Hispanic Heritage · Uruguay

Montevideo y la Costa

Montevideo · Ciudad Vieja · Pocitos · Carrasco · Barrio Sur · Palermo

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Chivito al plato

Descubre

Uruguay’s chivito is known as a generous steak sandwich; this version serves the components on a plate. Beef, egg, cheese, bacon, and accompaniments create a meal built from familiar ingredients in a distinctive arrangement.

La Gente

Organization makes the cooking easier. Have the cold accompaniments ready before cooking the steak and eggs, then assemble while the hot ingredients are at their best. Each element should remain recognizable on the plate.

Sabor

The coast cooks Rioplatense: salt, beef, smoke from wood, cheese, and the herbs of the Italian grandparents. Oregano is the herb. Garlic and parsley go on the fries and in the aioli. Heat is not part of the conversation. A Uruguayan would rather talk about the bread.

Spice DNA · Smoke medium · Herb medium · Sweet none · Heat none · Acid low

Seasonings to explore

Minced Garlic in Olive Oil. Into the mayonnaise, onto the fries. Adds a savory garlic base.
Black Pepper, ground. On the beef, with the salt.
Oregano, whole. On the beef and in the mayonnaise. The Italian grandparents' herb.
Paprika. On the beef, for the families who do, and on the fries.
Parsley flakes. In the mayonnaise when the fresh is gone.
Onion Powder. In the mayonnaise.

From your market: thin beef tenderloin or sirloin, cut a finger thick, cooked ham, bacon, mozzarella, eggs, lettuce, tomato, roasted red pepper, green olives, good mayonnaise, soft rolls or a crusty pan de roseta, and potatoes for the fries. Badia does not sell the plancha.

Cocina

Chivito al plato

The sandwich of Uruguay, served on a plate with fries. Everything happens on one hot surface in about six minutes. Have everything ready before the beef goes on.

Serves 4

The mayonesa

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Badia Minced Garlic in Olive Oil
½ tsp Badia Oregano, whole
½ tsp Badia Onion Powder
1 tbsp Badia Parsley flakes, or 2 tbsp fresh
Juice of half a lemon

The chivito

4 beef tenderloin or sirloin cutlets, ½ inch thick, about 6 oz each
Salt
½ tsp Badia Black Pepper, ground
½ tsp Badia Paprika
2 tbsp oil
8 slices bacon
8 slices cooked ham
8 slices mozzarella
4 eggs
4 rolls, split and toasted, or 4 plates
Lettuce, tomato slices, roasted red pepper strips, green olives
2 lb potatoes, cut for fries, fried, salted, dusted with Badia Paprika and a little Badia Minced Garlic in Olive Oil

The mayonesa. Stir it together. Refrigerate.
The fries. Fry them first and keep them warm. A chivito waits for nothing.
Bacon. Cook the bacon on the plancha or in a wide cast-iron pan until crisp. Set aside. Leave the fat.
Beef. Season the cutlets with salt, pepper, and paprika. Add the oil to the pan over high heat. Cook the beef 2 minutes on the first side.
The stack, on the heat. Flip the beef. Immediately lay the ham on each cutlet, then the bacon, then the mozzarella. Crack the eggs into the pan beside the beef. Cover the pan for 2 minutes so the cheese melts over the stack and the eggs set with soft yolks. This is the step Punta del Este insists on.
Build. On the roll or the plate: lettuce, tomato, pepper. The beef stack. The egg on top. Olives. A spoon of mayonesa over the egg. Fries beside it, and Russian salad if you are being traditional.
Eat it with a knife and fork if it is on a plate, with both hands and a napkin if it is on a roll, and with a medio y medio if you can find one. A Uruguayan would.

Pueblos de Montevideo y la Costa

Montevideo · Ciudad Vieja · Pocitos · Carrasco · Barrio Sur · Palermo · Las Piedras · Canelones · Atlántida · Piriápolis · Maldonado · Punta del Este · San Carlos · José Ignacio · Rocha · La Paloma · Punta del Diablo · Colonia del Sacramento · Carmelo