Rolled Flank Steak (Matambre)
Butterflied flank steak, seasoned and stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, red pepper, carrot and olives. Rolled, tied and slow cooked in broth. Served cold in slices, great as a starter or cold cut.
- 1 flank steak, pork or beef (~1.5 kg / 3.3 lb)
- 3 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 red bell pepper, in strips
- 2 carrots, cut into batons
- 1 handful of green olives
- Chopped garlic and parsley
- Salt, pepper, oregano, crushed red pepper, paprika Broth for cooking
- Water, coarse salt, bay leaf, whole peppercorns, carrot, onion
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1
Season
Lay the flank steak out flat, wide open, on the counter. On the inside: salt, pepper, chopped garlic, parsley, oregano, crushed red pepper and paprika. Massage it in well so it penetrates.
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2
Fill it
Spread over the whole surface: carrot batons, strips of red pepper, halved olives. Line up the whole hard-boiled eggs down the center, so every slice ends up with egg in it.
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3
Roll and tie
Roll the flank steak up tightly starting from one end. Tie it with kitchen twine every 2 to 3 cm (about an inch). It needs to be firm so it doesn't come open while cooking.
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4
Cook in broth
In a large pot: water with coarse salt, bay leaf, whole peppercorns, carrot and onion. Once it boils, submerge the rolled flank steak. Gentle heat, covered, 2.5 to 3 hours.
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5
Press and chill (key step)
Take the flank steak out and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Put a board on top with something heavy, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
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6
Serve
Remove the twine and cut into 1 to 1.5 cm (about half-inch) slices with a very sharp knife. Serve cold as a cold cut, with homemade bread or as a starter.
- The whole eggs lined up down the center are what give each slice its perfect spiral.
- The longer it's pressed, the better it holds together when sliced.
- The leftover broth is delicious: use it for soups or stews.
- Freezes perfectly in slices for up to 2 months.
- Not pressing it after cooking: it falls apart when sliced
- Cutting it while still warm: it needs to be very cold for clean, neat slices
- Not tying it tightly enough: it comes open during cooking