Steak & Chimichurri Flatbreads

Ingredients

• 2 sirloin steaks, about 250g each
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 flatbreads
• 30 g fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 15 g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 little gem lettuces little gem lettuce, leaves separated
• 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• Warm tortillas, to serve
• Lime wedges, to serve
• Soured cream, to serve
• Quick pickled red onion, to serve

Method

1. Make the chimichurri first so the flavours have time to marry. Pound or pulse the parsley, coriander, grated garlic and chilli to a coarse green rubble — keep it textured, not a smooth paste. Stir through the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and oregano. Season generously with salt and pepper, then taste: it should be sharp, herby, punchy. Set aside while you cook — 15 minutes resting is when chimichurri actually starts tasting like itself.
2. Pat the steaks completely dry with kitchen paper — water means steam, and steam means no crust. Season heavily on both sides with salt and pepper. Don't be shy: a proper crust needs proper seasoning, and most of it stays on the board anyway.
3. Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron or heavy stainless pan over maximum heat until it's genuinely smoking — wisps coming off the surface, not shimmer. Lay the steaks away from you with space between them; if your pan won't take both comfortably, cook them one at a time. Crowd the pan and the temperature crashes, water seeps out, and you'll grey-braise instead of sear.
4. Cook for 2–3 minutes each side for medium-rare, until deeply browned with a firm crust that lifts cleanly when you turn it. Pull at around 50°C internal — the temperature carries up to 54–55°C off the heat. Lift onto a board and rest for at least 3 minutes. This is non-negotiable: cut early and the juices run onto the board instead of staying in the meat.
5. While the steak rests, warm the flatbreads in a dry pan for about 30 seconds each side, until soft and pliable with a few toasted freckles. Stack them under a clean tea towel so they stay supple.
6. Slice the rested steak thinly against the grain — you'll see the fibres running one way; cut across them. The juices will pool on the board; tip those back into the chimichurri. Taste the chimichurri one more time and adjust the salt — the vinegar and resting juices will have shifted the balance.
7. Plate up: lay warm flatbreads down, pile on little gem leaves and halved cherry tomatoes, fan over slices of steak, then spoon the chimichurri generously so it pools into the meat. Finish each one with a squeeze of lime, a scatter of fresh coriander and a pinch of chilli flakes. Eat immediately, with both hands.