Chivito

Ingredients

Steak

• 4x 150 g slices of beef tenderloin (lomo), beaten to 1 cm thick
• 2 tbspsunflower oil
• Salt and black pepper

Build

• 4large soft round rolls (pan de chivito) or brioche buns, split
• 8 slicescooked ham (jamon)
• 8 slicesmozzarella or muzzarella
• 4rashers streaky bacon (panceta)
• 4large eggs
• 8 slicesripe tomato
• 4leaves crisp lettuce
• 8green olives, halved
• 4 tbspmayonnaise
• 2pickled red peppers (morrones), sliced
• 20 gbutter

To serve

• 800 gpotatoes, cut into chips and double-fried, or a heap of ensalada rusa

Directions

1. Fry the bacon in a heavy pan over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes, and drain it on a rack. Leave the fat in the pan.
2. Fry the eggs in the bacon fat, basting so the whites set but the yolks stay soft, and keep them warm.
3. Season the beaten tenderloin slices hard with salt and pepper only at the moment of cooking.
4. Get a heavy pan or plancha very hot with the oil, almost smoking, and sear the steaks 60–90 seconds a side. Thin lomo goes tough in an instant, so cook it fast and pull it at medium rare.
5. Lay two slices of mozzarella over each steak while still in the pan, add a splash of water and cover for 30 seconds so the cheese melts and slumps over the edges.
6. Butter the cut faces of the rolls and toast them on the plancha until golden, which stops the mayonnaise soaking in.
7. Build from the bottom: mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, the cheese-topped steak, ham, bacon, fried egg, olives, morrones, then the lid.
8. Press the sandwich down gently, cut it in half with a serrated knife, and serve immediately with a mountain of chips, before the egg yolk sets.

Technique

• The name means little goat, from a 1940s order in Punta del Este for goat meat that the cook did not have; he served beef instead and the sandwich stuck.
• The steak must be tenderloin, pounded thin. Uruguayans are firm on this; a thick or cheap cut ruins the balance of the layers.
• Assemble at the last second and serve hot. A chivito that sits collapses under the weight of its own fillings.

Substitutions

• No pan de chivito? A soft, slightly sweet brioche bun holds the fillings better than a crusty roll, which tears the meat out when bitten.
• Provolone can replace mozzarella for a sharper, more Italo-Uruguayan flavour.

Variations

• Chivito al plato, the same components served on a plate with chips, fried egg and salad instead of in a roll.
• Chivito canadiense, the loaded version with extra bacon and cheese.
• Chivito completo, with pickled peppers, olives, ham, egg and everything the kitchen has.

History

A substantial steak sandwich piled with ham, cheese, fried or hard-boiled egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, invented, according to a commonly repeated Uruguayan account, in Punta del Este in 1946, when a restaurant, having run out of the goat meat, or chivo, a customer originally requested, substituted thin-sliced beef and additional toppings instead, with the sandwich keeping the name chivito, meaning little goat, despite containing no goat meat at all. This origin story is widely repeated within Uruguay though not independently verified through contemporary documentation. Uruguay’s strong cattle-ranching economy and correspondingly high per-capita beef consumption made a substantial beef sandwich a natural fit for the national diet, and chivito has since become widely regarded as one of Uruguay’s defining national dishes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chivito?

Chivito is a main from Uruguay: towering steak sandwich with ham, mozzarella, egg, olives and fries. A substantial steak sandwich piled with ham, cheese, fried or hard-boiled egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, invented, according to a commonly repeated Uruguayan account, in Punta del Este in 1946, when a restaurant, having run out of the goat meat, or chivo, a customer originally requested, substituted thin-sliced beef and additional toppings instead, with the sandwich keeping the name chivito, meaning little goat, despite containing no goat meat at all. This origin story is widely repeated within Uruguay though not independently verified through contemporary documentation. Uruguay’s strong cattle-ranching economy and correspondingly high per-capita beef consumption made a substantial beef sandwich a natural fit for the national diet, and chivito has since become widely regarded as one of Uruguay’s defining national dishes.

How long does Chivito take to make?

Chivito takes 30 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 sandwiches. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Chivito?

Yes, within limits. No pan de chivito? A soft, slightly sweet brioche bun holds the fillings better than a crusty roll, which tears the meat out when bitten. Provolone can replace mozzarella for a sharper, more Italo-Uruguayan flavour.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chivito?

The steak must be tenderloin, pounded thin. Uruguayans are firm on this; a thick or cheap cut ruins the balance of the layers.