ROAST PICANHA STEAK
WITH AJI VERDE SAUCE
Picanha (sirloin cap or rump cap) is a delicious cut of meat that you may not be as familiar with preparing. This cut is from the rump area and is tender, juicy and holds ample amount of flavor. The fat cap turns buttery, and savory once cooked. This steak goes great with a chimichurri sauce, which we make and sell fresh here at Littleton’s, but we also love it with an Aji Verde Sauce.
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
- Beef Picanha- ~8oz pre-cooked weight per person
- Sweet Potatoes
- Broccoli or Desired Vegetable
For the Sauce
- 1 bunch Cilantro, leaves and small stems
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 large jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed but reserved, large chunks
- Juice of 1 lime (~2T.)
- ½ cup mayo
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 oz (2T.) grated parmesan
- ¼ tsp.salt +more to taste
- Trim the fat cap on the picanha if needed to leave about ½’ or so (you can render this extra fat later if you want to use it for other cooking).
- Score the fat by making several parallel cuts at a ¾” spacing and again make several cuts at a right angle to those cuts so that you make a grid pattern.
- There is a layer of sinew below the fat, if you cut through that a bit it’s great. Just don’t cut into the meat.
- Heat an iron skillet on medium so the fat will render out low and slow.
- Season the steak generously with salt and pepper. Place in pan fat side down and wait patiently while the fat renders out and it gets golden brown, 10 minutes or more.
- The meat may curl a bit so you will need to move it around in the pan with a pair of tongs to get all the fat browned and rendered.
- Turn the steak over and pop it in the oven. Roast until it reaches the internal temp of 125-130 for medium rare.
- Remove the steak from the pan and let it rest on your cutting board for at least 15-20 minutes. This is an important step! It allows the muscle fibers to relax and reabsorb their natural juices. Slice against the grain and serve.
- While the steak is resting, preheat Oven to 375 degrees, dice sweet potatoes & vegetables to desired size
- Coat vegetables in Olive Oil & Seasoning of Choice.
- Roast vegetables for 25-30 minutes.
- Plate and drizzle a healthy serving of Aji Verde sauce over the steak.
For the Sauce
- In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients.
- Blend until the cilantro is in tiny specks and the sauce is beautifully green.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Add some jalapeno seeds and membrane if you want it more spicy, add lime juice if you like more zip.
- This keeps well in the refrigerator for a week.
