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Chimichurri, Part 1
March 8th, 2010
Chimichurri is just about the most-requested dish for me to make for my husband, Evan. Since we started making it for ourselves, late last summer, it’s really become a crowd pleaser for our family and guests, too.
At first glance, chimichurri seems like a vinegary salsa, and that’s true, but the ratios are a little different. Salsas are typically like, a 2-1 on the tomatoes: this is a little more even. This is also one of those things I make where I couldn’t really tell you exactly what the exact amounts are for the ingredients, but I try to make a close approximation.
I got the recipe off one of the first Googlings (I am not sure that’s a word) for “chimichurri,” from Asado Argentina. This recipe is just a tad different, as I’ve modified it for our tastes and for what I can usually find around.
You will also see that this is “Part 1.” As a general rule, I try to make the chimichurri at least a day in advance of when I want to eat it. Tomorrow, we’re having some friends over and we’ll be grilling the steaks I will be marinating in this delicious slurry.
I could eat it with a spoon, but you can decide if you’re that much of a fanatic on your own. I will warn you, this stuff is addictive.
Ingredients
- 2-3 small sweet onions, minced
- 5-6 roma tomatoes, quartered, seeded and rough chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, rough chopped
- 1 Tbsp. sea salt
- 1 Tbsp. oregano
- 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika (you can also use regular; I just like the smoked stuff)
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- olive oil (and plenty of it)
- red wine vinegar (and plenty of it)
- water
Directions
- I usually kick things off by prepping everything: I start with the onions, then the red bell pepper, then the tomatoes (which are the most time consuming). Do yourself a favor and make sure you’re using a sharp knife: you don’t want to smash your tomatoes to death. Deposit everything into the biggest glass or plastic bowl you have: NO METAL.
- Add half the salt to the big three and stir together.
- Then the parsley: rinse the bunch under the tap, shake off the excess water, then grab the top of the bunch in one hand and the base in the other and twist firmly. What you should come away with is mostly the leaves on the top and a minimal amount of stem. Rough chop the top of the bunch.
- Next, the garlic: I do this last because if you’re trying to use one cutting board, garlic makes everything stick! So save it for last. Peel the garlic and smash the cloves with the side of your knife, then mince mince mince.
- Finally the spices and the rest of the salt. Stir it all together and let it rest for about 10 minutes to meld. This’ll let the veggies absorb some of the dry seasonings.
- As you start adding the liquids, here’s how you do it: add 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup water, and 1/2 cup olive oil. Stir. Now add equal parts vinegar, water and oil until there’s a slight puddle on the top of your chimichurri.
And that’s it: you have made chimichurri. What is mostly prep work turns into something amazing that you can put on literally everything: meat, chicken, seafood: it’s all good.
Check back tomorrow to see how the skirt steaks turn out.
Tags: olive oil, onions, parsley, red bell pepper
This entry was posted on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 9:28 pm and is filed under Recipes. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
[...] half recipe of chimichurri for marinade (recipe here) [...]
I loved the steaks and Chimmichurri when you made it at our house. I’m totally down with eating that anytime.