Argentinian Braised Beef with Coriander Chimichurri

Ingredients

• 1kg Chuck Steak ***
• ¼ cup Plain Flour
• 1 small bunch of Thyme
• 1 large Brown Onion
• 1 long Red Chilli
• 3 large Cloves of Garlic
• 500ml Queen Adelaide Cabernet Sauvignon
• 500ml good quality Beef Stock
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Mashed Potato to serve

Coriander Chimichurri

• 1 small bunch of Coriander
• 1 small bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley
• ¼ small Red Onion
• ½ clove of Garlic
• 2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Method

• Preheat your fan forced oven to 160°c.
• Place the flour into a large bowl and season really well with salt and pepper. Dunk the chuck steak into the flour and evenly cover all sides. Shake off any excess flour.
  Using butchers twine, carefully tie the bunch of thyme into a small bouquet – This will facilitate easy removal later.
• Heat 3 tbs of Olive oil in a large sauté or fry pan. Sear the flour covered steak over a medium/high heat until well browned on both sides. Place the browned steak into a medium sized casserole with the thyme bouquet and set aside.
• Finely chop the onion and garlic. Cut the red chilli into small slices. Heat another 2 tbs of oil in the same sauté or fry pan and add the onion, garlic and chilli. Cook stirring over a medium/high heat until starting to soften and colour and then add the Queen Adelaide Cabernet Sauvignon. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
• Once the wine has simmered for 5 minutes, add the beef stock and bring back to the boil. Season well and then carefully pour the liquid over the browned meat in your casserole dish, cover well with aluminium foil and place into your preheated oven.
  Cook for 4 hours, checking after 2 hours and topping up with a little extra beef stock if necessary.
  Once cooked, remove the thyme bouquet and gently separate the beef into large pieces with a fork, stirring gently though the sauce.
• Meanwhile to make the chimichurri – Finely chop the herbs, onion and garlic. Place into a small bowl and mix together with the red wine vinegar and oil. Season well to taste.

Serve the Argentinian Braised Beef with mashed potatoes and Coriander Chimichurri.

*** Tip: I buy my chuck steak from my butcher in large pieces (about 500gms each). I like to cook them whole and gently separate with a fork once cooked.
You could also try this recipe with beef cheeks, brisket or ribs. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly as these cuts will take longer than chuck steak to break down and become tender.