Amazing Chimichurri Sauce.

Chimichurri is one of those versatile sauces which goes well with beef, pork, chicken, fish and seafood and even as a topping on grilled vegetables. Originating in Argentina (brought there by Basque settlers from Spain – I believe) it’s packed with the earthy flavors of fresh herbs and can be tailored to one’s liking, as I’m about to show you in this recipe.

You will notice that I didn’t add any mint (somewhat traditional) as I’m not a huge fan of that herb.. I get the sensation of chewing minty gum and I did go in with a couple Bird’s Eye peppers for a slight kick and a splash of lemon juice for a bit of citrus acidity.

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
large bunch Italian Parsley (abt 1-2 cups loosely)
small bunch cilantro (abt 1 cup – loosely)
3 bird’s eye pepper
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon olive oil

Note: If you choose to use the peppers as I did, you can remove the seeds from them to control the level of heat a bit. And instead of the lemon juice, you can use lime juice for a more pronounced citrus note. I’d also recommend adding a bit of oregano if you’re fond of that herb.

• wash the herbs and remove the hardy stems
• give everything a rough chop
• add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender
• PULSE and scrape down the sides as you do
• try to NOT add more liquid as it will work out to be a nice thick sauce
• but.. if you like it a bit more runny, you can add a bit more olive oil or a splash of water.
• I used apple cider vinegar as it’s what I had on hand.. feel free to use red wine vinegar (even plain white vinegar will work)
• place in a glass container (with lid) and store in the fridge for at least a week.

I usually make this chimichurri sauce whenever I grill steaks.