The BEST Chimichurri Sauce

The BEST Chimichurri Sauce

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Originating from Argentina, Chimichurri is a delicious sauce simply made from chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. It is typically served with grilled steak, but can be served over chicken, fish and roasted vegetables. For all those garlic lovers out there….this is your sauce! You may even consider it your all time favorite,  or just… the BEST sauce ever!
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I found this Historical tidbit at: Latin American Specialty Foods:

It is said that in the mid 1800s, an Englishman and bon vivant, Jimmy Curry arrived in Argentina. Deeply interested in importing Argentine meat to the United Kingdom, he was welcomed with a traditional criollo Argentine barbecue. He quickly fell in love with the aroma and taste of the roasted meats and set about to create a spicy accompaniment to show his appreciation for the tasty barbecue. He gathered spices such as chili pepper, sweet red pepper, tomatoes, onions and garlic, and combined them with rosemary, oregano, thyme and salt. He boiled the concoction, together to create a sauce to scent and flavor the meat. The sauce caught on quickly, and today has become the traditional sauce of Argentina. After Jimmy’s departure, his landlady forgot his name, but remembered the recipe for the popular sauce. So as legend has it, Jimmy Curry’s sauce became what it is today “Chimichurri”.

And Wikipedia says: “…The sauce was popular and the recipe was passed on. However, ‘Jimmy McCurry’ was difficult for the native people to say. Some sources claim Jimmy’s sauce’s name was corrupted to ‘chimichurri’, while others say it was changed in his honor.”

Chimichurri Sauce

 When preparing Chimichurri sauce you can adjust the consistency from smooth to thick (like a salsa), although you want to keep some texture of the herbs and onions as opposed to pureeing them to a creamy texture. You also can try different variations by using cilantro instead of parsley (as I did), and other spices such as oregano, cumin, or thyme. And lastly, this versatile sauce can also be used as a marinade.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Cups of fresh parsley and/or cilantro, stems and all
  • 2 small shallots, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Sea salt to taste
  • fresh thyme leaves (garnish)

Directions:

  1. Using a food processor or blender, add the onion and garlic and pulse or chop. Do not over do it, you want texture in the sauce, as opposed to a puree.  Remove and place in a bowl
  2. Add parsley or cilantro, and pulse or chop, until finely chopped. Add to the bowl with the onion/garlic mixture
  3. Add the olive oil, oregano, lemon, vinegar, salt and red pepper to the blender or food processor (this will help get all the herbs left in there) and mix together.
  4. Pour into a covered jar or a seal in a bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 or more hours until ready to serve.
  5. Grill your steak and pour over the top.

Plating the Dish
Here I sliced 1/4 avocado into thin slices, put sliced steak on the plate, spooned a steam of chimichurri sauce over the steak, and garnished with a slice of red pepper for color and a sprig of Thyme. Soooo Good!