Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Balsamic Reduction Chimmichurri Sauce for Beef Steak

By special request...

We've done Argentinian inspired Chimmichurri sauces for beef on several occasions. They are an easy addition to any grilled beef dish as you can make them ahead of time and twist the ingredients to fit the rest of your menu.

For this dinner I wanted to incorporate a reduced balsamic vinegar in the sauce.
Here's what we did:

Balsamic Chimmichurri Sauce for Grilled Beef

1 bottle cheap Balsamic Vinegar
1 bunch Italian parsley
3 garlic cloves
red chile flakes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
juice of 1/2 of a lemon

Pour the vinegar into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Continue to boil over medium heat until it has reduced down to about 2/3 C of liquid. Let it cool.

Wash and mince the parsley leaves. Crush or mince the garlic cloves.

Pour 3 Tablespoons of the reduced balsamic vinegar into a medium sized bowl, add the chopped parsley, garlic, a pinch of red chile flakes and a dash of salt and a grind of black pepper.

Pour in 1/3 Cup of olive oil. Mix well with a fork and taste. Add 1-3 teaspoons of lemon juice (or red wine vinegar) to add a little acidity if it is too sweet. Add more salt, pepper or chile flakes to your taste.

Set aside, spoon over cooked beef!

OVER THE TOP SUGGESTION:
Take the beef off the grill a little early, RARE. Let is rest a minute and put it onto a broiler plate, the metal ones from steak houses. Spoon a tablespoon or so of the sauce over the steak. Crumble 2 Tablespoons of blue cheese (Gorgonzola, Saga, or Cabrales) over the steak. Put it under the broiler for 10-20 seconds - heating the steak, softening the cheese. Yum.

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