To help flatten the steaks and tenderize them, cover them the wax paper or plastic wrap and give them a good once over with a meat mallet.  Flank steak is a cut that needs a little beating to make it more malleable.

Set aside.

In a food processor or blender, fine chop the sun dried tomatoes with the olive oil. Found out the hard way that my favorite sun dried tomatoes are not puree-friendly, but they worked out okay anyway.

 

Add goat cheese to the tomatoes and mix until well blended.

Lay out each steak and spread with a thick layer of the sun dried tomato-goat cheese spread.

Cover each slathered steak with a layer of baby spinach leaves.

Carefully roll up each steak and secure with toothpicks.

In a hot non-stick skillet, sear each rolled steak until nicely browned.  If you don't have a non-stick pan, make sure to add a little oil or cooking spray to the pan to keep the meat from sticking.

Once they steak rolls have a nice sear, finish them off in the oven preheated to 350 degrees.  Cook them uncovered for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the center of the steak reaches your preferred state of doneness.

To make the red wine reduction, pour 2 cups of your favorite red wine in a sauce pan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced.  For a thinner sauce, reduce to 3/4 cup liquid, for a glazier sauce, reduce to 1/2 cup.  I used a Valpolicella, a slightly sweet Italian Veneto red.

Once the steak rolls are done, remove from oven, plate and drizzle with the reduction.

Bon appetite!

NOTES

Don't forget to remove the toothpicks before serving!!! Fiber is important in a diet, but I don't think wooden toothpicks count.

In case you can't find soft goat cheese, you can blend together 2 oz. of crumbled goat cheese with 2 tbsp. of plain Greek yogurt to get the same effect.

 

If you can't find the California Sun Dry sun dried tomatoes, I would recommend using jarred SDTs.  They are usually packaged in oil, so drain off any excess and don't add any extra oil when you process them.  They may actually paste up easier than mine did.