Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
Can we throw our life into chaos then take back the leash? That’s exactly what we can do with a chaotic chimichurri recipe!
As much as we like order and continuity, especially in recipes -just think of how Michelin stars are earned- we thrive for chaos too. We need out of order things so much that an entire industry was capable of building around our eagerness for losing control of ourselves.
Can we lose our chimichurri?
Obviously, we are not that of a daredevil as to throw everything behind and live in the woods. We may play with the thought of turning our back on civilization and carve wooden gnomes for a living but few of us end up like Germany’s Rambo.
We like our imperfect society with sometimes annoying friends and bully bosses or at least we prefer them to bears, snakes and loneliness. But we want to get rid of them sometimes with the promise of getting them back. It’s like having a babysitter for our life that takes care of it until we get back to take the lead again.
How did we lose our mind without chimichurri?
Unfortunately, not everybody is able to take a year or even a month off to climb K2, so people had to find solutions to lose their minds. It was especially true a couple of years ago in feudal societies where people couldn’t even have the right to leave their villages, let alone a trip around the world.
Not like in tribal times people could become a big fan of all-inclusive holidays overseas so they had to do what they could to let the steam out. So came the rise of mind-altering substances from licking frogs to drinking fermented fruit juices or smoking plants.
We may think that losing ourselves every now and then is a particular human pass time but unsurprisingly or not animals are happy eating fermented fruits to have some time out too.
Does chimichurri have to be in control?
Naturally, we do this with the promise that we are going to get all back soon enough -especially if we end up in a corner screaming for hours on end- otherwise who would want to throw its life in unknown never-ending chaos?
Just like who would like to go to a party with unknown food without even the promise of that it will be tasty or filling. We need to know that it’s going to be a BBQ party for not to pop into for a BigMac before arriving, the same way we need to know there will be chimichurri as sauce for the meat for not to bring our own one.
What is chimichurri?
Chimichurri is an Argentinian condiment with Spanish or more precisely Basque roots. At least that is what its name may implies to those who dive deep into the bottomless well of languages. Similar words to chimichurri in both language means “hubbub” or “something we just throw together”.
Chimichurri is loyal to its supposed name as it doesn’t like to be restrained by anything in particular. There are a couple of main ingredients like parsley, garlic, olive oil, oregano and red wine vinegar that generally goes into it, but nothing’s set into stone nor is there lack of space for new ingredients.
So much indeed that chimichurri sauce also exists in red with various red ingredients like roasted bell pepper, tomato and paprika.
In the green chimichurri Cilantro, jalapeno, shallot, red pepper, rosemary, black pepper are all very welcome but it’s recommended not to throw all in together or at least not to serve it before tasting it first.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch / 200g Parsley
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 Shallot or ½ red onion
- 1 slice of Red pepper
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Oregano or two stems fresh
- ½ Vinegar (possibly red wine vinegar)
- Optional:
- ¼ Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper (ground)
- Hot pepper or hot sauce to taste
How to make Chimichurri
- Rinse and peel all the needs to be rinsed and peeled.
- Finely chop all the parsley, garlic, shallot or red onion, red pepper, and oregano if used fresh. Try to cut them the same size. Same size tastes better.
- Mix them all into a bowl then add salt, optional black pepper and lemon juice.
- Add Olive oil.
- Add vinegar.
- Fill it into an airtight container and let the flavors come together for at least an hour or even more if possible.
Enjoy!
Chimichurri Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 bunch / 200g Parsley
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 Shallot or ½ red onion
- 1 slice of Red pepper
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Oregano or two stems fresh
- ½ cup Vinegar possibly red wine vinegar
Optional:
- ¼ Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper ground
- Hot pepper or hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- Rinse and peel all the needs to be rinsed and peeled.
- Finely chop all the parsley, garlic, shallot or red onion, red pepper, and oregano if used fresh. Try to cut them the same size. Same size tastes better.
- Mix them all into a bowl then add salt, optional black pepper and lemon juice.
- Add Olive oil.
- Add vinegar.
- Fill it into an airtight container and let the flavors come together for at least an hour or even more if possible.
Notes
F.A.Q.
What is Chimichurri made of?
Chimichurri is made of parsley, garlic, shallot, salt, olive oil, oregano and red wine vinegar. Additional spices and herbs can be used like black pepper hot pepper or lemon juice besides many others.
How long does chimichurri last in the fridge?
As it is made of fresh herbs without sterilization, it won’t last forever. It can be safely used up within a week and even more if no herbs are poking out from the liquid.
What is the difference between pesto and chimichurri?
Besides they are green and both have olive oil, there is nothing common in them. Pesto is made of basil, pine seeds and cheese while chimichurri is parsley and garlic and a ton of other stuff.
What does chimichurri taste like?
As it is made of mostly parsley soaked in olive oil and vinegar that’s exactly what it tastes like. Imagine a hint of garlic and oregano and we’ll be right there.
Is Chimichurri spicy hot?
Chimichurri can be hot if hot spices are used for the making. There is no general rule what goes into chimichurri besides parsley so it can definitely be hot.
Why is it called chimichurri?
Chimichurri is an Argentinian condiment with Spanish or more precisely Basque roots. At least that is what its name may implies to those who dive deep into the bottomless well of languages. Similar words to chimichurri in both language means “hubbub” or “something we just throw together”.
Loved it with roast chicken!
It was a bbq saver!