Although I enjoy the abundance and ease of availability of ingredients, getting a recipe blog-ready without props and my own kitchen equipment is more challenging than I thought. When I came to Atlanta almost a month ago, I did not know that I am going to have to stay this long. My friend Paula, whose house I am staying, is a wonderful host but she has no interest in cooking and therefore has no cooking equipment or photography worthy props. As I was looking for things I can blog about, my friend Lisa, who is a culinary school graduate, offered to cook and create a recipe together at her house. I jumped at the opportunity because (1) she is a true culinary nerd (2) she knows a lot about the technique of cooking and she teaches me as we cook along together (3) she has super cool props to photograph food with (4) cooking together with her is always fun. As I have been into sandwiches lately, we decided to make a really good sandwich. We wanted it to be simple with everyday ingredients but with the volume turned up. We had a 6 pack of local beer in the fridge and we both were in the mood for a good piece of steak. As we were thinking about how to build our sandwich, Lisa came up with the idea of making Chimichurri Steak Sandwich, and as a big time cilantro lover, I was on board after hearing the word Chimichurri. The best part of this sandwich is that it takes no time to make. Especially, if you know the technique of cooking a piece of steak…Here is what I learned from Lisa:
Allow the steak to sit on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature at least 15-20 minutes before starting to cook.Season both sides of the steak generously with salt and pepper (freshly ground and coarse).If you have it, use a cast iron skillet and preheat it before you begin cooking the steak.Once you place the steak in hot skillet do not move. Allow it to cook for 4 minutes (for medium) on each side without flipping or moving around.Finish it with butter.Allow it to rest before cutting it.
Chimichurri sauce cannot be any simpler. It is such a classic that never fails. The original recipe is made by mixing chopped cilantro, parsley, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper with red wine vinegar and olive oil.To give it our own twist, we added minced capers at the very end. I thought it added an additional layer of flavor.We allowed it marinade on the kitchen counter as we cooked the meat.To make Chimichrurri sauce, you can simply chop everything by hand or use a food processor.Either way it is delicious. To assemble the sandwich; first cut the baguette diagonally in half and then spread some Chimichurri sauce at the bottom, top it off with some chopped tomatoes (if using), thin slices of the steak, and finish it up with more Chimichurri sauce on top.It is that simple. Ohh and do yourself a favor and serve it with cold beer. It is veeryy good. I guarantee you will agree with me after you take the first bite.
