Chimichurri sauce. I was first introduced to it during a South American-themed cook-along. Participants posted recipes they were interested in, or thought others might be interested in. We could choose among the posted recipes or not. But we had to cook a South American dinner on a chosen night, then post about it.
I chose grilled beef skewers with Chimichurri sauce, some kind of rice dish, and mojito cocktails. I knew right away that I would like the Chimichurri. It had fresh, strong flavors. I have to have strong flavors, I’m half Korean! My husband just rolls his eyes when I bring out the kochu-jang – Korean red pepper paste.
Anyway, while Chimichurri isn’t a hot sauce per se, when I make it I do make it on the spicy side by adding extra onion or some jalapeno pepper. To me, Chimichurri has become a foodie word that encompasses just about any sauce that contains fresh herbs pureed with other stuff to make a vibrant, fragrant condiment. You can make it whatever you want. You can use it to accompany any food you want. Do your thing. You can’t mess it up. You can use the fresh herbs of your choice. Parsley, cilantro, oregano, thyme, mint, basil, etc.
Take your fresh herbs, singly or in combination, and then add the secondary ingredients: onion or garlic or shallots or peppers or any combination of those you like – are you getting the picture yet? Do. What. You. Like. After those aromatic ingredients, you add oil and vinegar. But you don’t want to make an oil emulsion, so just add them both before blending in a blender or food processor. Salt and pepper are the final common ingredients.
My first Chimichurri recipe:
Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce
- 1 cup lightly packed chopped parsley (ideally, flat leaf “Italian” parsley)
- 3 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
- 2 T fresh oregano leaves
- 2 T shallot or onion, minced
- 3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
- 3 T sherry wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar
- 3 T lemon juice
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree.
And here’s what I made last night for my salmon:
Small food processors suck - get a big one!
- A couple handfuls of cilantro
- Half a medium onion cut into quarters
- Red wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- S&P
Add everything to the food processor and puree. I need a bigger food processor – this little one is sooooo noisy. I have to pulse, pulse, pulse to get things pureed so my eardrums don’t fall out. (Is that possible?)
Pureed and Ready.
Notice the cute mini orchids in the background? I grew those!
I found that making small batches is best. I tend to make things in bulk – I figure I’m doing the work or turning on the grill so I might as well make that huge batch of whatever. And it does turn out okay to have a container of Chimichurri sauce in the fridge. But now I’m trying making small, fresh batches that get eaten in one or two meals. It doesn’t take much time, really.
Try some fresh herb puree with your steak, chicken, fish, eggs, in soups, as a salad dressing. Grok would have loved it. You’ll love it. Make some today!