Gaucho Steak Sandwiches

I've been very hungry for steak lately, and thought these steak sandwiches would be a fun treat for the hubby and I to try. This is a slightly modified version of a Rachael Ray recipe; I decided not to involve the oven and not to drench the steak in the chimichurri sauce. I also used my own favorite cheese, and I halved the recipe -- although both the hubby and I agree that this would easily still feed four people.

If you've never tried chimichurri, it's an Argentinean condiment that's sort of like a dressing, but that is typically used as a sauce or marinade. The basic components are parsley, garlic, vinegar, oil, and chiles of some sort, although I've seen dozens of versions. Chimichurri is sometimes referred to as "gaucho," which is also the term for a South American cowboy.

Chimichurri is designed to complement beef because, well, Argentineans like their beef. They eat more of it than anyone else in the world. The Pampas, which are low-lying grasslands, are excellent grazing lands for beef cattle.

I included that last part just to prove that I was listening in my eleventh-grade history and geography class. Thank you.

Gaucho Steak Sandwiches
Serves 4

1/2 c. lightly packed flat-leaf parsley
3 garlic cloves
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Juice of 1 lime
2 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. plus 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced and chopped
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4 lb. sirloin or other steak
Steak seasoning
4 sub-style sandwich rolls, split
4 oz. whole-milk mozzarella, shredded

1. In a food processor, pulse the parsley, garlic, and jalapeño a few times, until the mixture is finely chopped. Add the red pepper flakes, lime juice, vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Process until combined.

2. Pour half the sauce in a bowl and add the sliced red onion and tomato wedges. (Save the remaining sauce for passing at the table.)

3. Heat a large, preferably cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season steak with steak seasoning. Add the remaining ½ Tbsp. olive oil to the pan. Cook the steak 5-10 minutes per side, and then let rest for at least 5 minutes. Thinly slice steak across the grain.

4. Heat a nonstick skillet to medium heat. For each sandwich, add one-fourth the steak, and pour some of the tomato and onion mixture over the top. Cook until steak is heated through.

5. Put steak mixture on a split roll, and top with one-fourth of the cheese.

Cheeseburger Soup

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is finally shoveled out from the Christmas blizzard. It was a pretty awesome task. (Almost as awesome as uploading anything to Blogger this weekend. Am I the only person having issues?)

That was my brother's car. And this was my parents' backyard.

I don't think they'll be grilling anytime soon. We got just slightly less snow in Fargo, so when the interstate opened and the hubby and I made it home, we had to hike through the snow drifts in the driveway with the baby and the pups, because the SUV couldn't make it through. The hubby spent more than three hours of quality time with the snowblower -- and we have a small driveway.

The little man and I have both been sick this week, so we've been lying low. We stayed in our jammies and watched movies. And I spent hours teaching him how to stick out his tongue. He starts daycare on Monday. I thought this would be an important skill when he meets the other kids.

I still have a raging cold this weekend, and woke up to this on my friendly neighborhood WeatherBug this morning.

I have three words for you: "Soup." And "grocery delivery."

This is a recipe from Cuisine at Home, made with a few omissions and substitutions because said soup will be made before said grocery delivery. This is a half-day slow cooker recipe, and I'm sure it could be easily adapted for the stovetop -- just simmer until the veggies are tender.

Cheeseburger Soup
Serves 6

4 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. lean ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 c. diced onion
3/4 c. diced celery
1/2 c. diced carrot
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk (I used skim)
3 c. chicken broth
2 c. peeled, diced potatoes
2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used 75% reduced fat, which was much better in the soup than it was by itself)
Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add ground beef, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until meat begins to brown.

2. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and basil. Cook 5 minutes.

P.S. I did not have any celery.

3. Add flour and stir. Cook 1 minute.

4. Stir in milk until mixture is smooth. Bring to a boil, and then cook 2 minutes. The mixture will be thick, kind of like milk gravy.

5. Transfer to a slow cooker. Stir in broth and potatoes.

6. Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in cheese before serving.