Tequila-Lime Marinated Skirt Steak

I’ve been thinking “vegetarian” all week and this weekend my kids are coming for the Memorial Day holiday and they love “vegetarian” but I am thinking “grill” and “meat.” It’s like some food-magazine-newspaper spirit is whispering in my ear that Memorial Day means grilled meat, as if it were as sacrosanct as the Thanksgiving turkey.

My two sons-in-law sometimes kid me because I serve a lot of meat when they come. I can’t help myself. It’s something I learned from my mother and mother-in-law who would always serve dozens of different dishes so everyone would be happy when we all got together. So I figure that because they don’t eat meat much at home they probably want some here.

It’s not rational so I can’t really explain this. All I know is the meat is mostly gone when we’re done eating. Maybe this weekend I’ll try this recipe:

Tequila-Lime Marinated Skirt Steak

3 tablespoons tequila

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons grated lime peel

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 small chili pepper (jalapeno or serrano), deseeded and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1-1/2 pounds skirt steak

Mix the tequila, olive oil, lime peel, lime juice, cilantro, chili pepper, garlic and salt and pepper to taste in a dish large enough to hold the meat. Add the meat, turn it to coat both sides. Let marinate in the mixture for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Preheat an outdoor grill (oven broiler or grill pan). Remove the meat from the marinade and grill for 2-3 minutes per side. Makes 4 servings