BRAZILIAN CHURRASCO WITH THREE SAUCES PREPARATION: 15 MINUTES, PLUS OVERNIGHT MARINATING • COOKING: 10 MINUTES • SERVES: 4–6

All South American countries have their particular method of ‘churrasco’, which is the Spanish word for grill. In the cuts of are skewered and slowly roasted on a rotisserie over charcoal. As the sides cook, the meat is thinly sliced off, like a . Since most of us have pretty basic , I’ve devised a marinade that pimps up any cut of meat no matter what grill you use. Try it with one or all three of the sauces.

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) skirt (onglet), flank or bavette 3 garlic cloves, crushed juice of 2 limes 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar 1½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 small onion, grated 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 3 teaspoons Aleppo pepper or chilli flakes 1½ tablespoons 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.

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 , turn to coat, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to bring the meat back to room temperature. Preheat a or chargrill 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 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 (recipes on the following page).

GET AHEAD Marinate the meat up to 24 hours ahead. The sauces are best made earlier in the day, covered and refrigerated; however, the herbs in the Sauce (see page 52) will stay brighter if it is made 1–2 hours before serving.

BRAZILIAN CHURRASCO WITH THREE SAUCES (CONTINUED)

1

CREAMY AJI VERDE SAUCE

PREPARATION: 10 MINUTES • MAKES: 250 ML (9 FL OZ/1 CUP)

This creamy sauce gets its triple tang from the lime.

¾ cup coriander (cilantro), leaves and stems 1 thumb-size green chilli, stem and seeds removed 2 spring onions (scallions), chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped juice of 1 lime 2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons sour cream

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.

2 CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

PREPARATION: 10 MINUTES • MAKES: 250 ML (9 FL OZ/1 CUP) Feel free to use your favourite vinegar in this. The important thing is that it’s good quality and not too acidic. For white, I like sauvignon blanc or rice wine vinegar. Sherry vinegar is good too, but use a little less as it is strong. If using red vinegar, go for a sweet cabernet sauvignon.

1 cup coriander (cilantro) 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 80 ml (2½ fl oz/⅓ cup) extra virgin olive oil 1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar

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.

3 SMOKY TOMATO CAPSICUM SALSA

PREPARATION: 10 MINUTES • MAKES: 250 ML (9 FL OZ/1 CUP) The smoked paprika kicks up this Chilean salsa of chopped tomatoes, capsicum and onion.

1 small red onion, chopped 1 small handful of coriander (cilantro) stems and leaves 125 g (4½ oz) cherry tomatoes (grape or pomodorino, if available) ½ red capsicum (pepper) 2 teaspoons tomato paste (concentrated purée) 50 ml (1¾ fl oz) extra virgin olive oil 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika pinch of sugar

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.