A well-cooked flank steak served with a flash of bright green makes for a beautiful presentation. In Argentina, you will find chimichurri sauce served alongside both meat and vegetable dishes. Although I love traditional chimichurri, made with parsley, oregano, garlic, vinegar and red pepper flakes, I decided to play with some different flavors (and less ingredients).
Cilantro is one of my favorite herbs and works well in both Asian and South American dishes. (I know, some of you think it tastes like soap, but apparently that does not make you crazy because Julia Child hated it too.) To give my take on chimichurri a more Mexican feel, I used lime instead of vinegar for my acid, and I switched out red pepper flakes for super hot serrano chile peppers (Remember to wear gloves when handling these babies, and proceed with caution; some are hotter than others!). Don’t marinate the steak long, as the lime juice can make the steak a tad mushy. If you have extra sauce or aren’t feeling like having a steak, boiled or roasted potatoes are also excellent tossed in this chimichurri.
Flank Steak with Cilantro-Lime “Chimichurri”
4 to 5 servings
1 bunch freshly chopped cilantro rinsed (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, smashed
½ serrano chile pepper, seeded and minced
Juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt to taste
1 2-lb. flank steak
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Put the cilantro, garlic and chile pepper into a food processor and pulse a few times.
• Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the lime juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt.
• Lightly score both sides of the flank steak by drawning a knife across the meat in a crisscross pattern, cutting about one-quarter of an inch into the meat.
• Place the steak in a resealable gallon-sized plastic bag. Add about ¼ cup of the chimichurri to the bag and massage the marinade into the meat. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Prepare a hot grill or broiler. Remove the steak from the bag and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes per side. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Using a sharp knife, slice the steak into very thin slices, against the grain. Place the slices on a plate and drizzle the remaining chimichurri over the top to serve.
This article appears in October 2012.