Watermelon, Flank, Cocoa: Crazy Combination

But here's what you get.

A delicious meal of Cocoa Flank, original recipe by none other than Miss Paula Deen, some watermelon and mozarella skewers with a tasty tequila-lime glaze and watermelon agua fresca. Oh, I almost forgot the watermelon salsa to go with your cocoa flank. Our dinner was delicious. We sat there after eating, no one wanting to get up we were so full.

We sliced up the flank and made "faux" fajitas with it. Warmed up some flour tortilas and topped it off with the salsa. What a satisfying meal.

I didn't always like watching the Paula Deen show, but she kind of grew on me. My daughter and I now go around saying y'all for everything. Watching her with her boys is rather endearing. Her love for Michael, her honey, is also fun to watch. He's such a quiet man. You know he just loves watching her perform for the camera. It kind of pulls you in.

Most of her recipes are down-home goodness for me. Lily and I will be trying the biscuit donuts recipe this weekend. I'll let you know how they turn out.

But for now, I couldn't pass up this Cocoa Flank recipe she did on her show not too long ago. Chocolate...on steak? Oh yeah, baby. Delicious with a capital D.

Bob's not a fan of mole, so I didn't tell him what I was cooking up. Though this recipe isn't "mole" per se, the marinade aroma and taste was reminiscent of the delectable mole sauce. But once you grilled the flank, the full, blown-out flavor of mole was grilled right into the meat and didn't over power the flank. What can I say, you've got to try it. Great Southwestern flavor.

Chocolate Flank Steak with Pineapple SalsaBy Paula Deen
(The changes I made are written in red.)
Serves:
3 to 4 servings

Ingredients
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder used red chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt I used one of my flavored salts: The Green Chile Salt
Pinch ground black pepper
2 pounds flank steak
Pineapple Salsa, recipe follows (made watermelon salsa instead of pineapple)
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish, optional

Directions
In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine vinegar, cocoa, brown sugar, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add flank steak; seal bag, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
Spray nonstick griddle with nonstick spray and preheat to medium-high.
Remove steak from marinade and discard marinade. Place steak on the griddle and cook for 6 minutes on each side for a medium-rare. When cooked to desired doneness, remove from the griddle, to a cutting board, and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut steak across the grain into thin strips. Serve with Pineapple Salsa and garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired.



Pineapple Salsa: (Made Watermelon Salsa)
1 whole pineapple, peeled and diced, 2 cups of small chopped watermelon
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and flesh diced
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl, combine pineapple, avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Yield: 2 cups


Watermelon Skewers
2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
2 cups cubed mozzarella
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon tequila
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon lime zest
4 wooden skewers

Thread watermelon and mozzarella on wooden skewers.
Mix olive oil, tequila and sea salt. Drizzle over skewered fruit and cheese. Sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate until serving.

Watermelon Agua Fresca (Adapted from Eating Well)
http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/06/watermelon-agua-fresca.html

8 cups cubed seeded watermelon, divided
1 cup water, divided
1/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 liter seltzer water, pre-chilled

Puree half of the cubed watermelon, half the water and half the sugar in a blender. Pour through a coarse strainer into a large container. Repeat with the remaining watermelon, water and sugar. Stir in lime juice. Refrigerate until very cold - at least 4 hours.Before serving, stir in seltzer and garnish with fresh lime (or a small slice of watermelon) if desired.

Other variations of Agua Fresca are:

Agua de Melón: Use cantaloupe or any other melon.
Agua de Fresa: Use strawberries.
Agua de Papaya: Use papaya. The addition of lime juice makes a tastier beverage here.
Agua Fresca de Pepino: Use peeled, seeded cucumbers and lime juice. Cut down on the sugar. Very refreshing

Try making one of these as an alternative to Iced Tea. They're all natural and darn good for you. Real foods for real people.