Grilled Sirloin paired with Due Mila Nove! Mmmm
Greg Ehrlich is the organ player and band chef for Allen Stone. A big fan of Castoro Cellars, he periodically guest blogs exploring the relationship between food, wine, and being a touring musician.
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Recently I’ve been on a tear exploring cuisines that feature fresh ingredients presented in a simple manner. I’ve been particularly obsessed with Vietnamese cuisine and how they use a wide array of fresh herbs to complement dishes, be it soups, salads or grilled cuts of meats.
This philosophy of cuisine has completely turned my world upside down in the way I approach food and cooking. For years I’d try to construct elaborate dishes in the attempt of trying to prove myself on par with the local hipster restaurants. You know the type – one type of meat with two different sauces, several different veggies each prepared and presented in a different way. It can easily be over the top. Don’t get me wrong – I love artfully and thoughtfully presented food, but when I was introduced to Vietnamese food, nothing was ever the same again. It was so (deceptively) SIMPLE. Grilled meat, a little bowl of seasoned fish sauce, and a topping of a few different herbs. Some might say basic but a complete explosion of flavor.
After completing our summer tour, I arrived home to a bottle of Due Mila Nove waiting for me. Perfect. My first impressions upon uncorking MM9 was that the wine could hold up well to big flavors, and my mind immediately went to grilled, smoky beef. I glanced in my fridge and already had cilantro and parsley on hand. Simple. Easy. Fresh. In the spirit of Vietnamese cuisine (but realizing I had no fish sauce on hand), I decided to make a famous and very simple herb sauce from Argentina. Tonight it would be grilled sirloin and chimichurri.
Here’s my recipe. It’s bright, easy, fresh and delicious. It pairs great with bbq beef, but also works well with chicken. Avoid the temptation to blend your herbs in the blender, and chop them all by hand. I can’t tell you why but it just tastes better.
Chimichurri (Yields 6 Servings)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, washed
• 3/4 cup fresh flat leaf (Italian) parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely minced
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried or fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Combine parsley, cilantro (and oregano if using fresh) on cutting board and cut roughly into medium sized pieces. Toss into medium sized bowl with remainder of ingredients and let sit at room temperature while bbq’ing. Even more delicious if you make it half a day in advance.
Grill your sirloin to your preferred level of doneness. Heap chimichurri on top. Generously pour yourself a glass of MM9 and enjoy.
If you’d like a recipe shoot an email (greg.ehrlich@gmail.com) my way or hit me up on social media and I’d be happy to share mine with you. On instagram @gregoryehrlich
Cheers,
Greg
