Chimichurri: fun to say, more fun to eat.
It’s even kind of fun to burp up afterward, truth be told. And it keeps the vampires away. Along with most other people, but hey: most people are kind of annoying anyway, am I right? I mean, not you guys. Those other people.
I wanted something for dinner that would take advantage of the bounty of the summer herb garden, and chimichurri – a traditional Argentine herb and garlic condiment – fit the bill. Of course. my particular garden doesn’t actually grow any of the herbs I decided to use, so I’m really showcasing the bounty of Fresh Direct.
Parsley, cilantro and mint were all hand chopped. You know, that whole chopping-as-therapeutic thing. Like, maybe the chopping will help things along before the drugs have a chance to kick in (it didn’t).
The cilantro and mint are not strictly traditional, although there are so many recipes for chimichurri floating around that it’s not clear what is, exactly. I also added dried oregano and crushed red pepper flakes, which are. As though I should be lecturing anyone on what’s traditional or not, having never (1) been to Argentina or (2) actually eaten chimichurri ever. So you should TOTALLY TRUST my recipe.
One thing I do know it needs: garlic, and plenty of it. Because I hate chopping garlic To wreak maximum destruction of the garlic’s cell walls, thereby ensuring maximum garlic flavor, I grated it up with a microplane rather than mincing. I whisked in red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and left the chimichurri to sit and meld for an hour.
Speaking of tradition, chimichurri is also traditionally served with red meat. Unfortunately, my gut and arteries are still recovering from the drunk strip steaks, which made an appearance on the weekend breakfast table along with sweet potato hash and fried eggs. And really, chimichurri seems like it would be good on anything, yes? Yes. So I seared up some jumbo shrimp.
Y’all. Chimichurri is going to change my summer dinner table. Holy shit.
How did I never know before? This shit is fantastic! Pungent, fresh, salty, bright – it tastes like summer. Garlicky, garlicky summer. I decree that I will eat nothing but grilled or seared meats smothered in chimichurri for the rest of the season. DECREED.
Can I digress for a minute? Of course I can, it’s my blog. Thanks for all the well-wishes on last Thursday’s post; I really appreciate it. For those who are interested, the shrink and I are implementing what is, at this point, Plan R, which better fucking work because otherwise I have to go to a specialist and I don’t even want to THINK about how much that shit will cost, because you KNOW insurance won’t cover it. But I’m getting ahead of myself: let’s all cross our fingers for Plan R. Plan R FTW!
1 c. lightly packed flat-leaf parsley
1/2 c. lightly packed cilantro
1/2 c. lightly packed mint
2 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
8 cloves garlic
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1 c. good olive oil*
Finely mince all the fresh herbs; you can do it in a FoPro if you want, but I think they maintain their integrity more if you chop ‘em by hand.
Stir in the oregano and red pepper flakes. Finely mince the garlic and add it.
Whisk in the vinegar and oil. Taste and adjust the salt level.
Let the chimichurri sit for at least an hour before using. Makes about 2 cups, keeps for about a week.
*You really taste it, so pick one you really enjoy.