Matambre

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The dish that "kills hunger". An Argentine classic. We tried it Thursday night. Delicious. Filling. Amazing and unusual combination of ingredients. Germans call a similar dish rouladen. A rolled roast or steak. I've done a bit of Americanization/Hosch improvisation to improve the recipe. I would recommend this recipe for a family get-together, when you have a few hours to prepare.

Traditionally made with pounded flank steak, which is from the side/belly (flank) of the cow. (Incidentally, flank steak is the best meat for fajitas: seasoned with salt, cr. bl. pepper, chipotle powder/cayenne pepper, and cumin; grilled to medium over charcoal and mesquite chips/chunks; sliced against the grain into thin strips; that is "fajitas".) Unfortunately, the growing popularity of flank steak in the U.S. has driven up prices (economics 101: Obama should pay attention to grocery prices instead of reading Karl Marx and FDR), and I had this venison backstrap in the freezer (tenderloin is also perfect for this; you could even use a pork loin or tenderloin). If you're into organic, it doesn't get any better than wild-killed venison. Sustainably managed by the state, fed by God from wild grains, nuts, berries, and bugs, and hunted and killed in a humane way by private citizens.

Opening a tenderloin is a trick. Takes practice. That is the only way. If you've ever eaten a flattened, breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, you've probably eaten an opened tenderloin. Start with a 1/4 cut to the side, but not all the way through, lay that out. Then a 1/4 cut to the bottom, lay open. Then 2 more cuts, and the tenderloin is opened like a book with 3 binders. Place it between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound the heck out of it until it is of even thickness. Brush it with apple cider vinegar and let it marinate for 4-6 hours.

1 flank steak or opened tenderloin, pounded

1 lg. carrot, quartered, cut into 3-4" sticks

1/2 med. onion, sliced thick

3 eggs, fried well done/over hard in butter/salt/pepper

1 c. leftover cooked spinach

1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled

salt, cr. bl. pepper, hot paprika/chipotle powder/cayenne pepper, dried

thyme

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1 c. beef broth (chicken broth o.k.)

About 3 tbsp. butter

About 3 feet kitchen twine

Preheat oven to 400. Saute carrot sticks in 1/2 tbsp. butter over med. until tender and slightly browned. Unroll marinated steak/loin, sprinkle salt and pepper, paprika. Spoon on spinach, then feta cheese. Lay out carrots, in 3-4 rows along the steak. Cut hard fried eggs into large pieces and lay out evenly over carrots, covering the whole steak. Add sliced onion. Top it all off with a little salt, pepper, and paprika. Starting with the edge closest to you, carefully roll up the matambre and tie it with the twine at 2" intervals. Cover all sides with salt, pepper, paprika, and dust generously with twine. If it looks like a mess and it's starting to fall apart, don't worry, my first experience with a rouladen was the same. If you can make it to the pan with it, it will turn out o.k.

Now, brown 2 tbsp. butter on med. in a dutch oven with an oven-proof lid (you can make this in a deep skillet with a lid or foil, or transfer it to a glass oven dish and cover with foil). When the butter begins to brown, add matambre and brown on all sides (about 1" per side). Pour in broth with any leftover vinegar, cover, and roast in the oven for 30". Uncover and reduce heat to 375, roast for 20-25" until matambre is darkened nicely on top. Let it rest on a cutting board for 15" before slicing. If you can't get it out of the pan without it falling apart, just let it rest and slice it in the pan. Serve with pan gravy spooned over the top.

Serves 6