Cooking With Booze: Cachaça Marinated Steak for the World Cup

Caipirinha Caipirinha Caipirinha Caipirinha.. How many times have you heard about Caipirinhas in the run up to the World Cup in Brazil? Not enough if you ask me.. I could drink them ALL day. Anyway, it’s finally begun and, sporty or not, its time to get into that Brazilian spirit!

Cachaça, the key ingredient in that limey cocktail, is more readily available in supermarkets now - probably thanks to the football - and I'd absolutely urge you to go out and get some for yourself. We've had a few Caipirinha and Cachaça posts in the past; we tested out the Abelha range in May, and it's been the subject of the Friday Cocktail twice now; Laura kept it traditional whilst I went off piste and replaced the sugar with marmalade. But what else can you do with Cachaça?

South American faves are cropping up in every food magazine and on every website possible; Pastéis, Coxinhas and Brigadeiros are all strong suggestions for half time snacks (sounds much more exotic than a pie and a pint, right?), but I'm after something with a bit more sustenance - preferably something booze-infused.

Scouring the internet to see what dishes I could find that use Cachaça, I came across the mother-of-all perfect-night-in-with-the-footie steak recipe. Get your chums round, crack out the BBQ.. Let’s do this.

Cachaça Marinated Steak

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 60 ml Cachaça
• 50ml rapeseed or olive oil
• 2 steaks of your choice
• Salt and pepper
• A couple of lime wedges

Method

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the first 8 ingredients. Place the meat in a large zip lock plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Slosh it about until the meat is well and truly covered.
2. Seal the bag, trying to get rid of as much air as possible, and place the meat in the fridge. Leave for a minimum of 8 hours – the longer the better.
3. Get your BBQ going, or a simple griddle/frying pan will do if you like (that's all I had). When ready, remove the meat from the marinade and wipe off any onion, garlic and coriander that may be clinging on for dear life.
4. Season the meat with salt and pepper on both sides and place it on the hot grill. Cook it to your liking – you know best - turning it halfway through and remembering to rest it for a few minutes after taking it off the heat.
5. Slice into strips, squeeze over some lime juice, and serve with your side dish of choice (along with a Caipirinha). Steak and chips = winning combo, though a zesty, spicy salad of some description would be bloody lovely too.

So what’s the moral of the story?

Cachaça is for steaks, not just for Caipirinhas.

Tuck in.

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