Put An End To Hunger With Distinctive Matambre

El Palenque may not be the fanciest restaurant in Montevideo, Uruguay, but when it comes to eating beef, there’s no place I’d rather be.

The restaurant offers a staunchly carnivorous bill of fare that includes mollejas (grilled sweetbreads), choto (crispy rolled tripe) and asado de tira (a long, thin cross-section of rib roast).

But my favorite dish here bears the curious name of matambre. The name says it all. “Hambre” is the Spanish word for hunger. “Matar” means “to kill.” Put them together and you get one of the most distinctive dishes in South America.

Traditionally served as an appetizer, matambres come in portions large enough to dwarf the average North American entree.

The first matambres were flank steaks seasoned with salt and herbs and cooked flat over glowing coals. Such was the matambre I received by way of a welcome at the Estancia Cina Cina, a ranch west of Buenos Aires that stages barbecues and equestrian shows for tourists. Cut into 1/2-inch squares and served on toothpicks, this sort of matambre made a tasty snack indeed.

More commonly, matambre refers to a flank steak that is generously stuffed and rolled like a jelly roll. Here, too, the embellishments vary from restaurant to restaurant and chef to chef. The Estancia restaurant in Buenos Aires (not to be confused with the aforementioned ranch) rolls its matambre only with a sprinkling of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano and bay leaves.

The matambre reaches its apotheosis in Uruguay at El Palenque. The Montevidean version features a belt-loosening array of sausage, carrots, bell peppers and cheese rolled in an oregano and sage-scented sheet of flank steak. When sliced widthwise, the matambre forms a handsome spiral of beef studded with a colorful mosaic of vegetables, cheese and sausage.

Because of the innate toughness of a cut of meat like flank steak, matambre requires lengthy cooking to attain the proper tenderness. You might think that lengthy cooking would be difficult, if not impossible, over a live fire.

But South American grill jockeys have devised an ingenious method. They swaddle the matambre in aluminum foil and cook it for several hours over a low or indirect fire. The foil prevents the outside of the meat from burning, holding the matambre neatly in shape.

Here is a simple matambre you can prepare on your backyard grill (or bake in the oven). It makes a colorful appetizer, but you could also serve it as a main course.

One thing’s for certain: It definitely will kill your hunger.

Hunger Killer (Matambre)

This recipe may sound complicated, but it can be assembled in 15 minutes. The traditional cut is flank steak, but I’ve also made matambre with brisket. If you’re not comfortable with your knife skills, ask your butcher to butterfly the meat.

1 (1-1/2- to 1-3/4-pound) flank steak

6 thin slices bacon

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 (6-ounce) piece kielbasa sausage, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick strips

1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch strips

1 (6-ounce) piece Romano cheese, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick strips

1 long carrot, peeled, cut lengthwise into quarters

1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch strips

2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cooled, cut lengthwise into quarters (optional)

Prepare grill for indirect cooking (see note) or preheat oven to 325 degrees.

To butterfly flank steak, place steak at edge of cutting board, short side toward you. Using long slender knife, cut the meat almost in half through the narrow edge of the long side and open it up as you would a book. Pound it flat with the side of a meat cleaver. (If working with brisket, you’ll need to double-butterfly it.) The idea is to get a square of meat that’s 12 to 15 inches long and wide.

Arrange bacon strips, leaving 1 inch between each, on a large (2-foot-square) rectangle of heavy-duty foil. (Strips should run parallel to bottom edge of cutting board.) Place flank steak on top of bacon, with the grain of meat running perpendicular to the bacon. Generously season meat with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with oregano and sage.

Arrange strips of sausage in a neat row, end to end, along edge of meat closest to you. Place a row of red bell pepper strips next to it, then cheese strips, then carrot strips, then green bell pepper strips, then eggs (if using). Repeat until all ingredients for filling are used up. Leave last 3 inches of meat uncovered.

Starting at edge closest to you and using foil to help you, roll up meat with filling to make a compact roll (it’s a lot like rolling a jelly roll). Pin top edge shut with metal skewers or tie matambre closed with several lengths of butcher’s string. Encase roll in foil, twisting ends to make what will look like a large sausage. Poke several holes in foil at each end to release steam.

Place matambre in center of grill, away from fire, or in oven and cook until very tender, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. To test for doneness, insert a metal skewer; it should pierce meat easily and be piping hot to the touch. Transfer matambre to a cutting board and let cool 30 minutes. Remove foil and skewers or string. Cut roll widthwise into 1-inch-thick slices.

Yield: 8 appetizer servings or 4 main-course servings.

Nutrition information per each maincourse serving: 697 calories, 47.7 grams fat (62 percent fat calories), 58 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrate, 258 milligrams cholesterol, 1,271 milligrams sodium.

Note: To set up charcoal grill for indirect cooking, light coals and rake them to sides of grill or place in side baskets. Cook matambre in center of grill. To set up gas grill for indirect cooking, light front and rear burners, or burners on one side. Cook matambre in center of grill or on opposite side.