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Cast Iron Seared London Broil with Roasted Garlic Chimichurri

Steak-frites, meaning "steak and fries" in French, is a very common and popular dish served in brasseries throughout Europe consisting of steak paired with French fries. ... Historically, the rump steak was commonly used for this dish. I will use a London Broil and drizzled it with chimichurri sauce. Argentinean chimichurri is made with chopped fresh parsley, oregano, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and red pepper flakes, but there are many versions of it. You will get mine.




Ingredients


For Chimichurri:

2 ounces cilantro, or 1 small bunch, chopped (57 g)

1 ounce chopped parsley, optional (28 g)

2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped (2 Kaffeelöffel)

1 teaspoon salt and pepper mix (1 Kaffeelöffel)

2 tablespoons roasted garlic puree (2 Esslöffel)

pinch of red chili pepper flakes

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (180 ml)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar (2 Esslöffel)

Juice of 1/2 lime


Directions

Place all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and stir in oil and vinegar. Let flavors blend for an hour at room temperature. Adjust seasoning if needed. Chimichurri is very garlicky and if you don't like the taste of raw garlic, you could substitute 6 roasted garlic cloves, but you will have to smash them with a fork, or make a batch of roasted garlic and puree in a food processor, and use as much or little you like. Leftover garlic can go in the freezer for handy use during the week. Start off with a tablespoon and go from there. Add more if you prefer. Always, and I mean ALWAYS, keep notes if you modify a recipe because you won't remember next time.


Makes 2 cups





For Steak

2 pounds London Broil, or close to it. (1 kilo)

2 teaspoons canola oil


Directions

Heat cast-iron skillet and oil over medium-high heat. Carefully lower preseasoned steak into skillet and brown it off really good before flipping, about 5-7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steak. Finish cooking on the other side, then transfer steak onto a cutting board and let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Not sure how you prefer your steak. You may have to brush up a little online. Degree of doneness. Get yourself a thermometer is my best advice and temp the steak at the center of it. Insert the thermometer THROUGH THE SIDE of the meat to get an accurate temperature reading. The sensing area of thermometers is ½ inch to 2 inches long, so this area must be completely inserted into the thickest, center area of the food. Like this!


Steaks cooked to all temperatures
Degree of Doneness


RARE Cool red center 125F˚ 52C˚



MEDIUM RARE Warm red center 135F˚ 57C˚



MEDIUM Warm pink center 145F˚ 63C˚


MEDIUM Well Slightly pink center 150F˚ 66C˚



WELL DONE Little or no pink center 160F˚ 71C˚





Make fries in Airfryer. If you don't have one, bake in the oven. A baked potato will suffice, roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes. It's your kitchen, you are the king or queen!




The best way to make a steak is grilled over an open flame

or pan sauteed in a cast-iron skillet.

~Roy Yamaguchi





The Basics: "Follow the Recipe!"

Following the recipe is the very first and basic step to a great meal. It can NOT be ignored or skipped and must be completed before you even gather all ingredients. Read it in its entirety and make sure you understand it and feel comfortable executing it from beginning to end.

Perhaps the most compelling reason for cooks to follow recipes is the science of cooking. Cooking is primarily a practical exercise in chemistry. Each ingredient in recipes serves one or more specific purposes, from generating gases to creating glutens to binding other ingredients together.


I have been a professional chef all my life and have always educated myself to further my career whenever possible. Following the recipe is as important for you as it is for me to get to the next level, learn, practice, create and serve amazing food by reading and following it. Cooking is not so difficult if you do your homework on a recipe, learn to understand it and follow it exactly. Yet, even I would occasionally not follow a recipe all the way to the very end saying, "yeah, I know how this ends" and did not finish reading it because I am a pro, of course. In the end, I missed a step and the first thing I did, blame the recipe, stating it was faulty or doesn't work. Almost always, it was me that had been faulty for not reading it all the way through. All of a sudden you get an "Aha" moment. A recipe is nothing but a short story that ends with a good meal...most of the time!


I realize many Moms and cooks have recipes passed down from their Moms and so forth, and written-down recipes don't even exist. It's learned by watching, hands-on experience, and asking questions. I get that, but if you want to branch out and start creating your own library of recipes, you have to follow them exactly. Then practice, practice, and practice some more. Once your family approves of it and asks for more, you have succeeded. Now you can put your own spin on it and experiment with it, add other ingredients or make it spicier, milder, and so on. Now you have a solid recipe in your library and hopefully will be passed down for generations to come. No need to have hundreds of recipes. Five or ten good ones will do the trick. If you are a foodie or cooking enthusiast, you will keep going and no one will be able to stop you.


It is especially important for young adults to have simple, but rock-solid recipes. My kids asked for recipes all the time, especially during their college years so they could cook for themselves as eating out all the time was too expensive and meant less money for beer and wine. So I created recipes for them with my iPhone strapped to my chest and then uploaded them to my "YouTube" channel so they could also learn visually. It worked well and I am proud of my kids that they can cook.


So what's the very first and most important step when cooking? "Follow the recipe!" This step is not optional!

Let me ask you this, what if the guy at Coca-Cola would just wing it every time they produce a batch and you never knew what taste profile you get? Would you buy coca-cola then? No, you wouldn't because you like the way it tastes and you expect to taste the same way every single time. This goes for almost everything from your shampoo to your perfume. It's all recipes they follow. Chemistry at its best and you get to improve it!


The first time you make something, follow the recipe, then figure out how to

tailor it to your own tastes.

~Ruth Reichl



My YouTube Channel: The Clever Gourmet

Visit me on Etsy: PureGeorgia Shop

Your feedback is always welcome at puregeorgia@yahoo.com, or if you have a recipe you would like to share with me and the world, click the “Login/Subscribe” button and become a contributor.






 
 
 

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