Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Explore Recipes Sauces & Dressings Page 9

Argentinian Skirt Steak With Chimichurri

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Grilled meat with herbaceous chimichurri sauce is a South American staple, popular in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Substitute flank steak or hanger steak if you can’t find skirt steak.

Ingredients

For the chimichurri:

  • 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, stemmed
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh or teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 fresh jalapeño, stemmed and seeded, or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons water
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Steak:

  • 2 pounds trimmed skirt steak
  • More kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Make the chimichurri:

Place the parsley, cilantro, garlic, oregano, and the jalapeño or red pepper flakes in a food processor and finely chop, running the machine in short bursts. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a thin stream, followed by 3 tablespoons of the vinegar and 3 tablespoons of water. Taste the chimichurri, adding another tablespoon of vinegar to make it tarter, if desired. If necessary, add another tablespoon of water to thin the chimichurri to a pourable consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste; it should be highly seasoned. Set aside for up to 2 hours.

Preheat your grill to medium-high. Season the skirt steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on its thickness (medium-rare is best). Let it rest for 2 to 3 minutes, then thinly slice the meat on a diagonal. Arrange on a platter and serve with the chimichurri sauce.

Yields 4 to 6 servings

The Essential Dry-to-Wet Rub

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This special blend of sweet, salty, and spicy will infuse any type of grilled meat with a smoky, garlicky flavor. It’s especially great on any cut of pork.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dry yellow (ground) mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together. Pat your meat dry with paper towels and coat liberally with the mixture, using your fingers to press it in place. If you’re in a hurry, you can grill after 15 minutes, but letting the rub “cure” for 3 hours or longer in the fridge will intensify the flavors.

Yields enough rub for up to 8 pounds of meat.

Chilean Salsa (Pebre)

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

No collection of Chilean recipes would be complete without pebre. Every cook, it seems, has their own version. If you want to tame the onion, soak it in cold water for about 30 minutes, then drain well. Serve the salsa with bread, meat, seafood, or eggs.

Lilly, the talented cook/housekeeper at the Don Rafael farm in Chile’s Lontue Valley, shared her recipe for Chile’s favorite condiment during one of our many visits to the farm. It’s best, she says, when made less than 2 hours ahead.

Ingredients

  • 8 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts thinly sliced
  • 4 fresh aji or serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
  • 1 medium bunch fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems chopped
  • 1/2 clove garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) to taste

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the scallions, peppers, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, water, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate if not using immediately.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups — Recipe courtesy of the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Za’atar

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This Middle Eastern spice blend is as ubiquitous in that part of the world as our salt shaker is here, but far healthier. Every country in the Middle East, and even region within each country, has its own proportions of the ingredients. My twist is using black lime in place of the traditional sumac, which isn’t—yet—in everyone’s pantry. (You can leave out the salt if you need to for health reasons.) Za’atar is amazing when sprinkled over olive oil on focaccia or flat bread before baking…or when reheating bread from your favorite bakery. ​

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds 
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon sumac or black lime
  • 2 tablespoons dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Directions

Toast the sesame seeds in a small pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes, watching closely so that they don’t burn. Turn off the heat and let them cool. Using a small food processor or a coffee bean grinder (you may need to work in batches), pulse the sesame seeds along with the other spices until they’re mixed, but stop well before they turn into a powder—there should be some texture to the blend. You can also do this by hand with a mortar and pestle.

Yields about 1/2 cup.