A little while ago, when a friend mentioned that she and her husband, both animal-lovers, had taken the vegetarian plunge, I thought: “Yeah, it’s time.”
I’ve been on the fence about going vegetarian for years. Q is firmly in the: “no way” camp: we don’t eat a lot of meat anyway (maybe only a couple of times a week), and he figures cutting entirely is useless.
“Honey, yeah, it’s better for the environment. But at this point? Just you? You going vegetarian has so little impact, it’s negligible.”
This is true. Me becoming a vegetarian is unlikely to spurn a million people to say “no” to beef… (or, is it? You decide, reader. You decide.)
So it might be a sacrifice in vain, though a sacrifice it will be. Meat is delicious, and ubiquitous. I have no idea how I’m going to get through the odd Sunday roast (Yorkshire pudding, hola!) with my in-laws, or Thanksgiving dinner (mmm, gravy). I’ve told myself that it’s important to take the next step though: limiting meat to a couple of times a week is not enough, not if I have a twinge of guilt (and memories of Vegucated) every time I eat it.
So this weekend, we prepared my last non-vegetarian meal: Flank Steak.
With a marinade that will make you cry. For real – we were sopping the marinade up with bread, like table-mannerless heathens, crying: “Oh God, sherry and soy sauce, together at last!”
(An aside: I know I promised I wouldn’t blog about cooking, but this recipe is worth it. It’s also not my recipe, it’s my friend’s mom’s, whose dinners could restore your faith in humanity.)
MARINADE FOR FLANK STEAK
Marinate 1 flank steak 8-24 hours in:
- 4 oz light soy sauce (4 oz is 1/2 cup)
- 2 oz vegetable oil
- 1 oz sherry (if you have this on hand, consider your cupboards well-stocked)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- ginger, about the size of a quarter, minced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Grill on BBQ or under broiler 4-5 min per side for med-rare.
Slice thinly on the bias. Serves 4. (Though probably, Q and I could have polished it off and had some leftovers).
*I know some dairy practices are no good – I’m just not ready to take that step, yet. Maybe never.
