As we look forward to Easter, we decided to ask some of our winemakers around the world how they intend to celebrate. In Argentina, our dear friend Agustina Hanna, Head Winemaker at Bodega Ruca Malen, had us salivating with her traditional Argentinean staple: “asado de cordero con salsa criolla” – roast lamb with a rich and aromatic sauce – to be paired with Malbec and shared with loved ones!

First of all, before you do anything, pour yourself a glass of Terroir Series Malbec 2019 from Bodega Ruca Malen to start discovering this Malbec. Cooking is a time to relax, one to enjoy too. I personally like cooking with music on, so please feel free to play your favorite song or band while cooking!

Recipe of roast lamb steak with Argentinian “criolla” sauce

Known locally as “asado de cordero con salsa criolla”. An Argentinian staple and an Easter favourite!

Ingredients you need & preparation:

For the sauce:

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

6 ripe tomatoes

1 or 2 onions depending on the size of them (I personally prefer red, but it could be white too)

1 cup of virgin olive oil

1 splash red wine vinegar

1 spoonful of fresh thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the sauce, dice into very tiny cubes the green and red peppers, red onion and ripe tomatoes; add virgin olive oil to cover all the preparation, just a splash of red wine vinegar and a little bit of fresh thyme. Mix all together and smell again your glass of wine, enjoy the aromas and take another sip of wine, it is amazing how the flavour changes!

For the meat:

Count 1 steak per person (whichever cut is your favourite). Lamb is traditionally Easter popular choice but you could do with Beef cut as well.  It could be a lean cut as a fillet, or a fattier and more flavorsome cut such as a ribeye or sirloin.

You can prepare it on a griddle pan, though barbecue is better weather permitting. Cook your steak to your personal preference, I like mine rare. Add just salt and wait until it’s ready. If you smell the wine while the steak is cooking, you can see how the smell of the food really enhances the oaky aromas from the wine.

For serving:

After the steak has finished cooking, let it rest 5 minutes to reabsorb the juice and serve the sauce on the top of the steak.

Why did I choose this recipe? Because the ripe fruit of the wine matches perfectly with the juicy rare cooked steak, the natural fat in the steak is cleansed by the tannins. Also, there is an herbal background in the wine made in Uco Valley which aromatically pairs with the thyme in the criolla sauce. It is amazing how the ingredients of the dish really affect your senses and increase the perception of the best flavors of the Terroir Series Malbec 2019.

Now, it is time to enjoy this pairing! Cheers!