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Liven up dinner with Latin steak, sides

Chef Lorena Garcia has fun in kitchen with plantains, cilantro

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Video: Tempt your taste buds with churrasco

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    >> good news.

    >> "today's hot chef" is heating things up with latin flavor. we have venezuelan born lorna garcia. lorena, good morning to you.

    >> yes!

    >> it smells fantastic, and what you've done is you've chosen, basically, skirt steak .

    >> that's right. well, it is a very latin dish. we serve it with rice, with beans. it's just amazing. what we want to do is bring love, right?

    >> love.

    >> because this is what happens in the kitchen, the magic of love right here.

    >> okay.

    >> for our friends, for our family. so, this is the skirt steak , okay? and you can see the marbling inside is going to give it flavor, and at the same time, it's a very tender meat.

    >> and you can have the butcher cut it slim if you want for that to happen.

    >> now, what i would like to do, for example, if i cut it in half and then serve it after it's cooked, i roll it and serve it --

    >> and you'll show us that in a moment. so, just salt and pepper . that's all you do with this.

    >> salt and paper. the grill has to be hot, guys. it has to be hot.

    >> really, really hot, right?

    >> really, really hot. once you start seeing the smoke. we don't need any oil, actually. so, what i do is i put it on the grill and then i start seasoning the other side of the meat, right?

    >> okay, how long?

    >> two, three minutes, medium rare .

    >> a nice look -- look at that. okay, that is nice.

    >> that is a nice piece of meat, right?

    >> 13 minutes on both sides.

    >> i like to serve it medium, medium-rare. now, how about chimmy churi that is very sweet. i take equal parts of sugar, slice the red peppers and i chop them very finally, okay? let me put this right here. so, you chop them very finally. remember that you're only going to lift the elbow of the knife, okay?

    >> yes, uh huh .

    >> you know, just cutting technique, okay? we chop it very finally and then we're going to have capers, garlic, a little bit of onions. so, if you want to help me here --

    >> capers, garlic, onion.

    >> garlic, onion --

    >> whoa!

    >> let's go for it parsley, of course. if you don't like parsley, cilantro goes well. i love cilantro.

    >> who doesn't?

    >> you either love it or hate it. i love it.

    >> and this is basically going to be the sauce on top of the steak, is that right?

    >> yes, now, remember i said equal parts of vinegar and sugar?

    >> right.

    >> we're going to take the juice, the vinegar that is a little bit sweet and dump it in there with a little bit of olive oil .

    >> oh, this is going to be so flavorful.

    >> you want to taste it?

    >> i do. this whole bowl?

    >> yes.

    >> come on.

    >> this is how it's going to look, the steaks.

    >> this is what it's going to look like.

    >> i'm so excited!

    >> isn't it?

    >> come on in here, natalie.

    >> i can't hold out any longer. i've been waiting all morning for this, for you.

    >> this is perfect. how do we serve this?

    >> serve with a little bit of black beans . if you have tostonis, please have those, which is a green plant . how about a little rice ? and then what i'm going to do is grab a little bit of this -- let me grab this. a little bit of this chimichurri sauce right on top. just roll it, don't cut it.

    >> stop salivating out there. the entire crew is salivating. also, i notice how you talked about the twirling there. you put that on top? that's beautiful.

    >> remember, i didn't cut it. i just rolled it.

    >> lorena garcia --

    >> you're fantastic! we've got much more coming up test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test test

    Show transcript

TODAY recipes
updated 1/20/2010 11:10:48 AM ET 2010-01-20T16:10:48

Chef and restaurateur Lorena Garcia knows how to serve up delectable Latin dishes with style and ease. Here, the native of Venezuela shares her secrets for making churrasco steak, plantain soup and fried green plantains with cilantro sauce.

Recipe: Churrasco steak with baby arugula salad and semi-sweet chimichurri sauce (on this page) Recipe: Plantain soup (on this page)

Recipe: Tostones with cilantro sauce, or fried green plantains (on this page)


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Recipe: Churrasco steak with baby arugula salad and semi-sweet chimichurri sauce

Ingredients
  • For the semi-sweet chimichurri sauce:
  • 1/4 cup candy peppers
  • 1 tablespoon candy liquid
  • 3 tablespoons capers, chopped
  • 1/2 cup parsley, chopped leaf only, no stems
  • 1 tablespoon shallots, minced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • For the steak and salad:
  • 4 8-ounce churrasco (skirt steak)
  • 1 bunch baby arugula
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 bunch rosemary
  • Salt and pepper (to taste)
Preparation

Make sure you have the following equipment: cutting board; mixing bowl; whisk; knife; grill; stove-top.

For semi-sweet chimichurri sauce:
Dice all ingredients very small, and add olive oil, creating a vinaigrette.

For steak and salad:
Place churrasco seasoned with salt and pepper on the grill, to desired temperature. Add sauce over the steak after the steak is cooked.

In a mixing bowl place all ingredients for the salad, set aside.

Serving

Serve this classic Latin steak with traditional sweet plantains, black beans and white rice.

Serving Size

Serves 4

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Recipe: Plantain soup

Ingredients
  • 3 large ripe plantains, cut into 1.5-inch pieces, baked until golden brown
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 small yellow squash, sliced
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups low-fat milk
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
  • Fresh-ground salt, pepper to taste
Preparation

Make sure you have the following equipment on hand: large stockpot; ladle; baking sheet for the plantains; knife; cutting board; blender.

In the large stock pot, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Sauté for about 2 minutes until slightly softened.

Add the squash and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and let simmer for about 10 minutes until all vegetables are softened.

Turn off and let cool for 10 minutes.

In the blender place 1 cup of the cooked plantain, 1 cup of vegetables, 2 cups of stock and 1 cup of milk. Blend at high speed until smooth. Repeat the process until all ingredients are well combined and pureed. Place in stockpot over medium-high heat. When the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serving

Serve in shallow soup bowls, and garnish with a sprig of cilantro.

Tips

Make sure the plantain you use is ripe. A good option is to use pre-cooked frozen plantains, “platanos maduros.”

Serving Size

Serves 4 to 6

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Recipe: Tostones with cilantro sauce, or fried green plantains

Ingredients
  • For the fried green plantains:
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 whole plantains peeled and cut in 1/2-inch rounds
  • Salt and pepper (to taste)
  • For the cilantro sauce:
  • Juice of 1 fresh lemon
  • 2 cloves of garlic, whole
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • 2 cups light mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • Water, as needed
  • Salt and pepper, as needed
Preparation

Make sure you have the following equipment on hand: cutting board; blender; frying pan; perforated spoon.

To make the fried green plantains:
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Place the plantains in the oil and fry on both sides, approximately 3.5 minutes per side.

Remove the plantains from the pan and flatten them by placing a plate over the fried plantains and pressing down.

Return plantains to the hot oil and fry 1 minute on each side. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

To make the cilantro sauce:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until consistency is smooth.

Serving Size

Serves 4

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