Do you ever find yourself in a weeknight cooking rut? I know I do! It’s always the same three dishes over and over again. For us, in the Firdman household, it’s typically: salmon with asparagus, roasted lemon chicken and some variation of steak and veg. It’s just so easy to fall back on what’s routine and comfortable.
But I’m going to throw a little curveball your way…
You can take the easy and the comfortable and just add a tiny twist that changes the whole ballgame. For me, that’s taking my steak and veg and kicking it up a notch with a fresh, tangy chimichurri recipe.
What the heck is chimichurri? Glad you asked! It’s a bright, beautiful Argentine sauce traditionally made of finely-chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and vinegar. It is served in every steakhouse in Argentina – and even a few restaurants in Chicago – as an accompaniment to grilled meat. Think of it as the South American answer to compound butter with a much bolder twist.
I love it on more than just meat and had so much fun recently adding it to crispy, cast iron potatoes, roasted rainbow carrots, and a few beauteous boneless ribeye steaks from Paulina Meat Market. A good chimichurri recipe can easily take your weeknight dinner from boring to bodacious. The chimichurri sauce imparts tons of flavor and freshness with very little additional calories – or work!
My take on it adds a few unexpected ingredients (hellooooo cumin and cilantro) that make it extra tasty. Follow along this easy recipe for chimichurri in 10 minutes or less!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley (flat leaf or curly is fine)
- 1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3-4 fresh garlic cloves, peeled
- 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- A few turns of fresh-cracked black pepper
PREPARATION
Ok, kiddos! Here’s where you have two options. Either option will yield a tasty, delightful chimichurri. One just saves more time over the other and makes a slightly thicker sauce.
- TIME SAVER METHOD || Place all ingredients EXCEPT for olive oil in a food processor. Start the food processor while slowly adding the olive oil and alternately scraping down the sides to desired consistency. Should be thick with a light, oily body. Transfer to bowl.
- ARGENTINE METHODÂ || Finely chop the parsley, cilantro and garlic cloves. Transfer to bowl and add in crushed red pepper, cumin, salt, pepper. Add vinegar and stir. Now slowly add olive oil until sauce has combined.
I typically do make mine in the food processor or with an immersion blender, but feel free to experiment, often chopping the herbs is half the fun.
Now go enjoy your next trip to Argentina right at home!
