Steak and Chimichurri Crisps

De Arbol (Capsicum Annuum) means tree like in Spanish. The plant has thick, upright, woody stems and the chile itself is narrow, curved and bright red in color. Believed to be closely related to the pequin, the De Arbol is thin fleshed, with tannic, smoky, grassy flavor and searing heat. This chile has a heat range of 7.5 on the heat scale of 1-10. De Arbol Chiles are comparable to a Cayenne Pepper. Scoville heat units 15,000 to 30,000.

Suggested Use:
De Arbol is a hot chile and a staple in Southwest kitchens. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish. Be adventurous and add them to your next stew or chili along with the other spices. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish.

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Ingredients:

1 cup packed fresh parsley
3/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried, crushed de arbol chiles
2 (1 pound) pieces of flank steak
1 (16 oz.) thin French-bread baguette, cut into 40 slices
additional olive oil

Instructions:

Blend the parsley, 3/4 cup of olive oil, vinegar, oregano, cumin, 1 tsp. of salt, minced garlic and crushed de arbol chile pepper in a processor until smooth. Place the pieces of meat in a large glass baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush the meat with 2 Tbsp. of the chimichurri sauce. Cover the steaks and the remaining sauce separately and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Preheat an oven to 450F. Place the bread slices on a large baking sheet and brush with the olive oil. Bake until just firm, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bread slices to a large platter.

Preheat a broiler. Transfer the meat to a rimmed baking sheet and broil until cooked to the desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it stand for 5 minutes. Cut each steak piece in half along the grain. Cut each half crosswise against the grain into 10 slices. Top each bread slice with 1 piece of meat and spread each with some of the chimichurri sauce. Place the crisps on a serving platter. Spoon the remaining sauce into a small bowl and place in the center of the platter. Serve warm or let stand for up to 2 hours at room temperature.

Yields 40 crisps.

Recipe from Latina Magazine.