Ingredients
Sandwich
- 4round frica or marraqueta rolls
- 600 gthin beef steak
- 300 ggreen beans, topped and tailed
- 2tomatoes, sliced
- mayonnaise
- ají verde, green chilli paste
- salt and black pepper
- oil
Directions
- Cook the green beans in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until just tender with a distinct bite still in them, then drain and cool them quickly under cold water.
- Cut the beans into 3 cm lengths on the diagonal.
- The beans are not a garnish and not a stand-in for lettuce. They are the defining ingredient of a chacarero and they have to keep their snap, so do not boil them soft.
- Season the steak with salt and pepper and cook it over a very high heat for about a minute a side. Cut this thin, it needs almost no time at all.
- Slice the beef into strips and keep it hot.
- Warm the rolls and split them open.
- Spread mayonnaise on the base, pile on the hot beef, then lay the tomato slices over and salt them.
- Add a thick layer of the cold green beans and a spoonful of ají verde.
- Press the lid down firmly and cut it in half. It should be genuinely difficult to get your mouth around, which is correct.
- Eat immediately, while the meat is still hot and the beans are still cold. That contrast is the whole sandwich.
Technique
- Hot meat against cold crisp beans. Let it sit and you lose both halves of the idea.
- The name means farmer, after the pile of vegetables inside it.
- It is a Santiago lunch-counter classic and it is built to be eaten standing at the counter.
Substitutions
- Runner beans, sliced, if green beans are out of season.
- Thin-sliced pork loin, which makes a chacarero de lomo.
Variations
- With avocado added, which pushes it towards an italiano.
- Without mayonnaise, which some counters serve as standard.
- With a fried egg, sold as a chacarero a lo pobre.
History
A Santiago lunch-counter classic; the name means farmer, after the vegetables piled inside.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chacarero?
Chacarero is a street food from Chile: sandwich of thin steak with green beans, tomato and chilli. A Santiago lunch-counter classic; the name means farmer, after the vegetables piled inside.
How long does Chacarero take to make?
Chacarero takes 15 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 sandwiches. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Chacarero?
Yes, within limits. Runner beans, sliced, if green beans are out of season. Thin-sliced pork loin, which makes a chacarero de lomo.
What is the most important thing to get right in Chacarero?
The beans are not a garnish and not a stand-in for lettuce. They are the defining ingredient of a chacarero and they have to keep their snap, so do not boil them soft.
