Grilled Steak with Peppers and Chimichurri Sauce
It's been a Divide-and-Conquer Week. Me waiting at the door for Yancey to come home so I can leave for my meeting, both of us with various evening commitments, handing the kids off like batons. So we eschewed all chores yesterday and had a family day.
We went to Mercer Island Thrift Store, which is a secret I shouldn't be sharing. If you are a woman who wears shoe size 8, look no further for designer boots, cast off after one season by fashion-conscious soccer moms. Love that place. We found a great $5 bike for Loretta, went on a bike ride around Mercer Slough, stopped at Overlake Blueberry Farm, and saw a coyote meandering through the blueberry bushes. If I was a coyote, I'd be hanging out there, too.
Halfway through the bike ride, our thoughts (okay--my thoughts) turned to dinner. It was agreed that we'd have grilled steak and corn, some green beans from the garden. Occasionally I buy a couple steaks from Bob's, and there is nothing easier or more delicious. I'm always hankering to spice things up, though, and often do it with a little sauce like this. I had some beautiful peppers that we grilled up, too--I'm not sure what kind they are--anybody know? They're fairly spicy, not as mild as ahaheims.
Spear a bite of steak with grilled pepper, drag it through vibrant green sauce, reminisce about the day. All of us in one place. Ah.
Grilled Steak with Peppers and Chimichurri Sauce
Serves 4. Chimichurri is a classic Argentinean sauce to accompany grilled meats, and I've been seeing it everywhere these days. This version is based on what was in my fridge, but it often includes yellow onions, other herbs, and citrus juice instead of/in addition to vinegar. Usually there's crushed red peppers or fresh chile in it, too, but I've left that out here because things were spicy enough. Any leftover sauce is delicious drizzled on potatoes on burritos. If it thickens up in the fridge, just thin it with a bit of water.
2 1 lb. tri-tip steaks
coarse salt
fresh ground pepper
1 lb. fresh peppers (mild or spicy)
For sauce:
1 bunch washed and dried cilantro
1/2 bunch washed and dried Italian parsley
1 large garlic clove
big pinch of coarse salt
3 green onions, coarsely chopped
2 Tb. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and pepper and let sit while you make the sauce.
To make sauce, pulse cilantro, parsley, garlic, green onions, and salt in a food processor until a paste forms. Add vinegar and olive oil and pulse until a sauce forms. Add more salt to taste if you want.
Heat grill to high. Brush peppers with olive oil, and grill until blackened all over, turning a few times, about 7 minutes. Put peppers in a paper bag, close the top, and let them steam for 10 minutes to loosen the peels. Peel, seed, and coarsely chop them. (I wear disposable plastic gloves for this task if I'm working with spicy peppers. Learned my lesson the hard way.)
Now grill your steak to your liking. When it's done, tent it with foil and let it rest for 7-10 minutes, then thinly slice it. Serve with grilled peppers and chimichurri sauce.
cilantro, peppers, steak in Meat and Poultry
Reader Comments (12)
love that you found some great finds at Mercer Island Thrift Store. I'll be needing to make this as we have a whole bunch of steak in our deep freezer (bought a half a cow).
Could I do this with porkchops?
(told Naomi that you talked about Mercer Island Thrift Store. I know their MITS labels from around the house. you know.)
SARAH! How am I supposed to get ALL the good stuff from MITS for myself if you tell everyone about it? Oh well, I guess I can't have everything. Where would I put it?
As far as labels go, I have a weird habit of not always taking the price tags off of the things I get from thrift stores. It's not a badge of honor or anything, it just happens sometimes.
You could totally do this with porkchops.
OK, Sarah, you've let out MOST of my secrets! Do you know that Gary and I live uphill (west) from the Mercer Slough, and Esther and I walked every morning there for 30 years? AND, Bill Pace's Produce Store at the Blueberry Farm is one of the best, local and fresh, if you can't get to McPherson's, or if you send Gary on his electric cart! The sweet corn there is to die for---picked in Wapato or Toppenish or Harrah or White Swan in the a.m., and here by noon. The MITS supports the Mercer Island Boys and Girls Club, which actually is a worthy thing to support, so it's OK if you let out its secret.
this looks amazing!
i'm already scheming about what i'm going to bring to my next book club...perhaps a galette?
looks delicious. thanks for the reminder of chimichurri sauce. also, i have been daydreaming about thrift shops today and how much i look forward to visiting one every now and then...now that i may actually find some time to myself. :)
OOOhhhh chimmichuri sauce is sooo good with a perfectly cooked steak.
I can never grill beef right. Maybe it's the beef — not good quality? Any tips for grilling this steak? Looks so good!!
Hi sister. Yes, good quality meat helps. And the cut. If you try to grill a cut of meat that's too tough, it will be chewy. I ask the butcher what's best. I'm always surprised at how affordable Bob's is. Usually about the same price as the grocery, definitely less than PCC or Whole Foods.
These steaks were about 1.5" thick. In a lightly oiled castiron pan or on a grill, I cook them about 5-6 minutes/side and rub them with salt and pepper. That's it. No extra oil, no marinade. Then let them rest.
Perfect, sister! Very helpful. Thanks.
We've a swank super-cheap thrift store near us, too. Zoe, poor girl, hasn't had a new thing, ever, but she gets to dress like a queen anyway, on $2/day. Pretty swell.
I've never eaten chimichurri, much less made it. Obviously, an oversight.