Argentine Style Steak Grillin'

Start with good-quality beef and a hot fire in the backyard barbecue, and it's easy to cook delicious grilled steaks, especially with an easy salsa recipe from Argentina.

Chimichurri: That's what they call the all-purpose salsa of Argentina. But unlike the salsas of Mexican cooking, largely based on chili peppers or tomatoes, Argentine salsa is a pungent combination of raw garlic, oregano, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, and parsley, along with just a touch of dried red chilies to give it a suspicion of heat.

Quick and easy to prepare, and served at the table as a condiment, the chimichurri recipe that follows makes any hot-off-the-grill food explode with aromatic flavor. The steak recipe it accompanies gains even more flavor, however, by brushing the meat with the salsa before it goes on the grill.

Argentine Steaks with Quick Chimichurri
Serves 4
Ingredients:

4 good-quality beef steaks, each about 1 1/2 inches thick and 6 ounces in weight
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good-quality red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup minced onion (about 1/2 small onion)
1/3 cup packed finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:
Preheat a grill, grill pan, or broiler.
Trim excess fat from the steaks and set them aside at room temperature.
Meanwhile, make the chimichurri sauce. Press the garlic cloves through a garlic press into a mixing bowl. Add the red pepper flakes, oregano, and about 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and black pepper. Pressing down with the back of a soup spoon, mash together the garlic and seasonings. With a fork or small whisk, stir in the vinegar and lemon juice. Stirring briskly, drizzle in the olive oil. Stir in the onion and parsley. Set aside.
When the grill, grill pan, or broiler is hot, spoon a little chimichurri over both sides of the steaks, taking care not to contaminate the sauce with any utensil that has touched the meat. Rub the chimichurri into the meat and season the steaks generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
Grill or broil the steaks until done, 8 to 10 minutes per side for medium rare.
Serve the steaks immediately, passing the chimichurri sauce for guests to spoon onto their plates as a condiment.

Tips and Variations:
Substitute lamb, pork, chicken, or seafood for the steak.
Brush a little chimichurri on slices of rustic bread and grill them lightly as a side dish, or use the chimichurri as a dip for hot bread at the table.
Substitute fresh basil for some of the parsley.
To serve more people, make larger quantities of chimichurri with a food processor, first mincing the garlic with the stainless-steel blade and then choping the parsley and onion before pulsing in the other ingredients.
One word of caution: Chimichurri sauce can be addictive, and may well become a backyard barbecue staple!

(Source: barbecue-picnic-foods.suite101.com)