Subtitle: A Bad Use of a Good Chimichurri
I need to start this post by apologizing in advance to any and all Argentinians who happen by this post AND anyone else who might happen to attempt this recipe. This recipe is definitely not from Argentina and is, arguably, edible at best. There is one magical part of the recipe that hails from Argentina, chimichurri sauce, which I felt compelled to write about because it is simple, versatile, easy to make, delicious and FRUGAL.
Chimichurri is itself a fusion of Argentinian and Italian influence. It’s found all over South America in different variations and commonly used as a table sauce and marinade for grilled meats. It’s basically parsley and/or cilantro, garlic and spices ground up with oil and vinegar. You could think of it like a South American pesto for meat.
Below is my last interpretation of chimichurri:
Chimichurri sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh curly parsley leaves, lightly chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2t 1t salt
- 1/4t black pepper
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Put all the ingredients except the oil into a food processor and chop until fine. Add the olive oil and mix well. Serve this on simply grilled beef, chicken, pork or sausages (or breakfast tacos). It would also be great as a sandwich spread.
Chimichurri is best after it’s had a chance to sit for a day so making it the day before you need it is a good idea. It keeps in the fridge for at least a week so make a big batch and keep it on hand.
There are many variations of chimichurri. Next time I make this I might:
- Use flat leaf parsley or use half cilantro.
- Add some hungarian or spanish smoked paprika
- Add some Mexican oregano
- Add some hot chile flakes (like the pizza variety) or cayenne pepper
So, now that you know how to make this magical sauce, here is how NOT to use it:
Argentinian Breakfast Tacos
- 2 small flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup refried beans
- 2 eggs
- hot sauce
- 2T chimichurri
Fry the eggs over medium or however you like them. Make each taco with a warm tortilla, 1/4 cup of beans, 1 egg, a few dashes of hot sauce and 1T of the chimichurri. Lean over the plate because it’s going to get messy. YUM! (or YUCK!)
The fact that I took this wonderful sauce and combined it with eggs, beans and tortillas is testament to my own inability to recognize a bad combination when I taste it. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t make this again. In fact, as I write this post I’m contemplating frying up some eggs to go with the chimichurri in the fridge from last night. I know I have beans in the pantry. Tortillas anyone?
[ps] Immediately after writing this post, I ended up making an open-faced variety of the above recipe and couldn’t resist posting a couple of photos. I’ve still not figured out whether this is delicious or disgusting. I guess I’ll have to make it again. 😉
