Today we’re celebrating a big birthday in our house. Let’s call it 29. We traditionally have dinner at home, and given the 5-12 inches of snow that’s forecast for Denver, tonight we’re definitely staying in.
On the menu: strip steak; buttermilk chive mashed potatoes; organic herb salad; beets with goat cheese and oranges; and chocolate buttermilk cake with fluffy white frosting. This is a “greatest hits” menu, a compilation of the birthday boy’s favorite dishes (other than the beets — those are for me). The only surprise is the chimichurri, a classic Argentinean steak sauce made with parsley, garlic, salt, oil, red pepper flakes, and vinegar. I saw it at a restaurant this week and didn’t order it; since then, I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind.
With one hour to go before dinner, the oranges are sectioned, the potatoes and beets are roasting, the cake is made, and soon the steak will be taken out of the refrigerator and seasoned with a healthy sprinkle of kosher salt and cracked pepper. Now all that’s left is to wash the greens, mash the potatoes, and decide how to fit the — ahem — 29 candles on his cake.
Chimichurri
Large bunch of parsley
2-4 garlic cloves
Kosher salt
2 or more tablespoons red wine vinegar
Olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, if desired
Cut the thick stems off a large bunch of organic parsley and discard. Wash thin stems and leaves and dry well. Add parsley to a food processor along with two cloves of garlic (more if they’re small), a sprinkle of kosher salt, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil or extra-virgin olive oil. Puree, then taste. Add more salt, vinegar, and oil as necessary, then process again. If you like, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
Wish we could be there! It sounds great!!
Hello again,
My father-in-law is visiting next weekend and it’s his 73rd b-day. I have made him a delicious carrot cake in the past, but your chocoloate buttermilk cake with white frosting sounds delectable. Would you mind sharing? I think I’ll also try the Chimichurri sauce with some of our Elk from my husbands successful hunt this past season. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been meaning to thank you for posting the vanilla cake with buttercream frosting in early Feb. I made it for my boy (twice) and he loved it — so did the rest of the family. I’ll send you a picture if you’d like
I am SO, SO happy to hear that the cake turned out well. I’ve been thinking of you and your son and wondering what you ended up making. I’d love a picture, when you get the chance. And I’ll be happy to share the chocolate buttermilk cake recipe. It is so good, it’s almost too good (it’s hard to stop at seconds!). If you do make the chimichurri, you might use 1 clove of garlic to begin with, and make sure to toss out any leftovers as the sauce doesn’t keep well.
Where do I send a picture to?
betth
the b-day is tomorrow. any chance you could share the cake recipe soon?!
Thanks,
Beth
Sorry — I thought it was next weekend! My kids have been sick this week and I’ve been behind. I’ll get the recipe to you asap!