Italian steak sandwiches, known as “churrasco italiano,” are undoubtedly a staple in many food menus and a favorite among Chileans nationwide. These sandwiches are hearty and bursting with flavor.
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How to Make Italian Steak Sandwiches?
These “Italian-style” steak sandwiches, with their unique blend of ingredients, belong to a category of their own. They are simply irresistible.
Nutritional Facts
Each serving of Italian churrasco sandwich contains approximately 650 kcal, 55 g of carbohydrates, 35 g of fats, 35 g of proteins, 10 g of fiber, 5 g of sugars, and 800 mg of sodium.
Recipe for Italian Churrasco Sandwich
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 800 g of beef sirloin steaks
- 4 frica or marraqueta bread
- 3 avocados
- 3 tomatoes
- Homemade mayonnaise
- Cooking oil
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Pepper
Preparation Steps
- Wash, peel, and slice the tomatoes into thin ½ cm slices. Peel the avocados, remove the pulp, and mash it with a fork until it reaches a creamy yet slightly chunky texture. Add a few drops of lemon and set it aside.
- On a wide, shallow plate, place the sirloin steaks, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste, and set them aside. Split the frica or marraqueta rolls and heat them in a toaster or oven. Set them aside.
- In a wide non-stick skillet or hot griddle, add a splash of cooking oil and heat over medium-high heat. Distribute the sirloin steaks evenly and fry for a couple of minutes, turning to complete the cooking, making sure they don’t dry out. Turn off the heat and set them aside.
- Arrange the bottom halves of the rolls, drizzle some of the cooking juices to moisten them, and evenly distribute the sirloin steaks, covering the entire roll. Then, add a couple of tomato slices, plenty of avocado, and mayonnaise to taste. Gently cover with the top half of the roll without spilling.
- Serve the Chilean-Italian steak sandwich immediately, optionally adding a bit of chili paste, and it’s commonly enjoyed with a good cup of coffee.
Avocado and mayonnaise
The churrasco with avocado and mayonnaise is simply the version without the addition of tomatoes due to taste or allergy preferences. This is typically requested when ordering the sandwich.
Origins of the name “Churrasco”
Sergio Estrada, a historian and academic, claims that the origin of the word “churrasco” is simply onomatopoeic, developed from the sound produced when placing meat on hot oil: “chhhirrrr.”
Finally, its meaning would have been fully established when combined with the Spanish word “socarrar,” referring to toasting or heating, and its subsequent derivation for use as “churrascar.”
Did you know?
Just like Chile’s most representative sandwiches, such as the completo or the Barros Luco, the churrasco celebrates its “National Day” every October 20th because there is basically not a single soda fountain or restaurant in the country that does not offer it on their menu.
