Grilled Flank Steak with Liberty Street Steamy Windows Chimichurri

 

Have you ever made a chimichurri sauce? It’s an Argentinean sauce or condiment, similar to pesto, that is popular throughout South America. A basic version uses fresh parsley, oregano, garlic, oil, vinegar, and a little bit of chili pepper, though the variations on this theme are endless (the addition of beer, for example). What I love about this version (inspired by Special Fork) is that it makes use of the parsley and cilantro that are growing like crazy in our garden, and everything else we are either growing or have in our pantry. In Argentina it is used both as a marinade and a sauce for grilled steak, but you could also use it with fish, chicken, or even pasta.

For this recipe, you will need:

1 bottle (12 oz) Liberty Street Brewing's Steamy Windows
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
2 cups cilantro
1 cup Italian parsley
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup finely shredded carrot (about 2 carrots)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds flank steak

In deep 3-quart saucepan, combine beer and cumin seeds; bring to a boil. Cook until beer is reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 10 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer to medium bowl and set aside.

About how much beer you should have left after reduction.

 

In bowl of food processor, combine cilantro, parsley leaves, garlic, red pepper flakes and sugar. Pulse together until mixture resembles a coarse paste.

Scrape mixture into beer sauce; add oil, vinegar, shredded carrot and salt. Stir well until sauce comes together. Let stand at room temperature one hour to allow flavors to develop. Can be refrigerated up to one week. 

Place steak on a plate and brush both sides, using ¼ cup of the chimichurri sauce. Let marinate at least two hours and up to six hours.

Prepare an outdoor grill with a medium-hot fire, or preheat a stove-top grill pan. Grill steak 7 to 9 minutes per side for medium rare doneness. Remove steak, place on a cutting board and loosely tent with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain, and serve with the additional chimichurri sauce and guacamole.