Of the many gifts Argentina has given to world cuisine it could be argued that chimichurri is the greatest — at least in our household.
This fresh, and traditionally uncooked, sauce is a blend of parsley, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and red wine vinegar in its green, or verde, version, with tomato and red bell pepper added to the red, or rojo, version.
Red pepper flake may be added as well for those of us who like their sauces with a little kick.
But the history of sauce, as with most cuisine, has been lost over the years. Etymologists have tried to hone in on the name, with the explanation that it comes from the Basque word tximitxurri (pronounced chim-eee-choo-ree), which translates loosely to “a mixture of ingredients put together in no specific order.” Well, as someone more interested in the food and less in the language, this origin leaves a little something to be desired.
Food historians however believe that the sauce was created by gauchos who used oil and dried spices to create quick and easy condiments to season meat that was cooked while out on the range. This origin tends to hold up as the sauce is not only popular in Argentina but also Uruguay and Colombia. The constant travel of the gaucho seems to be the perfect vehicle for the sauce to spread across South America easily.
This week Chef Tom and I take chimichurri and put a little spin on it with fire-roasted elements all coming together to create the perfect sauce for a thick ribeye steak.
[audio pending]
Chimichurri
Ingredients
- 4 jalapeño peppers, roasted, peeled & stems removed
- 1/4 large sweet onion
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves
- 1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to 450ºF, set up for direct grilling.
- To make the chimichurri, first place the peppers and onion on the grill and grill until the peppers are charred on all sides and the onions is slightly softened.
- Transfer the peppers to a zip top plastic bag (or covered bowl) and let steam 10-15 minutes.
- While the peppers are steaming, chop up the onion and transfer to the blender. Add the remaining ingredients for the chimichurri to the blender.
- Remove the peppers from the bag. Remove the stems. Split the peppers open and scrape out the seeds. Peel off the skins and discard. Dice the remaining flesh and add to the blender.
- Blend the chimichurri to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed.
- Serve the chimichurri with grilled meat. Ribeye steaks cooked to 130ºF internal temperature are ideal.
