What makes an Argentinian steak different from any other? Well for starts, Argentina takes its beef very seriously. They have a lot of cows, export a TON of said cows and have perfected the simple grilled steak recipe. A little rosemary for flavor, some basic red wine reduction to cut the meat’s richness and finito. No elaborate marinade or fridge-consuming wet-aging necessary. Put down that bottle of steak sauce and walk away. The only condiment you could possibly need is a nice bottle of Malbec.
In order to do it justice, however, this cannot be steak out of a plastic-wrapped package. And it doesn’t actually have to come from Argentina. You must saunter up to the counter at a butcher shop and order a fresh piece of bright-red prime beef, hand-sliced by a professional dedicated to the art of providing you with meat that didn’t come from a plastic-wrapped package. The rest is up to the flames.
Wine Pairing: 2011 Gougenheim Malbec
Ingredients:
- 1 16-ounce strip steak
- several long sprigs fresh rosemary, plus more to garnish
- 1/2 bottle red wine
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
For the red wine reduction:
Bring wine to a boil with one sprig of rosemary and the peppercorns in a small pot. Lower heat to a simmer and reduce by half, about an hour. Want to go a little fancier? Check out our formula for the perfect red wine reduction.
For the steak:
Preheat the grill to high. Drop steak on the center of the grill and place remaining rosemary sprigs on top. Close the lid and cook for 3 minutes, then lift the lid, pick the steak up using long tongs and rotate 90 degrees to make hash marks. Cook for another 2-3 minutes then remove rosemary, flip and repeat on the other side, placing the rosemary back on top. Remove steak from grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving with the red wine reduction and fresh rosemary.
Recipe courtesy of Food Republic
