Skirt Steak with Chimichurri and Spiced Corn

Here's a great recipe for your Memorial Day celebrations that can be prepared inside or out. This recipe takes skirt steak, a relatively inexpensive cut of beef, and combines it with a flavorful chimichurri sauce to bring out the best in both. The spiced corn is a welcome compliment to the dish's flavors and adds just a pinch of sweetness.

Chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce made from fresh herbs and a bit of vinegar. Like any traditional sauce, there have to be ten thousand ways to make it. This is my variation that tones down the garlic by sauteing it first, uses less vinegar (not a popular ingredient in our house) and incorporates a few more herbs. I like it with the skirt steak because you don't have to spend a fortune on meat and it helps to transform a lesser cut into a delicious dinner.

Ingredients:

1.25 pound skirt steak 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper and chili powder Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) for cooking 4 cloves garlic 1/2 red onion, coarsely diced 1/2 poblano pepper, coarsely diced 1/2 cup each flat leaf parsley and cilantro 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp of red wine vinegar 3 ears of corn, taken off of the cob 3/4 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon smoked salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon sugar 

Directions:

1. Tenderize 1.25 pound skirt steak. Lay it flat on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Wack it with a meat tenderizer until it is the same thickness throughout. My steak ended up just a little over a half inch thick.

2. In a small bowl, mix one teaspoon each of salt pepper and chili powder.Rub mixture over both sides of the steak and let that puppy rest for 20 minutes at room temp.

3. While your steak is enjoying its spa experience, saute the garlic (whole cloves are fine), red onion and poblano in a cast iron skillet with a bit of EVOO. Don't clean your skillet just yet, set aside.

4. Put sauteed vegetables to a food processor with a half cup each of flat leaf parsley and cilantro, one teaspoon salt, half a cup of EVOO and a teaspoon of red wine vinegar. Blend well and set aside.

5. Once your beef has rested after being tenderized, cut the beef into equal portions and heat up the skillet you used to saute the vegetables. Add another tablespoon or so of EVOO and cook beef for two and a half minutes per side over medium heat. The beef should sizzle right away when you set in in the pan, if not, give the pan a minute or two to continue heating up. Once the beef is cooked, set it aside to rest for at least 15 minutes. If you choose to grill your beef, it's going to cook very quickly, probably just about 2 minutes per side, if that. Check it regularly, you can always put it back on if it needs a minute or two more, and don't forget to let it rest after grilling too.

6. While the beef is resting, take 3 ears of corn off of the cob and saute over medium heat with 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon smoked salt, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon sugar.

7. Once your beef has rested, cut it across the grain and serve with chimichurri and a few fresh springs of cilantro or parsley for presentation.

Enjoy!

Recipe with photos here: http://ift.tt/1TNdP1G

bon appetit