Lomito

Ingredients

The meat

• 2 slicesbeef tenderloin (lomo), 180 g each, beaten to 1.5 cm thick
• 1 tbspsunflower oil
• 1 tspcoarse salt
• ½ tspblack pepper
• 2garlic cloves, crushed, optional

To build

• 2large soft rolls or 2 lengths of French bread, split
• 4 slicescooked ham
• 4 slicesmozzarella or a mild melting cheese
• 2eggs, fried in butter with soft yolks
• 1tomato, sliced
• 4lettuce leaves
• 2 tbspmayonnaise
• 1 tbspchimichurri or a little olive oil and oregano

On the side

• 300 gchips, fried twice
• Salsa golf: 3 tbsp mayonnaise mixed with 1 tbsp tomato ketchup and a dash of Worcestershire

Directions

1. Beat the tenderloin slices between two sheets of paper with the flat of a heavy knife until even, no more than 1.5 cm thick. Even thickness matters more than thinness.
2. Season with salt, pepper and the crushed garlic and leave 10 minutes at room temperature.
3. Get a heavy pan or a flat plancha very hot, add the oil and sear the meat 90 seconds on the first side without moving it, until a brown crust forms.
4. Turn, lay a slice of cooked ham and two slices of cheese on each piece, and cook another 60–90 seconds. Cover the pan for the last 30 seconds so the cheese melts over the edges.
5. Fry the eggs in butter in a second pan, spooning hot butter over the whites so they set while the yolks stay liquid.
6. Toast the cut sides of the rolls in the meat pan for 30 seconds so they absorb the fat and juices.
7. Spread mayonnaise on the base, lay on lettuce and tomato, then the steak with its ham and cheese, then the fried egg, and add the chimichurri.
8. Close firmly, press once, cut in half on the diagonal and serve immediately with the chips and salsa golf. The yolk should break as the sandwich is lifted.

Technique

• The lomito is Córdoba’s sandwich above all, sold from lomiterías that stay open until dawn, though it is eaten across Argentina.
• Salsa golf is an Argentine invention, credited to the Nobel laureate Luis Federico Leloir at a golf club in Mar del Plata in the 1920s, and it belongs with the chips.
• A completo carries ham, cheese, egg, lettuce and tomato. Ordering a simple gets you just the meat and bread.
• Do not overcook the tenderloin. It is lean and turns dry and grey in seconds; three minutes total is the whole cook.

Substitutions

• Tenderloin is expensive: a thin sirloin or rump steak, well beaten, is the everyday substitute and has more flavour.
• Chicken breast beaten thin makes a lomito de pollo, which is a standard menu option.
• No salsa golf: plain mayonnaise with a squeeze of lemon works, but the pink sauce is part of the experience.

Variations

• Lomito completo, with ham, cheese, egg, lettuce and tomato.
• Lomito árabe, wrapped in flatbread with onion and lemon, a Córdoba speciality of Syrian-Lebanese origin.
• Lomito al plato, served without bread on a plate of chips and fried egg.

History

A Córdoba speciality sold at night from lomiterías, piled high enough to need both hands.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lomito?

Lomito is a street food from Argentina: grilled beef sandwich with ham, cheese, fried egg and salad. A Córdoba speciality sold at night from lomiterías, piled high enough to need both hands.

How long does Lomito take to make?

Lomito takes 20 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 sandwiches. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Lomito?

Yes, within limits. Tenderloin is expensive: a thin sirloin or rump steak, well beaten, is the everyday substitute and has more flavour. Chicken breast beaten thin makes a lomito de pollo, which is a standard menu option. No salsa golf: plain mayonnaise with a squeeze of lemon works, but the pink sauce is part of the experience.

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

Do not overcook the tenderloin. It is lean and turns dry and grey in seconds; three minutes total is the whole cook.