Matambre A Hunger Killer From South America Food

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).

MATAMBRE: A HUNGER-KILLER FROM SOUTH AMERICA

Steps:

• El Palenque may not be the fanciest restaurant in Montevideo, Uruguay, but when it comes to eating beef, there's no place I'd rather be. Located in the Mercado del Puerto (Port Market), a nineteenth century covered market that today serves as Montevideo's barbecue headquarters, El Palenque offers a staunchly carnivorous bill of fare that includes mollejas (grilled sweetbreads), choto (crispy rolled tripe), and an asado de tira (long, thin cross section of the rib roast) that literally buries your plate.But my favorite dish here bears the curious name of matambre. Actually, the name says it all. Hambre is the Spanish word for "hunger." Matar means "to kill." Put them together and you get one of the most distinctive dishes in South America.Matambres are usually described as rolled, stuffed, baked or grilled flank steaks. But travel around South America and you'll find that they can come flat and plain, as well, and made with a variety of meat cuts, not just flank steak. Traditionally served as an appetizer, matambres also come in portions large enough to dwarf the average North American entrée.For me, the matambre reaches its apotheosis at El Palenque. The Montevidean version features a belt-loosening array of sausages, carrots, bell peppers, and cheese rolled in an oregano and sage-scented sheet of flank steak. When sliced widthwise, the matambre forms a handsome spiral of beef studded with a colorful mosaic of vegetables, cheese, and sausage. Knowing about the restaurant's mighty portions, I ordered a half serving of Palenque's hunger-killer. The slice was as thick as a phone book. I'd hate to see a full portion.Argentinian RootsThe first matambres appeared in Argentina as steaks seasoned with salt and herbs and cooked flat over glowing coals. Such was the matambre I received by way of a welcome at the Estancia La Cinacina, a ranch west of Buenos Aires that stages barbecues and equestrian shows for sightseers. Cut into 1-inch squares and served on toothpicks, this sort of matambre makes for a tasty hors d'oeuvre.Matambre embellishments vary from restaurant to restaurant and chef to chef. The Estancia restaurant in Buenos Aires (not to be confused with the aforementioned ranch) rolls its matambre only with a sprinkling of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, and bay leaves.In Brazil, I feasted on a splendid matambre at the Barra Grill in Rio de Janeiro. True to Brazilian tradition, the meat had been marinated in a spicy garlic-and-lime-based marinade, prior to being rolled with bacon and cheese, and roasted on a spit.Because of the innate toughness of the cut of meat used in the dish, matambre requires lengthy cooking to attain the proper tenderness. You might think that lengthy cooking would be difficult, if not impossible, over a live fire. But South American grill jockeys resort to an ingenious method. They swaddle the matambre in aluminum foil and cook it for several hours over a low fire. The foil prevents the outside of the meat from burning, while holding the matambre neatly in shape.Whether you serve them as colorful appetizers or main courses, one thing's for sure: They certainly will kill your hunger!