(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento) As we head into the season’s cold weather, you can never beat a grilled dinner served with a fresh, crisp salad and of course, a magnificent and enveloping wine.
The centerpiece of today’s recipe is the impressive picanha steak.
Picanha, a beef cut that is widely known and loved in Brazil, particularly in churrascarias (steakhouses), comes from the rump cap muscle of the cow, a type of top sirloin cap with the far left on.
That thick fat on the picanha is critical in giving this steak cut it’s unique savory flavor and texture. This steak is truly meant to be grilled, preferably low and slow.
No time to waste…
Let‘s get cooking!
Your menu by Carlos…
(Video: Ricardo Rodezno)
Menu: Grilled picanha steak, Argentinian chorizo, hot peppers, white rice and Apple-Manchego salad with lemon-oregano vinaigrette.
Wine pairings:
2018 Mullan Road Cellars - Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
(Columbia Valley, Washington)
Serves 4
Ingredients Steak:
3 lbs of Picanha cut beef steak, fat trimmed but leaving some about 1/4 inch of fat left, cutting top of picanha fat in a criss-cross pattern.
Sea salt, cracked pepper, olive oil
Chorizo:
12 small (or 8 regular size) Argentinean style chorizo (sausage)
Rice:
1 cup of long grain white rice.
Salad:
3 Gala Apples (peeled, cored, thinly sliced in julienne strips.
3/4 cup of Manchego cheese, thinly sliced in julienne strips.
1/2 cup of baby carrots, thinly sliced diagonally.
1/2 cup of fresh tomatoes, seeded, cored, thinly sliced diagonally.
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1/4 cup of extra Virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons of oregano flakes
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and cracked pepper
Garnish: fresh hot peppers (to be grilled).
Directions
Steak:
Season all of the Picanha steak generously with sea salt, pepper and olive oil.
Grill on low-medium heat until internal temperature reaches at least 135 degrees F. Remove from heat and let it stand on a wood carving board (loosely tented with aluminum foil) for approximately 10 minutes.
Remove foil and carve to serve.
Chorizo:
Grill chorizo (sausage) until done.
Hot peppers:
Grill hot peppers until slightly charred, remove from heat and place next to cooked Picanha as garnish.
Rice:
Cook long grain style white rice according to instructions.
Salad:
In a medium sized bowl, gently mix sliced tomatoes, carrots and apples. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and lemon zest and mix again.
In a separate bowl, whisk and mix lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.
Right before serving, add manchego cheese to the salad bowl, gently toss. Add dressing and toss again.
Serve it up!
A sizable steak such as picanha looks amazingly appetizing when carved and served on a wooden board, garnished with chorizo and hot peppers.
For the rest of the dishes, I highly recommend family style on large platters.
Bon appetit! Enjoy!
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
About the wine…
Mullan Road Cellars was founded in 2012 by Dennis Cakebread of the renowned Cakebread Cellars winery in Napa Valley.
A 40-year veteran of the wine trade, Dennis embarked on a mission to make a world-class Washington State wine embodying the rich history and terroir of the Northwest.
Mullan Road Cellars is named for Lieutenant John Mullan, a 19th-century pioneer who built the first wagon road into eastern Washington.
Its winemaker is Aryn Morrell, a Washington native who spent years making wine in Napa Valley with prestigious wineries such as Silver Oak Cellars, Joseph Phelps, Quintessa and Chappellet before returning to Washington in 2007.
The grapes for Mullan Road Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon come from several outstanding, low-yielding vineyards in the Columbia Valley, including the famed Seven Hills Vineyard, as well as Stillwater Creek Vineyard and the Corfu Crossing Vineyard outside Royal City, in the newly designated Royal Slope appellation.
2018 Mullan Road Cellars - Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
(Columbia Valley, Washington)
(Photo: Carlos Sarmiento)
Tasting notes: This complex Cabernet Sauvignon wine reveals sultry aromas of muddled red fruits, raspberry, and dried strawberry with hints of light baking spices.
Swirling brings up notes of crème brûlée with black tea, mocha, and cocoa powder.
The palate is round and polished, with black currants and plum puree accented by vanilla bean and balanced by fine tannins.
Hints of dark chocolate and pressed berries linger on the finish.
Grapes:
82% Cabernet Sauvignon
11% Cabernet Franc
7% Merlot
Alcohol
14.5%
Barrel Aging: 20 months in French and American oak barrels, 38% of which were new.
Food pairing: Great with bold, grilled steaks, mild to strong cheeses and roasted veggies. Even a nice, rich piece of chocolate cake.
Accolades:
92 Points - Daily Pick (9/16/21)
Wine Spectator
93 Points
Jeb Dunnuck
For more information, visit:
&
Special thanks to my friends at Kobrand Wine and Spirits for this wonderful wine pairing collaboration.
For finding and purchasing this wine, check out Kobrand Wine & Spirits’ retail locator from Wine365.com
Just click on the link and enter your zip code and local stores and restaurants that feature these wines will show up!
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Decorative wine bottle collar drip ring by: https://dripstosips.com
(Special discount promo code: CFW15)
Yours truly enjoying a warm after-dinner fire.
(Photo: Ricardo Rodezno)