Matambre with Chimichurri #EattheWorld

Here we are in September for another installment of our #EattheWorld project, being spearheaded by Evelyne of CulturEatz. Here's her challenge.

In February we kicked off the project with Cuba; in March we celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a tabletop trip to Ireland! Thailand was our April destination. May had us headed to Kenya. In June, Evelyne asked us to create a dish from Sweden and July was New Zealand. Last month, in honor of the 2018 World Cup winner, we traveled by tabletop to France.

Before I get to my Argentinian recipe, take a look at the other offerings...

• Margaret of Kitchen Frau: Red Chimichurri Sauce 
• Tara of Tara's Multicultural Table: Milanesa a Caballo (Argentinian Milanesa Riding Horseback) 
• Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures: Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce 
• Juli of Pandemonium Noshery: Revuelto Gramajo 
• Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Matambre with Chimichurri 
• Wendy of A Day in the life on the Farm: Chipas 
• Claudia of Honey from Rock: Argentinean Tamales
• Loreto and Nicoletta of Sugar Loves Spices: Carbonada Criolla, Argentinian Beef Stew 
• Evelyne of CulturEatz: Alfajores, Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies

When I saw that we were focusing on Argentina, I knew that I had my work cut out for me in dissuading the boys away from two of their absolute favorites...

Empanadas Medocinas and Choripán

So, I looked for a recipe that would go well with chimichurri and included meat. I had just done a completely vegetarian dinner party and my omnivores were craving beef. I found a recipe that was similar to a Filipino Morcon and ran with that: Argentinian Matambre. You will need to prep the meat the night before you plan to serve.

Ingredients

Matambre

• 2 pounds flank steak, butterflied (I had the butcher do it for me)
• 1/4 C vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
• juice and zest from 1 organic lemon
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 5 hard-boiled eggs 
• organic green onions, trimmed and halved
• 1/2 C thinly sliced bell peppers
• oil for searing
• 1 C beef broth
• Also needed: rolling pin or mallet, 100% cotton cooking twine

Chimichurri

• 1/4 C parsley
• 3 T vinegar (I prefer sherry vinegar)
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and pressed
• 2 T oregano leaves
• 1 t thyme leaves
• 2 t crushed red pepper
• 1/2 C olive oil
• freshly ground pepper, as needed
• freshly ground salt, as needed

Procedure

Chimichurri

In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth, drizzling in the oil until desired texture; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let stand for, at least 30 minutes. If you are making this ahead of time, place in a lidded jar and keep in the refrigerator. 

Matambre

The Day Before

Place the butterflied flank steak on a cutting board lined with wax paper or parchment. Pound the steak with a rolling pin or meat mallet until it is uniformly thick (or thin). Place the steak in a lidded container. Pour the vinegar and lemon juice into the container. Rub in the zest as much as you can. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least six hours. 

Cooking Day

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 

Remove the steak from the marinade and place it on a flat surface. Season the meat lightly with salt and pepper on both sides. Arrange the hard-boiled eggs down the center of the meat. Place green onions alongside the eggs and add a layer of bell peppers over the eggs.

Roll the steak as tightly as you can, being careful to keep the fillings enclosed in the meat. Place the roll seam-side down and tie it securely as you would a roast.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and sear the roll evenly to achieve a nice browned layer. Place the roll into a casserole or baking dish and pour the beef broth and the remaining marinade over the meat.

Bake the roll for one hour. Once done, remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

I like to slice the rolls into 1/2" thick pieces and serve it with chimichurri. My Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf made a roasted potato-plantain side dish.

And I rounded out the dinner with a local-to-me red wine. Felicidades! I can't wait to see where Evelyne has us headed next in this #EattheWorld adventure.