Thursday, September 18, 2008

Chimichurri with Flank Steak



[ts]
This was originally titled "Flank Steak with Chimichurri", but I felt "Chimichurri with Flank Steak" was more fitting.

This dish was all about the chimichurri!



[ts]
We used Bittman's basic recipe (in The Best Recipes in the World) as a guide at first, but we now more or less wing it.

So in goes about 3-5 cloves of garlic and 2 chile peppers (instead of red pepper flakes), chopped, the the juice of one lemon, a glurg of olive oil and a whackload of chopped parsley from the market.

That's it!

There is something magical that happens when you combine garlic, chile peppers, lemon juice and olive oil. We thought we hit the jackpot before when we started making our own peri-peri (for peri-peri chicken). This is just as good and it's even simpler! The only difference is that chimichurri uses a lot of parsley.

Chimichurri is sobrang pampagana. A translation of this would be. . .

[js]
I can't think of a neat, exact word translation for the phrase.

"Sobra" just means super, exceedingly so, and the "pampagana" -- well, think of a person's appetite like a fire, and the chimichurri as more hot coals to stoke the hot, hot fire.

Like our appetites need any more stoking. We are a family of big eaters, and on normal days, our appetites are already burning at about 700 degrees. The chimichurri just added about 500 degrees to the blazing fire!

Sobrang pampagana, translated, not so very elegantly, is "super-appetite-stoker." Just add a bit more gusto to that phrase and you have it.

This chimichurri is really quite a hit and we are lucky to have extra chimichurri left for the next day. After all, we have some guests who were eating the chimichurri with a spoon and drinking it like soup.

Yup, true.

Super-appetite-stoker!

Chimichurri is that good.

[ts]
Oh yeah -- (afterthought, haha) -- we served chimichurri with some flank steak, along with duck fat potatoes and yellow bean-English peas & dill salad.



[js]
I rubbed the flank steak with a little bit of salt, pepper, and cumin. Lime juice and lime zest were also massaged into the beef.

There is a natural affinity between grilled beef and chimichurri and one bite just leads to the next which leads to the next which leads to the next. . .

Super-appetite-stoker!



[js]
Although the chimichurri is quite magical with beef, its applications can be diverse, not limited to meats. The next day, the extra chimichurri we had we tossed with some string beans (just microwaved) and the string beans were devoured with gusto.

Super-appetite-stoker!

----

Market Loot Series
Pesto Potato and Green Bean Salad
Yellow Beans, English Peas, Radish and Dill Salad
Grilled Corn
Fried Green Tomatoes
Chimichurri with Flank Steak
...

24 comments:

  1. That looks super sarap and super easy to make yun sauce.

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  2. My hubby would call it pampagana espesyal! :) This does look like it could drive me to eat more and more!

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  3. That looks lovely and so versatile too.

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  4. Now this really opened my appetite!

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  5. super appetite stoking, indeed! i'm all about anything all about chimichurri, and yours is certainly fabulous. nicely done. :)

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  6. Yup - looks good. I'm thinking I can do this...I really can. I may have to give this a try.

    -DTW
    www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

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  7. Man, what a beautiful meals!

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  8. The way you described it made me drool even more...

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  9. When I read the word Chimichurri, always makes me giggle! I would love to hear you pronuncing it ;D

    A fantabulous dressing for the yummy meat!

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  10. I remember my Filipino cool cats saying "Soooo-bra-kaaah"!

    Chimichurri rocks, the steak is oh so pink!

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  11. I too, can eat chimichurri by spoonful! Mhh..Delicious!

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  12. I was just looking at this recipe in my book earlier today! I am definitely going to make it!

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  13. Chimichurri is sooooo good! Now you're making me hungry for some steak.

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  14. Whoa, how did you manage to put all of those together! I'm amazed.

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  15. Gorgeous... love the presentation and the flank steak looks perfectly cooked!

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  16. Love chimichurri. Which reminds me, I have to post my recipe too.

    All the green makes me feel a little healthier eating steak. :P Not really, but that's what I tell myself.

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  17. On a recent flight from NY to LA I was served steak with chimichurri, what a nice surprise. I am sure yours is better, but getting all that flavor at 30,000 feet was amazing! I think I read somewhere that your taste buds are duller up there? ? ?

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  18. amazing photos and culinary art! super impressed!~ :)

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  19. This looks great - I can see that the name is justified.

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  20. That plate of food is amazing. Love, love, love chimichurri and have tried it so many ways. No need to stoke my appetite when it's on the table. Nice job on this. I'd really like some of this right now!

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  21. ChichaJo:
    Wow, I think we'll start using that: pampagana espesyal! Teehee.

    Núria:
    Oh, really? Now I'm curious... is it not simply pronounced chimichurri? Hmmmm....

    Peter M:
    Hahaha... SOBRA KA! "Sobra" also means "too much" or "over". "Ka" is you.

    Pam:
    Make it! Make it!

    Wandering Chopsticks:
    Haha, of course it's healthy! =D

    Lori Lynn:
    Yeah, I heard about that too. Then one really does need chimichurri high up there!

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  22. I love chimichurri! The entire plate of food looks like the perfect end of summer meal.

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  23. Brilliant. My husband would adore this...

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