Chile Steak

This zesty dish originally comes from Chile, but variations are found in other South American countries. The flank steak gets a burst of flavour from the marinade and Chilean pebre sauce (the recipe follows). Use hangar steak or bavette instead of flank if you prefer. Serve with rice.

Ingredients

• 11/2 pounds (750 grams) flank steak
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon Asian hot sauce
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Place steak in a baking dish or plastic bag. Combine basil, mint, garlic, lime juice, hot sauce, orange juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil and pour over steak. Let marinate for 1 hour on the counter or 4 hours refrigerated. Drain the marinade and pat steak dry.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Season steak with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over high heat. Add remaining olive oil and fry steak for 1 minute on each side. Place skillet in oven and roast for about 6 minutes (or depending on thickness of steak) until medium rare.

Place steak on a carving board and let sit for 5 minutes. Slice into ½-inch-thick pieces. Serves 4.

Note: If your skillet is too small for the steak, cut the steak in half and sear it in 2 pieces. Place both pieces on a cookie sheet and roast the same way. It may take a minute longer to cook, as the cookie sheet will be cold when it goes in the oven.