Steak Tacos with Chipotle Cherry Salsa

 

Cherries are at their season peak right now here in Florida, so we bought a big bag of them last week.  Then, our neighbor Vimmi gave us even more since she was leaving town & had to clear out her fridge, so we had more cherries than we knew what to do with! 

This recipe was really easy and the salsa itself was amazing – the mix of sweet, tart, and spicy reminded me of this spicy cranberry cream cheese dip I made at Thanksgiving last year.  And the Trader Joe’s Habanero Lime tortilla shells were great – the bag said “medium hot”, but I’d really say they were just mild-medium…just a hint of spiciness.  I’d definitely make this meal again. 

Steak Tacos with Chipotle Cherry Salsa (adapted from Iowa Girl Eats)

Steak Ingredients:

• 1 pound sirloin tip steak
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 T Worchestershire sauce (I actually ran out the other day when we made meatloaf, so I omitted this ingredient…)
• 2 t. brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• ¼ t. red chili pepper flakes
• salt & pepper

Salsa Ingredients:

• ¼ cup fresh basil
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 T balsamic
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 t. honey
• 1 t. lime juice
• 2 cups cherries, pitted and cut in half
• salt and pepper

Rest of the ingredients:

• 1 onion, sliced thin (sweet onion would be better – we only had half a white onion)
• 1 T olive oil
• Pinch of sugar
• Flour tortillas (we used Habanero Lime from Trader Joe’s)
• Shredded cheddar cheese (pepperjack would have been good too)
• 1 t cilantro
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 tomato

Directions:

1. Prepare the steak marinade.  In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic, Worchestershire, brown sugar, garlic, red chili pepper flakes, salt & pepper.  Season steak on both sides with salt & pepper, then place in a Ziploc bag with the marinade and refrigerate for 1-4 hours (it doesn't look very appetizing here, but I promise, it will be delicious!)

2. Meanwhile, prepare the cherry salsa.  In a food processor, combine basil, jalapeño, balsamic, garlic, honey, lime juice, salt, pepper, and half the cherries.  Process until nearly smooth.  Add the remaining cherries and pulse until chunky.  Refrigerate until ready to use. 

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion slices, season with salt, pepper, and pinch of sugar, then cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. 

4. Let steak sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.  Grill on high heat 2-3 minutes per side (we just used our George Foreman, which grilled both sides at once, so we didn’t have to flip the steaks…)  Let steak rest 5 minutes before slicing thin. 

5.  Heat your flour tortillas on a skillet to warm them until slightly toasty.  Assemble your tacos as you’d like & enjoy!