This dish was the first meat meal I cooked that I actually liked. The spritely green sauce really makes the beef sing, and balances out the richness of the meat. From what I understand, chimichurri is traditionally made of only parsley. If you are a cilantro hater, go right ahead. The first chimichurri I ever made (from a recipe in Gourmet magazine that I’ve adapted here), used a parsley/cilantro mix. I liked it so much I’ve never felt the need to go traditional.

Trimmed flank steak (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 large garlic clove

1 1/2 cups each, fresh parsley and cilantro (can be made with all parsley, if desired)

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat the broiler or ready the barbeque grill.

In a small dish, mix the salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Rinse and dry the steak. Rub the spice mixture over the meat on both sides.

Cook the steak, either on the top rack of the oven set to broil or on the barbeque grill over medium hot coals. Five minutes a side should yield medium rare. Allow the meat to rest a few minutes before slicing thinly, against the grain.

Either in a food processor or on a large cutting board, finely chop the garlic. Add the green herbs and continue chopping/pulsing until the mixture forms a loose paste. Add the oil, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes.

Serve the steak with the chimichurri sauce on top.