This might be fun! Let's teach each other how to cook the stuff we really love. Limit yourself to FIVE (5) please, but don't necessarily post them all at once. I'm just going to post one for today, an Argentinian treatment of flank steak that's brilliant hot and just as good cold, held in your hand. Flank steak has so much flavour, but you have to be careful not to overcook it, and since this is not a braise, you also have to be careful to cut it across the grain when serving, so that it isn't tough. I've included a picture of the last time I made it.
Matambre (rolled flank steak)
Ingredients Step One
One thick 1 ½ lb flank steak, trimmed of excess fat and silver skin
1 tablespoon each of red wine vinegar and paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
¼ lb prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 bunch spinach, carefully washed and stemmed
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, roasted peeled and sliced
1 cup (1 oz) fresh basil leaves
½ cup (2 oz) each dried breadcrumbs and grated pecorino Romano cheese
2 teaspoons dried thyme
Salt and pepper
Ingredients Step Two
½ cup (4 oz) white wine and marsala
Ingredients Step Three
½ cup (4 oz) marsala
1 cup (8 oz) beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Method Step One
Think about your flank steak like your hands in prayer, the direction of the grain matching your fingers. Butterfly the steak cutting from “thumbs” to about ¾ inch from your little fingers. Open it up, and pound with a meat mallet to an even thickness of ½ inch.
Preheat oven to 350 º F. Mix together the vinegar, paprika, 1 tablespoon of the tomato paste, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Stir to form a thick paste. Smear the paste on the open side of the steak, reserving 1 tablespoon. Layer the prosciutto, spinach, carrot, onion, bell pepper and basil on top. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, 1 tablespoon of the thyme, and salt and pepper to taste; sprinkle the mixture on top. Roll the meat from the long end into a tight cylinder – making sure that the grain is down the length of the roll – and tie with kitchen string. Turn it seam side down and rub with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme.
Method Step Two
In a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the meat and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a flameproof roasting pan, seam side down, and roast for about 45 minutes. Lift the meat and pour white wine into the pan underneath to keep the meat from sticking. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre registers 130º, about an hour overall. Don’t let it get over 130 º. Transfer to a board and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
Method Step Three
Add the marsala to the roasting pan and place over high heat. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the stock, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until reduced by half – about 5 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve.
Serving
To serve, remove the string from the meat and slice it thickly into rounds. Transfer to individual plates and ladle the sauce over. This goes really well with fried polenta, but is equally good with any other nice starch (risotto works well).
Serves 4-6 (closer to 4 if you’re greedy like we are)
Matambre (rolled flank steak)
Ingredients Step One
One thick 1 ½ lb flank steak, trimmed of excess fat and silver skin
1 tablespoon each of red wine vinegar and paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
¼ lb prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 bunch spinach, carefully washed and stemmed
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, roasted peeled and sliced
1 cup (1 oz) fresh basil leaves
½ cup (2 oz) each dried breadcrumbs and grated pecorino Romano cheese
2 teaspoons dried thyme
Salt and pepper
Ingredients Step Two
½ cup (4 oz) white wine and marsala
Ingredients Step Three
½ cup (4 oz) marsala
1 cup (8 oz) beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Method Step One
Think about your flank steak like your hands in prayer, the direction of the grain matching your fingers. Butterfly the steak cutting from “thumbs” to about ¾ inch from your little fingers. Open it up, and pound with a meat mallet to an even thickness of ½ inch.
Preheat oven to 350 º F. Mix together the vinegar, paprika, 1 tablespoon of the tomato paste, garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Stir to form a thick paste. Smear the paste on the open side of the steak, reserving 1 tablespoon. Layer the prosciutto, spinach, carrot, onion, bell pepper and basil on top. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, 1 tablespoon of the thyme, and salt and pepper to taste; sprinkle the mixture on top. Roll the meat from the long end into a tight cylinder – making sure that the grain is down the length of the roll – and tie with kitchen string. Turn it seam side down and rub with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme.
Method Step Two
In a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the meat and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a flameproof roasting pan, seam side down, and roast for about 45 minutes. Lift the meat and pour white wine into the pan underneath to keep the meat from sticking. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centre registers 130º, about an hour overall. Don’t let it get over 130 º. Transfer to a board and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
Method Step Three
Add the marsala to the roasting pan and place over high heat. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the stock, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until reduced by half – about 5 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve.
Serving
To serve, remove the string from the meat and slice it thickly into rounds. Transfer to individual plates and ladle the sauce over. This goes really well with fried polenta, but is equally good with any other nice starch (risotto works well).
Serves 4-6 (closer to 4 if you’re greedy like we are)
