Chimichurri Steak Wraps… oh yeah, it’s ALL about man food today! This is the perfect meal for a MAN-ic Monday. It’s quick to make, the ingredients are flexible according to what you have in your fridge, it can be served warm or cold and men love to eat them… does it get any better than that on a dreary, busy Monday? I think not!
I actually have NO story behind this meal today. No history, no funny tales, nuttin’. HUMPH!
The recipe was originally on the official Beef – It’s What’s for Dinner website. I saw it and thought it looked like a nice update to my much used and much outdated Steak Wrap recipe, so I tried it out on Tim and then adjusted the ingredients in the Chimichurri sauce in order to make it fit my kitchen rules AND to add a wee bit more veggies to the meal.
1) Inexpensive meals are best and leave more disposable income for the fun things in life.
2) Keep it simple, comforting and above all – quick and easy so there’s more time for living a Dang Good life and less time in the kitchen cooking and cleaning.
3) No fancy food items that aren’t normally found in a pantry or fridge, because it’s a waste of time to run to the grocery store just to buy a gourmet spice or fancy bit of produce.
So here’s my personalized recipe for Chimichurri Steak Wraps on a budget, in a hurry and definitely designed to make steak-lovers everywhere very happy.
First up, the ingredients:
What’s missing from that pic? The steak! It was on the grill and I forgot to grab a picture of it.
So here’s the thing with the steak. It’s very flexible. I use a Chuck Steak – tougher than shoe leather and very cheap. Try to find a thick one… about 1 – 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut off any silver membrane and any excess fat off the outside edges, but be sure to leave the thin veins of fat, since they are what make the steak juicy and flavorful when you grill it!
To grill the steak, use high heat and grill for 5 minutes per side, then let it rest. If you’re using a cast iron pan to cook it indoors like I did, set the heat to high, let the pan get good and hot, then sear the steak on both sides very quickly – about 1 minutes on each side. Turn the heat to medium-high, then cook on each side for 5 minutes for a 1 1/2 inch thick steak. Remove it from the pan and let it rest. You can cover it with a bit of foil to keep it warm if you need to. Adjust the cooking times for your grill and/or the heat of your stove burner – this is just how long my 1 1/2″ steaks take to get to medium rare on the inside.
While the steak is grilling or pan frying, make the chimichurri sauce. I use garlic powder, 1/2 cup dried parsley, a few springs of fresh cilantro (because I have it growing in my garden), a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 cup of spinach leaves. You can also use frozen spinach, just place it in a strainer and run water over it to thaw it out, then squeeze out the excess liquid and use 1 cup.
Pulse all the green stuff with the garlic powder, salt and pepper just till it’s finely chopped, then add the olive oil and vinegar and whirl it till it’s fairly smooth, but still has some nice bits of green.
Go back to check on your steak, then move on to slicing the bell peppers and onions for the steak wraps. Tim likes the peppers and onions sliced fairly chunky and I like them very thin, so I try to hit a happy medium for this recipe.
If you don’t have bell peppers and red onion, hunt through your fridge for substitutes. Don’t be shy about making this recipe your own!
Ok, so now all the vegetables are sliced and the steak is resting!
All that’s left is to quickly heat the tortilla’s in order to soften them up and intensify their flavor. Grab a griddle or large non-stick skillet. Get that baby hot, hot, hot, then place one tortilla at a time on the hot pan or griddle. Flip it just as soon as it starts to feel warm to the touch. I use my fingertips and press lightly in the center of the tortilla in the pan. When my fingertips can feel the heat coming through, it’s time to flip. The whole process should take about 20 seconds on each side.
Set the warmed tortillas on a large plate as you complete each one. And here’s my personal trick to keep them warm on that plate – use one NON-heated tortilla, fresh from the package, to cover the stack. Just keep lifting it up, place the next hot tortilla onto the stack, then drop the unheated one back on top. You get one bonus, self-warmed, tortilla when you’re done – woot!
Got all of your tortillas nice and toasty warm? Yay! Time to slice the steak. I like to cut it on an angle and I slice it very thin so that it’s tender and easy to chew. Slice the entire steak, then assemble the Chimichurri Steak Wraps.
Grab one warmed tortilla from the stack. Smear about 2 tablespoons of the chimichurri sauce onto the tortilla, then spread it to within an inch of the edge of the tortilla.
Now layer on your salad greens, then the pepper strips, then the onions and finally, top it all with a generous portion of steak. Be sure to leave the bottom third of the tortilla bare! This is the section that you’ll be folding over to form the pocket of the wrap – which is what makes the wrap all hold together while you eat it. You also want to leave about 2 inches on each side bare for the same reason.
Once you’ve layered on your ingredients, fold the bottom third up over the meat and vegetables. Then fold over the left side to just past the middle of the tortilla. Do the same with the right side, overlapping the middle. Use a toothpick to hold the wrap closed while you assemble the rest.
Keep making and stacking them. Stacking them on one plate will help hold in the heat and also will help seal the edges of the tortilla. When you’re done with all the tortillas, remove the toothpicks and serve!
You can see my one remaining toothpick in the top steak wrap. That guy just refused to stay closed! Hmmm, and there were only TWO wraps left on the plate! Someone, who shall remain nameless, was busy filling up his dinner plate while I was taking pictures. Naughty. naughty… Tim!
- 1 pound Chuck Steak - or other steak
- 3 cups fresh Salad Greens
- 1 large Red Bell Pepper
- 1 large Orange or Yellow Bell Pepper
- ½ Red or Vidalia Onion
- 6 10-inch tortillas, 8 - 10-inch diameter
- Chimichurri Sauce:
- ½ cup fresh or dried Parsley Leaves
- 1 Cup fresh or frozen Spinach - thaw and drain frozen spinach before using
- 3 sprigs fresh Cilantro
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Cider, Red Wine or Balsamic Vinegar
- Grill steak until medium rare. Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Place parsley, spinach and cilantro in food processor or blender container. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cover and pulse until the spinach is finely chopped. Add the olive oil and vinegar. Process just till blended. It should still have a few recognizable bits in it!
- Clean and slice bell peppers into thin strips.
- Slice onion into thin strips.
- Warm tortillas by wrapping in foil, then placing in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
- You can also use an un-greased griddle to warm tortillas. Heat the griddle over high heat, then place tortillas onto the griddle, one at a time, flipping after 20 seconds. Set warmed tortillas on a plate and cover loosely with foil, or with one unheated tortilla in order to keep them warm as you finish each one.
- After steak has rested for 10 minutes, slice thinly on the bias.
- Spread each tortilla evenly with Chimichurri Sauce, leaving a 1 inch border around edge.
- Top with salad greens, bell pepper slices, onion slices and beef slices, taking care to leave the bottom third of the tortilla empty and also 2 inches on both the right and left side of the tortilla.
- Fold the bottom third of the tortilla up over the fillings.
- Now fold the left side of the tortilla across the the middle of the tortilla, then do the same for the right side, making sure that the edges overlap. Use a toothpick to hold the wrap closed while you assemble the remaining tortillas.
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