Aleppo Pepper Chimichurri

Aleppo Pepper Chimichurri is a variation we created on Argentina’s national sauce for grilled meats, poultry, fish and vegetables.  Sweet Aleppo peppers, with a taste reminiscent of both sweet red pepper and tomato with just a hint of heat, are wonderful, either grilled or incorporated into sauces. Try some Aleppo Pepper Chimichurri on Grilled Flat Iron Steak.

We prefer using a hand blender or even a traditional blender to a food processor when preparing Aleppo Pepper Chimichurri; it gives you more control over the consistency and a hand blender is far easier to clean than either of the other two devices.  To store leftover Aleppo Pepper Chimichurri, place in a glass container (we use a bistro glass), cover with an air-tight lid and refrigerate.  Aleppo Pepper Chimichurri will keep refrigerated for up to a month but the flavor will decrease significantly after 10 days.

Total Time: 30 minutes. Yields approximately 1 1/4 cups.

Support Cook and Eat at Home. Purchase a PDF of the Aleppo Pepper Chimichurri recipe for $1.00

Ingredients:

• 15 fresh Aleppo Peppers*, stemmed and roughly chopped
• 4 small or 3 large cloves of Garlic, peeled and trimmed
• 2 Tbs Italian Flat Leaf Parsley leaves, rinsed
• 2 tsp Za’atar*
• ½ tsp Fine Sea Salt
• 2 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tbs dry Red Wine (Malbec, Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or  dry Red Wine blend)
• ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes
• 1 tsp Aleppo Pepper flakes

Preparation:

1. Place the Aleppo peppers, garlic, and parsley leaves into the bottom of a hand or a traditional blender container or food processor.
2. Add the za’atar, sea salt, vinegar, and red wine to the container and process it just enough to make a wet pulp.
3. Pour the olive oil into the container and process to a well-blended yet thick consistency.
4. Taste and adjust for flavor (salt and/or red wine vinegar).
5. Add the crushed red pepper flakes and Aleppo pepper flakes and process for 5 seconds only, transfer to a serving bowl.
6. Serve Aleppo Pepper Chimichurri at room temperature.

*Notes:

• If fresh Aleppo peppers are not available, you can substitute two Fresno chilis, stemmed and seeded, or half a grilled red bell pepper.
• Za’atar or Zaatar is a spice mixture used in many of the cuisines of the Middle East, from Tunisia to Turkey. Za’atar can be purchased at Middle Eastern groceries and markets and on-line.