One of my favorite places in Philadelphia is Alma de Cuba, an utterly satisfying Latin American influenced restaurant. Their mojitos are strong with fresh mint and sugar cane, and their food will give you no choice but to overeat because every plate is pure comfort. But the highlight of any visit to Alma de Cuba starts as soon as you sit down when they serve you bread hot out of the oven with a side of chimichurri. I dream about these beautiful little warm fluff balls of yucca and manchego. They are absolute perfection and their perfect complement is the tangy, garlicky chimichurri at their side. Thanks to those amazing little puffs of ecstasy (of which I usually eat a dozen), I associate chimichurri with all that is good in life. And so should you. Chimichurri exists to take something already pretty damn scrumptious, like skirt steak, or something ordinary like a flour tortilla, and kick it up a notch.
My recipe for chimichurri is probably nothing like Alma de Cuba’s, and in fact it seems like there is no real consensus on the definitive chimichurri ingredients beyond citrus + oil + herbs + spices. That formula should look pretty familiar because it’s the same logic behind things ranging from humus to salad dressing to veal piccata. I’ve gone the tangy route with my recipe by including raw shallot, because to me the ideal use of a sauce or dip like chimichurri is to temper and expand the flavor of what you’re pairing it with. In Alma de Cuba’s case it is sweet morsels of glorious bread. In my case today, it’s spicy skirt steak, the king of summertime beef.
The recipe below is pretty simple. Though there are quite a few steps, the most important thing to remember is to let your stars grab some rest on the bench for a bit. Chimichurri needs a couple of hours to really marry after being mixed together, and any piece of grilled meat should always rest for at least a few minutes before you cut into it. Preserve those juices people. Anyway, chimichurri can be used not only on bread and steak, but on fish and vegetables as well. In a way it’s the Latin American equivalent of a balsamic vinaigrette, though more complex and infinitely greener. The best part of writing this post is that I still have about a cup of chimichurri sitting in my fridge waiting for me, and that makes me a happy camper.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2 people | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 15 minutes | 2 hours |
|
|
| Chimichurri is a very unique and delicious sauce that can be used to elevate any grilled meat, fish, or vegetable. This recipe uses spicy skirt steak to highlight the zesty herbaceous tang of chimichurri.
|
- 16 ounces skirt steak flank steak is also an option
- 1 bunch Cilantro washed and picked
- 1 cup Italian parlsey washed and picked
- 1 small shallot finely diced
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 whole Lime
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. Cumin
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tbsp. crushed red chili flake
- 1 bunch carrots cleaned and peeled
- 1 whole zucchini sliced into wedges
- Chop your shallot and garlic and drop into your food processor. We're chopping beforehand to guarantee that we get the teeniest tiniest possible bits. Puree.
- Add your olive oil, vinegar, chili flake, cilantro, and parsley and pulse until evenly mixed.
- Squeeze half the juice of your lime and mix again. Taste your chimichurri - is it too citrusy? Not citrusy enough? Add more lime to your taste. Thoroughly mix for a few seconds and then set aside to sit in the fridge. Ideally you will allow the flavors to marry for about 2 hours, though chimichurri should last in your fridge for about a week.
- While your sauce is co-mingling, take your strip of skirt steak and rub it down evenly with cumin and cayenne pepper. The more cayenne you use the spicier the meat will be and the more reliant you'll be on the chimichurri to balance the flavor.
- Sprinkle the salt lightly onto the meat with a few dashes of black pepper. Set the meat aside.
- Trim and skin your carrots. Lightly drizzle in oil and set aside.
- Cut the zucchini into spears and lightly drizzle with oil and sea salt.
- Heat your grill to medium high heat and put on your carrots first as they will take the longest to cook.
- After about 2-3 minutes rotate your carrots for the first time, they should start to show some discoloration and even a little bit of char. Now add your steak to the grill. It should take no more than ~4 minutes for the first side of the skirt steak to cook, but you'll know when it is ready to flip when it starts to contract; where you once had 2 feet of meat, you're now looking at a sizzling 18". If adequately cooked, the fat of the meat will have now begun to render and steak should no longer be sticking to the grill.
- Flip your meat and cook for another 2-3 minutes, while rotating the carrots as often as necessary. Add the zucchini spears to the grill, fleshy side down.
- Remove the meat and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing into it. During that time finish off grilling your vegetables to the level of char you desire. When ready, plate your food and drizzle on as much chimichurri as needed. Enjoy!
