Chimichurri Sauce -- Argentinian and Addictive...

I'd been wanting to try making chimichurri sauce since I saw it on FoodBlogga this past summer. So when good grilling weather arrived earlier this week, I seized the day!

Besides being fun to say, chimichurri is also fun to eat. This traditional Argentinian sauce is made from a mixture of fresh herbs, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. The combination is fresh, flavorful and slightly eye-popping in a way that makes you want more and more of the stuff.

Although it's traditionally used as a marinade and a dipping sauce for grilled beef (Argentina is the culinary epicenter of grilled meats, especially beef), it is also a great accompaniment to chicken, pork, lamb, and fish. And if you add a bit more oil and vinegar, it makes quite a tasty salad dressing, too.

The recipe below is flexible. For example, you can use all lemon juice or all vinegar if you prefer, play around with the ratio of the various herbs, or experiment with adding some different herbs to the mix. I added some marjoram to my chimichurri and liked it a lot even though it's not typically included.  I think fresh mint would also be delicious in this sauce.

In addition to being yummy and easy to make, this parsley-based sauce is a godsend for any CSA members who have the "good luck" to receive bunch after bunch of parsley in their produce boxes. More parsley, hurray!!!

I served the sauce over some really good grass-fed organic beef steaks from Marin Sun Farms along with oven roasted potatoes with garlic and herbs, artichokes with Meyer lemon mayo, and a salad. ¡Muy sabroso!

Chimichurri Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients

*  1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
*  2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice

* 2 Tbsps apple cider vinegar, red wine or sherry vinegar
* 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, washed and dried
* 1 cup cilantro leaves, washed and dried

* 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
* 1/4 cup oregano leaves, washed and dried
* 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
* 1/2 shallot, roughly chopped
* 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (you can also use half a small jalapeno if you have one on hand, just remember to remove the seeds unless you like it hot and don't touch your eyes after handling them!)
 

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Place the sauce in a non-reactive bowl or storage container, cover and refrigerate for 2-6 hours (this will allow the flavors to develop some more depth.) Remove from the fridge half an hour before using. This sauce should keep for up to a week if kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.