The famous argentinian Matambre (or Matahambre)

The matambre is a typical meat dish you will find in Southern South America, and it is very present in Argentina: the matambre consists of a flattened flank steak rolled up around some kind of stuffing, with many different variations possible, and it can be boiled or roasted. Naturally the steak has the particularity of having been flattened and thus has become wider. The Matambre is very often served as cold slices, but also hot as main course. The name Matambre, derives from the combination of the two spanish words: “Mata” or kills and “Hambre” which means hunger… so essentially this hearty dish is a hunger killer!

The general procedure goes like this: basically we stretch the piece of meat, trim the excess fat, place with the fatty side of the meat facing down and the red side facing up. We then season with salt, pepper, oregano, garlic and parsley, line with sliced carrot juliennes, bell pepper strips and either chopped hard boiled egg or just the whole hard boiled egg is placed at the center of the roll, we now brush what will be the inside of the matambre with three or four beaten raw eggs and plenty of grated cheese. Now is time to roll the meat around its stuffing, we tie tightly with kitchen rope. Set to cook in boiling salted water with some vegetables in the water to further enhance the taste. We boil the meat until it is very tender. Turn off the heat and let the matambre cool down in its broth. Take out of the water when cold, then keep in the refrigerator, the meat tightly packed with something heavy on top. Cut thin slices from the matambre loaf, then serve with potato salad or even just a green salad; and if you have leftover matambre you can use in sandwiches, etc…