So this is my first official blog entry. I have debated with myself on how to begin, but relatively quickly I decided to focus on perhaps the most amazing item of culinary genius: STEAK.
Now, most of you know what STEAK is (sorry veg-heads). But I’m not talking about just any steak. I’m talking about ARGENTINE beef. I’m talking about one of the sides of the fantastic cow meat triangle—maybe even the hypotenuse. The other two legs of the triangle are, of course, U.S. and Japanese beef (Texas and Kobe are among the best). I don’t include France here—they got the cut right (filet mignon is what I have tried to order at every restaurant since age 8), but long ago these three nations took over the meat supply, in my humble opinion. I also don’t include Australia/New Zealand because my only experience with these countries’ beef supply has been at Outback Steakhouse. They carry a large share of world beef exports, but sorry, guys—I’m going with quality over quantity/Bloomin’ Onion.* I am also excluding Brazilian beef from my list…this is a subject for another blog entry that focuses on churrasco (DELICIOUS).
*This statement may be amended on a future trip to Australia/New Zealand.
Now back to my focus: Argentine beef. Good meat is good meat, but there’s something about the barbeque flavor that one finds in a typically prepared Argentine steak. On a recent trip to Buenos Aires, I discovered that parrillas (steakhouses, also known as parrilladas) are practically like fast food restaurants in the United States – they are EVERYWHERE. Unlike fast food restaurants, though, they feature meat that comes from a more appealing part of the cow…and food that is edible. Parrilla also refers to the barbecue style in which the meat is cooked—and it all starts with the marinade. And it ends with Chimichurri sauce, the delicious Argentine version of A1 Steak Sauce (it’s very different, but just as common and lighter and more delicious and I really like it). Papas fritas (French fries) are a popular side dish at a parrilla, so I decided to put a twist on this and make gourmet onion rings. And even though the Argentines don’t seem to eat a lot of veggies (and by don’t seem, I mean they really don’t), I can’t really handle a meal without something green. So I made some super easy broccoli. Now on to my recipe…
Steak, Parrilla style:
Steak, Parrilla style:
- steak of your choice (we used skirt steak)
- Italian salad dressing
- garlic (minced)
- parsley
- oregano
- salt and pepper
Chimichurri Sauce (enough for 2-4 people):
- 1 cup parsley
- 1 tbs. oregano
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 5 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbs. + 2 tsp. vinegar
Onion Rings (enough for 2 people):
- Vidalia onion
- 2 tbs. parsley
- 1 tbs. oregano
- milk
- flour
- medium bottle of vegetable oil
Super Easy Broccoli:
- broccoli (one crown is good for 2 people)
- 1 tbs. butter
- salt and pepper
Notes: If possible, prepare marinade the night before. Parsley and oregano are used throughout this recipe—buy one bunch of parsley and one of those small herb containers of oregano. That will be plenty. I also suggest having a container of minced garlic. Saves you a LOT of trouble for this meal and future recipes. An oil thermometer can be bought at the grocery.
Many different types of beef will work for this recipe—I went with skirt steak. We were cooking for two, so we picked up a package of skirt steak for about $12 or so from the grocery. Parrilla is all about the marinade…assuming, of course, that you have already prioritized the meat. I have a distaste for exact measurements when it comes to a marinade, so my recipe will be somewhat vague. Grab a large ziplock bag, throw in the steak and then add Italian salad dressing, minced garlic, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper. The amounts you put in will depend on the size of the steak—just add so that the Italian dressing is coating the entire steak and so that you can see bits of garlic, parsley and oregano speckled across the meat. Don’t be shy with the salt and pepper. I highly recommend that you prepare the marinade the night before you plan to cook the meal. If you don’t have that much time, at least give it a few hours in the fridge. Oh, and make sure you SEAL the bag!
OK – you have waited a full day and you can’t stop thinking about how delicious tonight’s meal will be. I get it. I pulled out the Panini press (remarkably similar to a George Foreman grill) to cook the steak, but you can also use a grill pan or grill if you are lucky and have a back yard. While the grill of your choice is heating up (medium to medium-high heat on my press), start preparing the onion rings. I have a pot with a fry basket—you could also just use a pot and tongs for this. Add veggie oil into the pot. Psychologically it’s weird to use that much oil, but veggie oil is only a couple of bucks. Put the burner on medium / medium-high and insert your oil thermometer—you will be ready to fry when the thermometer hits 300° F.
Cut up the onion into…you guessed it! Rings! They should be about ½ inch thick or so.
Separate the rings and put them into a small mixing bowl. Pour in some milk on top of the onions. Grab a small plate and pour out some flour. Chop up some parsley and oregano (get all of the herb chopping done now, then separate the amount needed for the chimichurri sauce). Grab an onion ring (make sure it’s got some milk on it), dip it in the flour and coat, then transfer to another plate.
Repeat for all rings. Then sprinkle herbs on top (or you can dip the flour-coated rings in the herbs as you go).
While the oil and grill are heating, make the chimichurri sauce. Mix together the aforementioned herbs, red pepper, minced garlic, salt, olive oil, and vinegar. And that’s it.
OK back to the STEAK. Your grill should be heated up – I will let you decide how to cook your steak since I don’t know what kind of grill or cut of meat you have. I like my steak rare, so I cooked my inch-thick steak for about 3 minutes on medium / medium-high heat on the Panini press. Just remember – you can always cut through a portion of the meat to check on the doneness!
While the steak is cooking (and once the oil is heated up), add the onion rings to the pot of oil. You may have to cook them in two batches, each batch for 3 minutes. Remove rings to a paper towel coated plate.
I needed to add some greens to this dish, so I made my patented super-easy broccoli. Wash and cut up some broccoli, put it in a small corning ware dish, put a tablespoon of butter on top, add some salt and pepper, put on the cover, and microwave for 3 minutes. You can do this as the onion rings and steak are cooking—the prep time is literally about a minute. And it’s delicious.
You are done! Serve the delicious steak with chimichurri sauce and a side of gourmet onion rings and broccoli. And MAKE SURE you pull out a bottle of Malbec!
Credits: My Argentine Steak and Chimichurri Sauce recipes are adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe that I found online. The onion rings recipe is loosely based on a Williams Sonoma cookbook recipe.
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