Latin Herb Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Fruit Salsa

   A couple days ago I had the privilege of speaking to a high school culinary class.  It was a last minute thing, and I was sort of thrown into it.  I felt completely unprepared and scatter-brained, but I had so much fun!  It was so amazing to see kids excited about food and what I was talking about.  I asked for suggestions for what they would like to see on this blog.  This post is the first of those suggestions.  Or at least a modified version.  The request was for a mango salsa, but when I was at the grocery store, the mangoes didn't look too great.  So I made a pineapple salsa instead.  The great thing about this recipe is that you could easily use mango... or kiwi, or strawberries, or orange segments, or any combination of fruit.... experiment and have fun with it!  You could even leave out the fruit to have an awesome, simple fresh salsa.  The salsa I made is super chunky.  If you want to made something more conducive to dipping, just chop everything smaller.

Garlic Cilantro Marinade
1 C parsley, chopped
1/2 C cilantro, chopped
1/3 C olive oil
1/4 C lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
zest of 1 lime
salt and pepper

Combine ingredients.  Reserve 1/4 C of marinade for fruit salsa.  The amount of marinade that is left is enough for about 1 1/2 lbs of meat.  This marinade can literally be used for any type of meat:  steak, chicken, pork, even seafood.
Rub meat with marinade.  Let meat marinate for 30 min to overnight.  (Only let seafood marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, no longer.)  Grill or broil meat until cooked.  For flat iron steak, grill for 8 minutes on each side for medium.

Pineapple Salsa
1/4 C of reserved garlic cilantro marinade
1/2 C chopped tomato
1/3 C chopped pineapple (or other tropical fruit, like mango)
1/4 C chopped onion
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
salt and pepper

Combine ingredients.  Chop chunky or fine, depending on use.  Leave chunky to top meat or toss with a salad.  Chop finer for a dip to serve with tortilla chips.