Chimichurri

Chimichurri is Argentina’s perfect accompaniment to grilled meats, poultry, fish and vegetables; it can also be used as a marinade for meats, poultry and fish.  We recommend serving Chimicurri with grilled skirt steak which has been marinated in our Go-To Marinade for Beef. Chimichurri is a great dressing for a sliced fresh mozzarella appetizer and can substitute for fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil in a Caprese salad. Speaking from personal experience, you can dip fresh baguette slices into Chimichurri for an addictive appetizer, but you won’t have any baguette left-over for the main course if you do… just saying.

We prefer using a hand blender or even a traditional blender to a food processor when preparing chimichurri; it gives you more control over the consistency and a hand blender is far easier to clean.  To store leftover chimichurri, should you have any, place in a glass container (we use a bistro glass), gently float a very thin layer of extra virgin olive oil on top, cover with an air-tight lid and refrigerate.  Chimichurri will keep refrigerated for up to a month but the flavor will decrease significantly after 10 days, so eat up!

Prep Time: 20 minutes, Total Time: 20 minutes.

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

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Italian Flat Parsley leaves, well rinsed and shaken dry
• 6 cloves of Garlic, peeled and trimmed
• 1 fresh Bay Leaf, center rib removed and cut or torn into small pieces
• 2 tbs dried Oregano
• ½ tsp dried Thyme
• ½ tsp Coarse Sea Salt
• ½ tsp coarsely-ground Black Pepper
• ½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes
• ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
• ¼ cup dry Red Wine (Malbec, Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or a dry Red Wine blend)
• 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation:

1. Press the Parsley leaves into the bottom of a hand or traditional blender container or food processor.
2. Add the Garlic through Red Wine to the container. Using a hand blender or food processor, blitz it just enough to make a wet pulp.
3. Pour the Extra Virgin 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 and/or red wine).
5. Serve at room temperature