I had a good bit of extra parsley on hand, which is a great excuse to make this tasty chimichurri sauce for steak again! As I consulted the version I posted back in 2009, I realized this recipe was ready for a refresh with some pictures taken with my iPhone and to reflect some of the ingredient tweaks I've made to it. The originally recipe actually called for avocado oil, which isn't something I tend to have around. But that did give me the idea of adding some fresh avocado to the sauce. The avocado is a nice addition, but the sauce is tasty without it, too.
I've written this up based on sirloin steak, but it's good with other flavorful cuts such as ribeye or flank steak. You may have seen the rub on this blog before--when you find something flavorful that an 8 year old likes, you break it out often! The sauce is also great on grilled steak, but we still have awhile to wait in these parts for grilling season. OK, time to get on with the easy, tasty recipe.
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup tarragon vinegar (you can also use basic vinegar plus 1 tbsp chopped fresh or 1 tsp dry tarragon)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (a bit more if you want extra kick)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano or marjoram
1 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
salt & pepper to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 an avocado, sliced or diced (optional)
Steak rub
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 sirloin steak of about 1 pound or more
Mix the herbs, pepper flakes and garlic in a small bowl. Add the vinegar, then whisk in the oil. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Let the chimichurri sit for 1 hour or more before using to let the flavors meld, if you have time. It tastes good if you make this then get right onto cooking the steak. If you are using the optional avocado, slice it and gently toss with the rest of the sauce closer to your serving time.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the rub ingredients in a bowl, the rub it onto both sides of the steak to coat. Let the steak sit with the rub for about 15 minutes or so.
When you are about ready to cook the steak, coat an oven safe skillet with oil spray and heat it on medium high. When the skillet is good and hot, add the steak to sear it for two minutes on one side, then flip it over to brown it for one minute on the other side.
Remove the pan to the oven and roast until desired doneness. The length of time will depend on the size of your steak and how you like your steaks, but I recommend medium rare for this cut. I find 11 or 12 minutes works for a steak of about 1 pound, approximately one inch thick. Definitely check it at this time to avoid overcooking! Remember the steak will continue to cook a bit after resting, so you want it to be slightly redder in the middle than the way you want to serve it.
Remove the steak from the oven when it's close to the way you want it. Move the steak to a platter and loosely tent, let it rest for a few minutes. Slice crosswise and serve with a bit of the sauce, passing more at the table for those who want more. The sauce is great on baked potato, too, so that is a nice side for the dish.
Wine pairing: Given the origins of this dish, a red from South America is a natural choice. I first made a version of this for a tasting of Chilean Carmenere, which is certainly a nice pairing. I recently had it with a Malbec blend with equally tasty results. This 2009 Familia Mayol Malbec blend is a great bottle of wine and very good with the dish. But I'm afraid this year might be hard to find; I got the last bottle on hand at Pairings. If you get a more recent vintage, I'd suggest decanting it. Of course you might find another good Malbec or Carmenere option--let me know!
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