Argentine Matambre
Stuffed Beef Flank Steak
Company coming? Argentina's matambre is a "showy" and exotic dish that is surprisingly simple but doesn't look it. Your guests will rave when you cut it open to reveal the goodies inside, and the memory of its delicious taste with chimichurri sauce will linger long afterwards. Matar in Spanish means "to kill" and hambre means "hunger," thus, the "hunger killer." In the land of the gaucho, they really know how to fix beef.
There is only one tricky part - and two tips to make even that first step a breeze. Slightly freeze the flank steak before attempting to cut it, and use your very best, sharpest, butcher knife. Place the flank steak on your cutting board with the grain running like a grass hula skirt (up and down, not sideways). This is because when you slice it crosswise later, you will sever connective tissue and the dish will be that much more tender.
Assemble the following items:
Sponsored Links| Amt | Units | Ingredient |
| 1.5 | pounds | flank steak |
| 1 | teaspoon | cumin |
| 4 | whole cloves | garlic |
| 1 | bunch | parsley |
| 4 | whole | carrots |
| 3 | hard-cooked | eggs (optional) |
| 6 | green onions | |
| 4 | stalks | celery |
| 2 | handfuls | spinach (optional) |
| 3 | tablespoons | olive oil |
Be patient and go slowly for this next bit. Start at one end and cut halfway through the thickness of the steak and stop about an inch from the end. Open that like a spiral notebook - that is, lay it out flat. If you are not rushed, let the beef come to room temperature to encourage tenderness. Preheat the oven to 375°F or, if a convection, to 350°F.
Now, the easy part. Trim celery ends and cut it lengthwise, scrape the carrots and cut those lengthwise, too. Trim the green onions but leave them whole. Using a wok, put your bamboo steamer over about an inch of broth (chicken or beef - it doesn't matter) and steam the vegetables until slightly crunchy (they're going to cook a bit inside the meat later). Let the vegetables cool and in the meantime, rub one side of the flank steak with cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper. Chop the parsley and cilantro coarsely.
Keeping about an inch from all four sides of the flank steak for the sake of tidiness, lay the vegetables out neatly up and down like pencils. Some people will also put wedges of hard-cooked eggs at this point, but I did not because, quite frankly, I forgot them in the fridge. Sprinkle the parsley/cilantro mixture over all that. Beginning at one end, roll the flank steak up into a snug jelly roll shape. Tie with kitchen string about every three inches (best if done with a helper). Rub the outside with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy Dutch oven on high, then add enough olive oil to barely cover the bottom and sear the matambre on all sides to a dark, golden brown. Remove from heat.
Finish the matambre by roasting 75 minutes or (better) to an internal temperature of 140°F. The meat should feel tender to the touch. Remove from the oven and let the beef roll "rest" about half an hour. You can serve this dish hot or cold - I prefer the hot. Slice as you would a jelly roll into about the size of a thick hamburger. Serve with chimichurri sauce and crusty artisan bread.
Chimichurri Sauce:
| Amt | Units | Prep | Ingredient |
| 1 | bunch | fresh | parsley |
| 0.5 | cup | virgin | olive oil |
| 2 | whole | fresh | lemons |
| 4 | cloves | peeled | garlic |
| 1 | pinch | red pepper flakes |
This sauce is a cinch. To your food processor, add a bunch of parsley leaves with tougher stems removed, pour in half a cup of olive oil, the juice of two lemons, about 4 cloves of peeled garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Salt and pepper to taste. Pulse about 5 times. The chimichurri is best at room temp and nothing in the recipe will suffer from sitting out a few hours. If you really like cilantro, you could substitute that for the parsley.
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