Our Stunning Chimichurri

Ever had a steak and felt like it needed a little more. Maybe it was missing some color or maybe, it needed a sharper flavor. While have we got the recipe for you. 

Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce similar to pesto, from Argentina and Uruguay. The sauce is served on/with cooked meat and can be used in the cooking process as well. It’s made from a blend of fresh herbs, oil, and garlic. The main ingredient is parsley, the fresher the better. It is served best with a nice grilled flank steak or grilled chicken. But, we use it on anything (salads, fish, truly anything) and think it’s excellent in brightening up any dish.  Kay was first introduced to it in the MSU cafeterias in which she proceeded to have 3 plates of it. So of course we came up with our own.

Our recipe is as follows: 

½ cup parsley 

½ cup cilantro (optional, can be replaced with more parsley) 

4-5 garlic cloves

¼ – ¾ cup of olive oil (canola is acceptable) 

2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

Salt to taste 

Pepper to taste 

Optionally if you want more flavor we also add:

Chopped red onion

Chopped jalapeno 

Chopped shallot 

More garlic 

Red chili flakes 

Fresh Oregano

Lemon Juice  

For the best results, finely chop the ingredients yourself and mix them. Then, let rest for around 20 min. The resting helps the flavor soak into the oil. For quicker prep, put all the ingredients except oil into a food processor and pulse until chopped. Then drizzle oil in and mix. We highly recommend letting the sauce rest for a bit before serving it. It can be made beforehand and refrigerated.   

The sauce should end up a nice bright green and smell amazing. The better the quality of herbs, the better the sauce turns out. The amount of oil fluctuates for us as we try to eat healthier. We also try to use as little salt as possible for our health. 

**For a red chimichurri add red bell pepper.**