The long awaited, but totally worth it, Asparagus Pesto Flat Iron Steak

(once again, my pictures don't do this justice at all, just trust me!)

This was almost the meal that was never meant to be. First, I put it off forever; I think it's been on the menu for what, 3 weeks now? I used this recipe for the asparagus pesto and doubled it. I substituted walnuts for the pine nuts as they were on sale and I added two extra cloves of garlic. I don't have a food processer (Me, no food processer? I know, right!?!?!) so I used the blender.  I added the ingredients to the blender wrong and tried to mix it up with a wooden spoon and this happened:

 Note to self: Don’t put the nuts on the bottom, then leaves, then olive oil, it can't hydrate enough to actually spin. Wood chips do not make good pesto. So, I had to scrap that entire batch and start from scratch again.

Into the second batch, my 1950's era blender started smoking. I had to transfer everything to a pitcher and get out my immersion blender instead. I almost gave up, why fight fate? But, low and behold, success!

Once it was blended to the proper consistency, I laid out 2 layers of plastic wrap, laid the steak on top, added two more layers of plastic wrap on top and pounded flat with a mallet. The plastic wrap prevents the blood from splattering. (Appetizing huh? Bleh!) Once its about 1/8 inch thick, remove the top layer of plastic wrap and spread 1/4 cup of the pest on the steak. I then added a few fresh asparagus spears, shavings of fresh parmesan and fresh mozzarella. (Its important to use the fresh mozzarella cheese vs the processed stuff because it has a lower melting point) Roll the steak up and close with tooth pick or bakers twine. Dust the outside with salt and paprika. (Did you know pepper will burn in the oil and can leave an odd flavor? Using paprika prevents that but still gives it a peppery flavor) Sear in a pan on all sides.

Don't worry, some of the gook will fall out. Once seared, transfer to an oiled oven proof dish; add some chopped peppers, onions and more asparagus.

Spread all but 1 cup of the remaining pesto over top, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20-30 min's, until internal temperature reaches 170.
Cook the pasta according to directions then once drained, toss with the 1 cup of reserved pesto. Remove steak from the oven and transfer to a cutting board to rest for a few min's. Slice into rounds and serve a top the pasta.

This was a HUGE hit in my house. I had dinner guests last night and everyone liked it. The only debate was on the salt content. I am a salt person so I thought it needed more. The final votes were 3 wanted more salt and 2 said it was perfect the way it was. Be sure to taste the pesot before you toss it in the pasta to see if you need more salt.