Seitz Family Throwdown Cook-Off

This is bit of a late post but let me tell you it will be worth the wait. Every month for the past two months we have had a Family Cook Off. We pick a dish and then you have a month to present your one dish to the rest of the participants for judging. The first month was Dinner Crepes, and this month was Sandwich.

The first cook off Corinna posted a "W" with her Wild Rice Crepe, filled with Chicken, Spinach, and Cremini, then topped with a Red Pepper Sauce. This month I was the favorite with a Beef Chimichuri Sandwich that was served on homemade grilled flat bread that I mad on my BBQ, but let me tell you this month was exceptional. Everyone that participated "Brought It" to the competition, so I will post all the sandwich recipes for everyone to enjoy.

We'll start this post with the Beef Chimichuri Sandwich.

This Sammich' is a smack in the mouth, and does not qualify as a snack. Pair it with your favorite beer and enjoy.

First off you'll need to create the chimichuri marinade.

Chimichuri

6 Cloves of Garlic

2 Jalapenos

1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt

1/4 C White Wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Dried Ancho Chili Power (or finely chopped whole dried)

1/2 C Fresh Cilantro (chopped)

1/2 C Fresh Parsley (chopped)

1/4 C Fresh Oregano (chopped)

1/3 C Olive Oil

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Thinly slice 1 lb of beef top round, or Sirloin and place in 1 gallon size Ziploc bag, pour Chimichuri on top remove as mush air as possible and seal. Using both hands mix the Chimchuri into the beef. Place Ziploc bag on a plate and transfer to refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours and as much as 24. I like to marinate for 24 to get the most out of my ingredients.

Flat Bread (from Bobby Flays book Boy Meets Grill)

1-1/2 C Warm Water

1/2 Teaspoon Dry Yeast

4 C All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Mix the water and the yeast in a bowl and let stand (bloom) for 15 minutes. Slowly add 2 cups of flour while stirring the mixture. Stir for about 1 minute until the mixture is spongy, let it stand covered at room temperature for 45 minutes. Put the sponge in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook mix in the salt and olive oil, then add the remaining 2 cups of flour 1/2 cup at a time while mixing to form a soft dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is satiny, sprinkle with a little flour to keep from sticking, about 5 minutes.

Place dough in a large clean, oiled bowl, covered with plastic wrap and let rise (proof) in a warm place for about 2-1/2 hours or until it has doubled in size. Punch down the dough and divide into 4 balls, place on sheet pan cover and let rise again 30-45 minutes. Roll, pat, and stretch each ball into a small flat round or rectangle. Preheat grill to med-high (350-400 degrees) brush each round with olive oil, and place oil side down, brush top with olive oil while cooking.

COOKS NOTE: Now, walking away right now would be a very bad idea, you have time to go get a beer and a spatula, but come right back. Don't get distracted by the wife asking you to do some trivial task, your attention is needed at the grill. Oh and that's an import beer better bring a bottle opener too.

Cook flat bread with the grill top open, pay close attention to the flames, and turn the bread often to ensure even browning. Once nice and golden brown accented by grill marks plate and head to the kitchen to get the beef.

Gillin' Continues . . .

After bread has been removed turn grill to high, remove beef from Chimichuri marinade and skewer for grilling.

Grill skewers for 2-3 minutes a side, remove from grill and let rest for 3-5 minutes.

White Bean Puree

2 C Cooked or Canned White Beans

4 Cloves Garlic

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Chopped Thyme

Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Puree all ingredients in food processor or blender, refrigerate 1 day.

Sammich Building . . .

The moment has arrive, (finally) to build your sandwich. Now if you have read this far you know you could do a lot of this prep work ahead of time, and on the day of your event your Sammich would come together much faster. With that said lets get to building.

Place you flat bread on the plate and use a generous portion of white bean puree as a spread, add freshly chopped iceberg lettuce, tomato, and onion if you wish, or some of the Chimichuri sauce that you reserved before adding it to the beef as a marinade (my choice). Fold Sammich over and cut in half, and enjoy.