Matambre - Argentine rolled, stuffed flank steak

'Matambre' means 'kill hunger' in Spanish, and this hearty dish certainly does the job. In Argentina and Uruguay it is often served cold as an hors d'oeuvre.

2 two-pound (1 kg) flank steaks
1/2 cup (125 ml) red wine vinegar
1 tsp. (5 ml) finely chopped garlic
1 tsp. (5 ml) dried thyme
3 cups (750 ml) beef stock
1 to 3 cups (250 to 750 ml) cold water

THE STUFFING
1/2 lb. (200 g) fresh spinach, washed, drained, and trimmed of stems
8 carrots, scraped, cooked, 6 to 8 inches long
4 hard boiled eggs, cut into quarters lengthwise
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1/4 (60 ml) cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Ground black pepper (to taste)
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) coarse salt

Butterfly the steaks by slicing them horizontally from one long side to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of the opposite side. Pound the steaks between plastic wrap to flatten them further. Trim of all sinew and fat.
   Lay one steak cut side up on a 12"x18" jelly-roll pan. Sprinkle with half the vinegar, half the garlic, and half the thyme. Cover with the other steak, also cut side up, and sprinkle with remaining vinegar, garlic, and thyme. Cover and marinate for 6 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator.
   Lay the steaks end-to-end, in the direction of the grain of the meat, so that they overlap by about two inches. Pound the overlapping area to join them securely. Spread the spinach leaves evenly over the meat, and arrange the carrots across the grain of the meat in parallel rows about 3 inches apart. Place the egg quarters between the carrots. Scatter the onion rings over the meat, and sprinkle the surface with the parsley, salt and pepper. Carefully roll the matambre with the grain, jelly-roll style, into a thick, long cylinder. Tie at 1 inch intervals.
   Place the matambre in a large casserole or roasting pan along with the beef stock. Add enough cold water to come a third of the way up the roll. Cover tightly and bake at 375� for one hour. To serve hot, remove the matambre to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove strings and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Moisten with a little pan liquid, which can also be served on the side. Alternately, press the matambre under weights to until the juices drain off, refrigerate thoroughly, and slice as above. Serves 8 to 10.

Reproduced by permission of   World Wide Recipes