Matambre Recipes

MATAMBRE ARROLLADO (ARGENTINIAN STUFFED FLANK STEAK)

Steps:

• Place the flank steak on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, butterfly the steak by gently slicing it in half through one of the long sides so that you can unfold the steak like a piece of paper that has been folded in half. Leave one side connected, creating one large, flat steak.
• Once butterflied, pound the steak with a meat mallet until it is an even thinness throughout.
• In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, lime juice, and olive oil.
• Place the steak in a large, seal-able container (or Ziploc plastic bag). Pour the marinade over the steak, making sure it is evenly coated. Cover the steak and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
• Preheat your oven to 350F.
• Remove the steak from the marinade and place it on a flat surface so that the grain of the meat is parallel to you.
• Season the steak lightly with salt and pepper.
• Evenly distribute the chopped spinach, chopped parsley, and minced garlic over the whole steak, leaving a 1 inch edge (the edge furthest from you) free of filling.
• Lay rows of sliced carrots, pepper strips, and quartered eggs parallel to you (with the grain of the meat). Leaving a 2 inch edge at the end the steak.
• Carefully, tightly, roll the steak up around the filling, starting with the edge that is closest to you.
• Place the roll seam-side down on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
• Tie the roll in three places with kitchen twine or thread.
• Bake the roll at 350F for 1 hour.
• Once done, remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Serve hot or cold with chimichurri sauce (see the recipe below).

ARGENTINE STUFFED FLANK STEAK: MATAMBRE

Steps:

• Butterfly the steak by slicing lengthwise and opening it up like a book. Pound the meat gently with a mallet to flatten and even out the thickness; rub all sides with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper.
• With the steak lying lengthwise, scatter the spinach leaves evenly over the surface of the meat, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Arrange the carrots in long rows across the steak, about 2 inches apart. Put the egg strips and olives between the carrot rows. Scatter the onion rings and cheese over the filling, sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes. Carefully roll the meat up over the filling, from bottom to top, into a long thick cylinder (jellyroll-style.) Tie with butcher's twine to hold it together, as you would a roast.
• Coat a large Dutch oven or pan with olive oil and put over moderate heat. Lay the stuffed steak in the hot oil and sear until browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour in the wine and enough water to come up almost to the top of the meat. Toss in the head of garlic, onion, and herbs to flavor the broth. Cover, and slowly simmer on medium-low heat until the meat is fork-tender, about 1 1/2 hours, turning the meat over once halfway through cooking. Taste the broth before serving and adjust spices, if necessary.
• Transfer the matambre to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove the kitchen strings and cut crosswise into 1-inch slices ¿ the colors of the filling will look absolutely gorgeous spiraled in the steak. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat and serve. Matambre is good hot, room temperature, or cold.

MATAMBRE WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

Steps:

• For the flank steak: Prepare an outdoor grill for cooking over direct and indirect heat (if your grill has a thermometer, aim to keep the temperature at about 350 degrees F throughout grilling).
• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring and finely crumbling with a wooden spoon until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and let cool.
• Set the flank steak on a cutting board. Use a knife to score the steak down the middle against the grain, halfway through its thickness. Working from the center line, out toward the edges, cut thin flaps from the score to the edge, like a gatefold. Pound with the flat side of a meat mallet to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt and pepper and brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Chop the cilantro, parsley, olives, pickled jalapenos and garlic together on a cutting board to make a chunky paste. Brush the steak with the mustard. Spread the herb paste over the steak, leaving empty a 1-inch border around the edges. Pat to adhere the paste to the meat. Starting a third of the way in from the right, make 4 equidistant lines of egg. Between the egg lines, mound lines of chorizo, then carrots and then peppers, covering all but that first third of the steak's surface. Roll the steak around the fillings like a jelly roll, from the filled to the empty side. Tie closed at 2-inch intervals around the circumference with kitchen twine. Tie 1 more piece of twine lengthwise around the meat.
• Lightly oil the grill grates. Grill the steak on the direct-heat side of the grill to brown all 4 sides, about 2 minutes per side. Move the steak to the indirect-heat side of the grill, cover and cook, turning occasionally and testing the temperature frequently, until the very center reads 115 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, for a steak that is well-done on the outside and medium-rare in the center, 25 to 30 minutes more. Transfer the matambre to a cutting board to rest.
• For the chimichurri sauce: Finely chop the cilantro, parsley and garlic on a cutting board. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the red pepper flakes, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in the olive oil.
• Untie and slice the flank steak into 6-thick slices on a slight bias. Serve with the chimichurri sauce for drizzling.

