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.

Aleppo Pepper Chimichurri

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

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Wilted Arugula Salad

We were introduced to Wilted Arugula Salad on our first trip to Buenos Aires. We initially thought this lovely salad had perhaps been prepared well ahead of serving, but we were advised that this is the way Porteños enjoy their Arugula salad. The lemon juice really enhances and permeates the arugula and the rich, salty Parmigiano Reggiano cheese shavings add the perfect finishing touch to this very refreshing and colorful salad.

Serve Wilted Arugula Salad as a starter for a spicy dish like Sichuan Noodles with Pork; it is a great also when served aside grilled meats or other well-seasoned meat dishes such as Chicken Abruzzese, providing a fresh, bracing complement to rich meats and poultry. Wilted Arugula Salad makes for a tasty, light lunch with a bit of fresh, crusty bread on the side. We recommend using wild arugula when preparing Wilted Arugula Salad for its more pronounced, slightly bitter taste but regular arugula will do too; a combination of wild arugula and cress in this salad is also very good.

Wilted Arugula Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Total Time: 30 minutes. Serves 2.

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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!

Chimichurri

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

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

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