Butternut Squash Soup & Skirt Steak with Chimichuri Sauce

Happy New Year!  For my first post of 2015, I am sharing a wonderful recipe for my favorite soup to make - Butternut Squash soup.  And David made his delicious Chimichuri sauce that he pours over skirt steak.  He is really mastering cooking steak.  :)  There is no real reason why I made the two of these together, so you can just make each one separately for a delicious meal on it's own.  
David also got me a a macro lens for my birthday, so get ready for some close up shots!

Ingredients for the Butternut Squash Soup:

• One container of pre-cut Butternut Squash (easily available at your supermarket) - I have done this soup with a whole butternut squash before, and this is SO much easier and just as delicious
• One large onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup of Half & Half (you can also use heavy cream)
• Olive Oil and Butter
• Parmesan Cheese 
• Herbs: salt & pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, herbs de provence
• 1 quart Chicken Stock
• Toppings:  Sage, green onions, sour cream, truffle oil 

Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil and butter in your pot, and saute the butternut squash and onions until they are nice and soft.  Add the herbs and stir.  Then add in the quart of chicken stock and let simmer for about 20 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, blend everything together until smooth.  Then add in the Half & Half (or cream) and shredded parmesan cheese (about a half cup).  Add more of each as needed.  Let simmer for another 10 minutes.

Now for the fun part - the toppings!
I fried about 10-15 leaves of fresh sage in about 2 tablespoons of butter.  Heat the butter (make sure not to burn it) and throw the sage leaves in there, turning a couple times until crisp.  Let dry on a paper towel.  This was my first time frying sage, and it turned out to add a whole new element of flavor and texture to the soup.  
Chop the green onions.
Add a layer of shredded parmesan cheese to each bowl.  Add the chopped green onions and sage.  Then add a dollop of sour cream to the center of the bowl, and finish with a drizzle of truffle oil - ahhhhh-mazing!  

David's Skirt Steak with Chimichuri Sauce

David makes a delicious chimichuri sauce in our Cuisinart.
Ingredients:

• Garlic (lots of it!)
• 1 bunch Italian flat leaf Parsley
• 1 bunch Cilantro
• 1 cup Olive Oil
• Lemon (1/2)
• White wine vinegar (2 tablespoons)
• Salt & Pepper

In the Cuisinart, blend the garlic (about 10 cloves depending on how much garlic you like!), parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and salt & pepper.  Once blended, start drizzling in the olive oil, until you have a nice smooth sauce.

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David decided to go with skirt steak.  On a recent trip down to the Ranch, we tested out skirt steak vs. flank steak side by side.  My sister, Holly, and I preferred the flank steak as it was a bit leaner, but David and Marc preferred the skirt steak - it has a bit more fat (which means more flavor!).  Both are great, and it is really fun to do side by side comparisons.

David gets a saute pan super hot, adds a bit of butter then immediately puts the steak in the pan so that it gets a great sear on it.  Make sure not to over cook the meat - it should only take about 3 minutes per side.  Take out of the pan and let the meat rest for a few minutes so that the juices can circulate inside.  Slice against the grain and pour chimichuri sauce over the meat and serve!

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This skirt steak was super tender, perfectly medium rare (the best way to eat a steak) and went beautifully with the chimichuri sauce.  And you eat with your eyes first - look at the color of that sauce!
Enjoy!!!