Grilled Picanha with Butternut Squash Recipe

This Grilled Picanha with Butternut Squash recipe is a tender and juicy restaurant-quality dish, which is made with picanha steak and roasted butternut squash. It’s perfect for a special dinner, ready in about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Grilled Picanha with Butternut Squash Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash (about 1.2kg)
• Olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
• 1 bunch of fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1.5kg picanha, cut into 2cm slices
• 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

How To Make Grilled Picanha with Butternut Squash

1. Prep and Roast the Squash: Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Peel the squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into large cubes. Place the cubes in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, and scatter over the unpeeled garlic cloves.
2. Season and Cook the Squash: Pick the leaves from most of the thyme sprigs and sprinkle them over the squash along with the paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss everything to coat. Cover the tin with foil and roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the squash is soft and tender.
3. Prepare and Cook the Steak: While the squash roasts, season the picanha slices generously with salt and pepper. Add a good splash of oil to a griddle pan and place it over a high heat until it is smoking hot.
4. Grill the Steak and Onions: Working in batches to not overcrowd the pan, fry the picanha slices for 3 minutes on each side for a perfect medium-rare. With the last batch of steak, add the sliced onion to the pan to cook in the beef drippings until softened.
5. Rest and Serve: Once the steak is cooked, transfer it to a board, cover it loosely with foil, and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Sprinkle the rested steak with the remaining thyme leaves and serve immediately with the roasted butternut squash and pan-fried onions.

Recipe Tips

• How do you get the perfect sear on picanha? The secret is an extremely hot pan. A cast-iron griddle pan is ideal. Wait until the oil is shimmering and just starting to smoke before you add the steak. This creates a beautiful, flavorful crust.
• What’s the best way to prepare picanha? Picanha is known for its thick fat cap. Before slicing, you can lightly score the fat cap in a diamond pattern, which helps the fat render down and become crispy as it cooks.
• Why is resting the steak so important? Resting the cooked steak for at least 5 minutes is not optional! It allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, ensuring every single bite is tender and juicy. If you slice it too soon, all the juices will run out onto the cutting board.
• Can I cook the picanha whole? Yes. For a whole roast, sear the entire fat-cap-down first in a hot pan, then sear on all other sides. You can then roast it in a 200°C/400°F oven for about 15-20 minutes per pound for medium-rare.

What To Serve With Picanha and Butternut Squash

This is a hearty and complete meal on its own. However, to round it out, it pairs beautifully with:

• A simple chimichurri sauce for the steak
• A peppery arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette
• Crusty bread to soak up the meat juices

How To Store Leftovers

• Refrigerate: Store leftover steak and squash in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: For the best results, reheat the squash in the microwave or a 180°C/350°F oven. Reheat the steak slices very briefly in a hot pan; be careful not to overcook them.

Picanha with Butternut Squash Nutrition Facts

• Serving: 1 serving (1/6th of recipe)
• Calories: 650 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 25g
• Protein: 45g
• Fat: 42g
• Saturated Fat: 16g
• Sodium: 450mg

Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.

FAQs

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