Brazilian Churrasco with Three Sauces - Chef Recipe by Jennifer Joyce

Ingredients

For the Meat:

1kg beef skirt (onglet), flank or bavette steak
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Juice of 2 limes
1 1/2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 small onion, grated
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp Aleppo pepper* or chilli flakes
1 1/2 Tbs olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

*Aleppo Pepper

Also known as pul biber, this ground spice is made of dried Turkish chillies that pack a fruity, smoky taste but aren't too spicy. The seeds are removed before grinding, so the pepper won't overpower your cooking with too much heat. Once you've tried it, it will become your go-to chilli powder. Substitute crushed red chilli flakes if you don't have any Aleppo pepper.

Three sauces (makes 250mL of each):

For the Creamy Aji Verde Sauce:

3/4 cup coriander, leaves and stems
1 thumb-size green chilli, stem and seeds removed
2 spring onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbs mayonnaise
2 Tbs sour cream

For the Chimichurri Sauce:

1 cup coriander leaves
1 cup flat leaf (Italian) parsley leaves
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
1 small pickling onion, or large French shallot, finely chopped
1 thumb-size green chilli, halved, seeded, finely chopped
80mL (1/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs white wine vinegar

For the Smoky Tomato Capsicum Salsa:

1 small red onion, chopped
1 small handful of coriander, stems and leaves
125g cherry tomatoes
1/2 red capsicum
2 tsp tomato paste (concentrated purée)
50mL extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Pinch of sugar

Method

For the Meat Preparation:

Cut the steak into 4–6 even portions and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides, then put the steak in a shallow non-metallic dish.

Put the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Pour the marinade over the steaks, turn to coat, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to bring the meat back to room temperature.

Pre-heat a barbeque, or char-grill pan until very hot. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry on paper towel, then drizzle with a little extra oil and season with extra salt and pepper.

Thread two long metal skewers through two of the steaks and repeat with the others.

Grill for 3–4 minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking. Rest in a warm place for 10 minutes, then slice and serve with the sauces.

Creamy Aji Verde Sauce:

Process all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth, then pour into a serving bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Chimichurri sauce:

Chop the herbs and put them in a bowl with the garlic, onion and chilli and combine well. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar, then season to taste with salt.

Smoky Tomato Capsicum Salsa:

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Alternatively, you can chop all the vegetables and herbs by hand. Pour into a bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Credits: Recipes and Images from My Street Food Kitchen, by Jennifer Joyce, published by Murdoch Books.

Photo Credits: Recipes and Images from My Street Food Kitchen, by Jennifer Joyce, published by Murdoch Books.