MATAMBRE - ARGENTINIAN STUFFED FLANK STEAK

Steps:

• Prepare grill: Prepare your grill for cooking over medium direct heat.
• Butterfly the flank steak: Using a sharp knife slice it and open it up like a book (see instructions above for how to butterfly a flank steak). If you want to make the meat thinner, you can pound it with a mallet to flatten it out and even out the thickness
• Make chimichurri: In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, cilantro, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes.
• Spread sauce over steak: Spread the cilantro and parsley mixture over the flank steak, and brush it evenly over the entire surface of the steak.
• Assemble matambre: Arrange the quartered eggs in 3 rows across the flank steak at different intervals. Repeat with the sliced peppers. Carefully roll the meat up over the filling, I did it from left to right, across the grain, jelly roll style. Tie with butcher's twine to hold it together. Season the outside of the roll generously with salt and pepper.
• Grill: The temperature on your grill should read around 400 F degrees. Place the roll on the grill and grill on both sides for about 4 or 5 minutes per side, about 20 minutes in total.
• Rest: Let the roll rest for 15 minutes before slicing into it.

MATAMBRE: STUFFED FLANK STEAK

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Use a boning knife to butterfly flank steak: Working across the grain, make a cut down the center, but only halfway through meat. At the top of that cut, make perpendicular cuts, one in each direction, this time with the grain. Again, cut only halfway into steak. Repeat perpendicular cuts at the other end of the center cut. Cuts should resemble the letter H. At the top of the original center cut, hold the knife parallel to the meat and insert knife. Slice toward you, making a pocket. This cut should almost reach the outer edge, halfway through the meat's thickness. Repeat on other side. Open the flaps. Season meat liberally on both sides with salt and pepper, then place it cut-side up, wide side facing you. Season with marjoram, cumin and garlic and cover it with a fairly even layer of parsley-cilantro mix. Then arrange carrots, olives, and onions horizontally over the full width of the meat. Scatter a relatively even layer of watercress over all. Roll meat up from the bottom like a jellyroll; grain of steak should run length of roll. Tie in 3 or 4 places with butcher's twine. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or roasting pan large enough to accommodate rolled steak. Deeply brown it on all sides, about 15 minutes total, then transfer pan to oven and roast for about 30 minutes, until meat is cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 30 minutes before serving. Or, put meat in a clean baking dish, weight it with a plate with something heavy on it and chill overnight. Take matambre from refrigerator and slice it into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces about 1 hour before serving at room temperature.

STUFFED FLANK STEAK (MATAMBRE)

Steps:

• Trim any fat from the meat, split it horizontally and pound it gently with a mallet to flatten. Place meat in a shallow glass dish. Combine the marinade ingredients and pour them over the meat. Cover, refrigerate and marinate 4 to 5 hours or overnight.
• Remove the meat from the marinade, place on a flat surface and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the meat with the spinach leaves and arrange the carrots across the meat.
• Carefully roll the meat jellyroll fashion, so the grain runs the length of the roll, and tie it with a string at 1inch intervals.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large pan over moderate heat. Add the meat and sear until browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Place the roll in an ovenproof casserole dish and pour the beef stock over to cover the meat.
• Place the meat in the oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until desired doneness. To serve hot, remove the meat and place it on a platter. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes, carefully remove the strings and slice the roll into 3/4 inch slices. Serve with Salsa Criolla.
• In a medium bowl, combine the onions, tomatoes, jalapeno, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Whisk together the oil and vinegar in a small bowl and pour over the tomato mixture. Mix well, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Adjust seasonings before serving with the meat.
• about 2 cups of salsa

