Chimichurri

I Love Chimichurri.

Chimichurri is an Argentinian parsley "sauce", and usually eaten as an accompaniment to meats. And it is ridiculously easy to prepare and very versatile.

Here is my version of this recipe:

• 10-20 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
• half of a small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic (use less if you're not as into garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
• 2-4 tablespoons of red or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the parsley, you may substitute with curly parsley, but make sure for either type, use mainly the leaves. A bit of stem is OK but try not to use the main stalk of the parsley.

Put parsley, onion, garlic, red paper flakes, oregano, salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil into a food processor or blender. Then pulse it 10-15 times. You do not want a puree. You still want to see small chunks. This is not a smooth sauce.

When done, pour content into a large ceramic bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and mix thoroughly. Give it a taste. It should taste like fresh parsley, with a bit of acidity from the vinegar. Add additional tablespoons of vinegar if needed. Adjust seasoning to your liking. The sauce should not be too thick or too runny. If it is too thick, add a bit more olive oil.

This is the version that I made yesterday:

I served it with a roast leg of lamb, and it was delicious. Chimichurri should be served at room temperature, although you may store it in a tightly-closed containing in the fridge. Make it at least an hour before serving so that the flavor has time to "bloom".

It goes very well with lamb, steaks, grilled chicken, prime rib, and grilled fish. I've also seen people used this to dress cold pasta salad. Like I said, this is a very versatile sauce.

Zz.