Chimichurri is a flavorful South American condiment. It’s perfect on grilled steak or vegetables. With it’s pungent garlic and onion flavor, it’s not great for date night. We love it anyway; the fresh bright herbs, hint of acid, and garlic are perfect. Plus we’ve been married long enough to stop worrying about that. Steve will kiss me anyway!
To spice or not to spice
We watch the spice level in this one when the Kid is here, or if we’re cooking for a crowd. Chimichurri is much better with a chili pepper, but if spice isn’t your thing just omit it and you’ll still love it. In the summer, when we can get fresh local chilis we find it amps up the spice level. I have used Jalapeño, Fresno, or Serrano peppers, depending on what is available. We like spice though, so do some experimentation on the right pepper for your Chimichurri. In a pinch you can use red pepper flakes.
The Chimichurri recipe can be modified not only for spice level, but you can always add less garlic, more or less oil, or vinegar. If you add more oil and vinegar, you can easily turn this into a dressing more than a condiment. We like it thicker, and I often finish whatever is left with tortilla chips!
We purchased a KitchenAid 5 Cup Food Chopper and for small jobs it’s perfect for Chimichurri. It saves me from dragging the big food processor out, or from having to do all the chopping by hand. I’ve made Chimichurri by hand, it was chunkier and fabulous, but it took a long time! You’ll find a million uses for this thing, especially with the added whisking accessory (I used it to make Dalgona Coffee!)
You’ll find lots of recipes online that use Chimichurri on vegetables, fish and steak. It makes a great marinade for beef and chicken. It’s more versatile than you would first give it credit for. Later this summer I’ll share a recipe that uses it as a dressing in a roasted (or grilled) vegetable salad. If you can find yuca and can make fries, you’ll want to dip them in this, instead of ketchup!
| This recipe is part of our South American Dinner. |
Chimichurri
Ingredients
- 1 Shallot
- 1 Serrano, Fresno or Jalapeno (optional)
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 cup Cilantro, including tender stems
- 1/2 cup Flat Leaf Parsley
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Oregano (or ½ Tbsp dried)
Instructions
- Quarter the shallot and chili, and place all ingredients in a food processor
- Pulse until well combined but still slightly chunky
- Taste and adjust salt, oil and vinegar as needed
- Let sit for 1 hour before serving and re-taste to ensure balanced
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