KOREAN-STYLE MATAMBRE

Steps:

• Combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, garlic, scallions and ginger in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the flank steak, seal the bag and massage the marinade into the steak. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the eggs and boil for 6 minutes. Remove to an ice bath to cool, then peel the eggs. Thinly slice the mushrooms. Mix together the mushrooms, kimchi, panko and scallions in a bowl and set aside.
• Remove the steak from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and pat dry. Spread the filling over the steak, leaving a 1 inch border around the edge. Lay the eggs end to end at the edge of the filling closest to you. Pick up the end of the steak with the eggs and roll up to the other side, enclosing the eggs and filling.
• Lay half the bacon strips next to one another on a work surface so they overlap slightly. Make a second row with the remaining bacon strips, overlapping the ends to make an extra-long rectangle. Place the steak, seam-side down, perpendicular on one edge of the bacon strips and roll the steak with the bacon. Tie a piece of butcher's twine around each strip of bacon to secure it to the steak, then tie a piece lengthwise around the roll. (This can be done a day ahead, covered and refrigerated.)
• Heat a large ovenproof saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the rolled steak on all sides until golden brown, about 8 minutes total. Brush with the reserved marinade and roast in the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 135 degrees F, about 35 minutes, brushing again with the marinade halfway through. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Slice the steak and serve.

STUFFED FLANK STEAK (MATAMBRE)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use a boning knife to butterfly flank steak: Working across the grain, make a cut down the center, but only halfway through meat. At the top of that cut, make perpendicular cuts, one in each direction, this time with the grain. Again, cut only halfway into steak. Repeat perpendicular cuts at the other end of the center cut. Cuts should resemble the letter H.
• At the top of the original center cut, hold the knife parallel to the meat and insert knife. Slice toward you, making a pocket. This cut should almost reach the outer edge, halfway through the meat's thickness. Repeat on other side. Open the flaps.
• Season meat liberally on both sides with salt and pepper, then place it cut side up, wide side facing you. Season with marjoram, cumin and garlic and cover it with a fairly even layer of parsley-cilantro mix. Then arrange carrots, olives and onions horizontally over the full width of the meat. Scatter a relatively even layer of watercress over all.
• Roll meat up from the bottom like a jellyroll; grain of steak should run length of roll. Tie in three or four places with butcher's twine.
• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or roasting pan large enough to accommodate rolled steak. Deeply brown it on all sides, about 15 minutes total, then transfer pan to oven and roast for about 30 minutes, until meat is cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 30 minutes before serving. Or, put meat in a clean baking dish, weight it with a plate with something heavy on it and chill overnight. Take matambre from refrigerator and slice it into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces about an hour before serving at room temperature.

ARGENTINA SKIRT STEAK - MATAMBRE

Steps:

• Arrange the steaks in a nonreactive baking dish and set aside while you prepare the marinade.
• Combine the bell pepper, garlic, oil, vinegar, oregano, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Pour over the steaks in the baking dish and toss well to coat. Add the bay leaves, cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator, for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• Preheat the grill to high.
• Combine the ingredients for the spice mixture in a small bowl.
• When ready to cook, oil the grill grate. Drain the steaks and place on the hot grate. Sprinkle the steaks with half the spice mixture and grill, turning with tongs, until medium to medium-well done, about 4 minutes per side, sprinkling with the remaining spice mixture after turning.
• Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let stand about 3 minutes, then cut into 1-inch squares and serve on toothpicks.
• Serves 6 as an appetizer or 4 as a main dish.