Skirt steak is cut from the beef flank and is actually the diaphragm muscle; you can substitute flank steak if you can't find skirt steak.

Making a Puerto Rican-style steak is easy at home. My butcher volunteered to score the meat on both sides. Scoring helps tenderize the beef and allows the sofrito to penetrate deep into the flesh for fuller flavor.

Marinate the meat for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Go longer when you can, to 2 or 3 hours, for a fuller flavor.

This recipe makes 2 cups sofrito. Use 1 cup for this recipe and refrigerate or freeze the remainder for use in another dish, like sautéed chicken. Mince the sofrito ingredients into a rough paste if you lack a food processor. Alternately, chop the vegetables into small pieces, place in blender with olive oil and purée.

SOFRITO-MARINATED STEAK

• 1 each, cut into 1-inch pieces: onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, cored, seeded
• 1 bunch cilantro or flat-leafed parsley
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound flank steak, scored on both sides

For sofrito, purée onion, bell peppers, cilantro and garlic in a food processor; add olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread 1 cup of the sofrito over the flank steak, working the purée into the meat's crosshatching with your fingers. Allow the meat to marinate for at least 30 minutes; 2-3 hours is best.

Prepare a grill or broiler; grill or broil the meat to the desired doneness, about 8 minutes per side for medium rare. Let rest 5 minutes; slice.