Chimichurri sauce has been around for a long time. But, it has recently become very popular in restaurants and sandwich shops. With roots in Argentina, this flavorful sauce is generally made by blending together parsley, cilantro, oregano, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar and a few other ingredients. The resulting mixture does double duty as both a marinade and a topping. The sauce stores well in the refrigerator so if you don't use it all with your first recipe, you'll have some already made for your next one. Here's a recipe for my version and simple instructions for a London broil, which can be sliced and served as an entree or in steak sandwiches.
Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
1 lg bunch Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, with long stems removed
1 lg bunch Fresh Cilantro, with long stems removed
1/4 cu Fresh Oregano, lightly packed, with stems removed
6 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
1/4 Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cu Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
Method
Place parsley, cilantro, oregano, garlic and jalapeño in a food processor and pulse until ingredients are uniformly chopped. Scrape the sides down at least once during the blending process. Add the lime juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt. Process until ingredients are fully blended. Transfer to a sealable container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Chimichurri Marinated London Broil
Ingredients
1lb Flank Steak
1 cu Chimichurri Sauce
Method
Rinse the flank steak in cold water and pat it dry. Place the steak inside a sealable plastic bag. Add 1/2 of the chimichurri sauce. Distribute the sauce around the flank steak and then seal the bag while removing as much air as possible. Refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight.
Before broiling, remove steak from refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat your broiler. Place steak in a pan and under the broiler at about 6-7" from the heat. Broil for 5-7 minutes on one side and then about 5 minutes on the second side for rare. Ovens/broilers range greatly and cooking times will be different. It's best to experiment the first time you boil the flank steak and be prepared to give it a little extra time under the broiler to reach your desired level of doneness.
Once removed from the broiler, the steak should rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice the steak thinly at a sharp angle and against the grain.
Steak Sandwich
a 1lb flank steak will make 4-6 sandwiches, depending on the size
Ingredient
Slices of London Broil
Chimichurri Sauce
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Ciabatta Bread
Method
Slice chiabatta in half. Place lettuce on the bottom slice and top with tomato slices. Layer thin slices of flank steak over the tomatoes and then spoon a bit of chimichurri sauce onto the steak. Top with remaining half of ciabatta and serve.
If you have any comments or questions, please send me an email at wayne@waynesweekend.com or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
