Sunday, March 18, 2012

Chimichurri

My husband brought back a few bottles of Malbec after his recent business trip to Buenos Aires and I wanted to make a dinner to match the deeply colored highly flavored wine. What to serve with Argentinian wine? An Argentinian meal of grilled steak, Chimichurri sauce, Argentinian Black Beans (recipe link will be added here later), salad, and as an appetizer Grilled Provolone with Grilled Ciabatta Bread (recipe link to be added for this wonderful appetizer later).
Chimichurri sauce is green because it is is packed so full of parsley! Mine may not be the authentic Chimichurri, but it's tasty!

If you are interested in the nutrition and calories, you can find them here. I ran them assuming a fairly large serving. If you use less and are a calorie counter, take that into consideration.

Ingredients:

2 cups packed finely chopped flat Italian leaf parsley
5 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
pinch of salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t hot red pepper flakes
2 T fresh oregano leaves
2 T shallot, finely minced
3/4 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 T white wine vinegar*
1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice*

* many people like a more acidic Chimichurri. If you are one of them, please feel free to double the vinegar and lemon juice. A recipe is but a template, you take it and make it yours.

Directions:

Chop and measure everything.

Put everything in a large bowl (or blender) and finish the "chopping" with an immersion blender stick.  I love the blender sticks because they are so much easier to clean than traditional blenders.

Refrigerate for a couple hours, taste and adjust the seasonings - but remember, it will taste different when it is sitting prettily atop a forkful of steak.

Serve the steak and Chimichurri with a hearty Malbec wine. If you cannot find a Malbec, then one of the more assertive Zinfandels will do in its place...I do NOT mean that pink wine that too many people think of when they hear the word Zinfandel. I mean a serious red Zin.

 A more feminine Pinot Noir or a subtle Cabernet would simply be lost on the palate under an avalanche of highly seasoned Chimichurri, making them most un-mindful choices.

As you make and then eat this wonderful sauce, spend a few moments in the most mindful way you can. Appreciate the color, the silky texture, the aroma of the fresh ingredients while you chop, the aromatic mingling of aromas once it is mixed, and explore how the flavor changes when it is sampled alone and then when it is added to a bite of grilled beef. Enjoy.

3 comments:

  1. Next time you make this, leave out the shallot and chop by hand. It will not be milky looking and be closer to how it is made in Argentina. My mother in law always added crushed red pepper instead of black pepper. Red wine vinegar and 1 bay leaf. Lemon juice was never used but like you said it is a template. I have been making this for 30 years+. I often will make it without the vinegar so I can use it in cooking. Then when I want to use it for my asado, I will add the vinegar. I add it to plain pasta and use it in red sauce.

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  2. oh how awesome! I don't know of anyone from Argentina nor have I ever had what I absolutely knew was authentic sauce.

    I will try it without the lemon juice and shallot next time for sure.

    How long do you let the bay leaf sit in the sauce?

    in red sauce!!!!!!! thank you!!!!!

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