Chimichurri sauce recipe

Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

Now we are going to detail how to prepare a rich chimichurri sauce, a well-known sauce of Argentine origin, ideal to accompany roasted meats and give them a spicy touch that is very tasty.

Chimichurri is a typical sauce from countries like Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina. Of liquid consistency, it is made mainly from oregano, garlic, vinegar, parsley, ground chili pepper and salt. The use of chili pepper makes this a sauce with a markedly spicy character, which is usually used to marinate mainly meat and fish, and to serve as a dressing for salads or roast meats. Its main quality is to enhance the flavor of the meats on which it is applied. It is a sauce widely used in the famous Argentine barbecue.

Towards the end of the 19th century, chimichurri used to be made with a brine base, which was later replaced by vinegar. In addition to the ingredients (garlic, parsley, oregano, etc.), others may be included in its preparation; thyme, bay leaf, pepper, mustard, etc. It must be made clear that there is no single recipe for this sauce, since both the ingredients used and their proportions vary considerably from one area to another.

Chimichurri Sauce Preparation:

This chimichurri sauce is one of the best sauces that you can use for the moments when you have guests and you want to surprise them with a delicious barbecued, roasted or baked meat, since it is one of the best options to accompany it. It is a sauce that is also used to give a special touch to salads, although it is mainly used to accompany meats. Here we are going to detail how to prepare this traditional Argentine recipe at home step by step, so that you can enjoy it and surprise your guests. Although years ago it was known mainly in South America, today it is a very recognized sauce throughout the world.

We will start by cleaning the fresh parsley, which we will do by washing it under the tap to remove any dirt it may have, and then drain it and remove the stems, since we are only interested in using the parsley leaves for the sauce, which when they are well drained. We will chop very finely and put them in a large bowl. Then we peel the garlic and also chop it into very small pieces, as small as we can, and at the end we add them to the bowl. We continue to pour the dried oregano, the sweet paprika and the ground black pepper that we indicate in the list of ingredients into the container.

We will stir well so that all the previous ingredients mix as best as possible between them, and then we will add the red chili, either chopped or in the form of chili paste in case of not having fresh chili. We also add the wine vinegar and the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon, we mix everything again so that the sauce is formed, and finally we add the virgin olive oil, stirring again to finish forming the chimichurri sauce. We can adjust all these ingredients according to our tastes, to leave the sauce just as we like to take it the most.

Once we have the chimichurri sauce already prepared, we pour it into a glass container with a lid, and leave it in the refrigerator at least overnight before serving this sauce, so that the flavors finish mixing and the sauce acquires consistency adequate. It is a sauce that can be easily kept in the fridge for several days without problems, in case we want to prepare a larger quantity and reserve it. When using it, you can put it directly on the meats once we have them roasted or cooked, or spread the chimichurri on them before placing them on the barbecue or the embers, which will give them a really delicious touch, since the meat it will take on its flavor much more when cooked with the same one already spread previously.

Servings / Units: 1
Approximate Preparation Time: 15M
Approximate Calories: 325

Recipe for homemade chimichurri sauce

As we already said, it is a typical dressing from Argentina, but also from other countries such as Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, and it has undoubtedly helped popularize the delicious Argentine asados. Ideal for barbecued meat, fish and vegetables, but also if you prepare them on the grill or also to dress salads.

It's packed with spices, herbs, and of course spicy (although you can decide not to include it), all washed down with oil and vinegar. Best of all, you have two options to obtain two different and equally delicious textures: option 1 is where we simply mix the chopped ingredients, and option 2 consists of mashing them all to obtain a thick and creamy sauce.

My advice when choosing texture? Option 1 without crushing for salads and vegetables, and option 2 crushed and creamy for meat and fish, although this is already in taste.

Variants of the recipe for homemade chimichurri sauce:

Already in the recipe we have given you two options to choose the texture you prefer, but you can also adjust the level of spiciness by adding more or less chili peppers, to taste. There are those who prefer not to add any of them and yet use hot paprika to give it that little bit.

There are many recipes for chimichurri, and some add a bay leaf, a teaspoon of oregano, or even do not add paprika and a lot of parsley, with what remains a rather greenish sauce, especially if it is crushed.

Tips:

Try to make variations when you make the sauce until you find the quantities and ingredients that you like the most.

Prepare a large quantity and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge so that it is kept in perfect condition. You can keep it like this for several weeks (some say months) in the fridge, and when it has been resting for a few days is when it is richer.

Many recipes recommend using a type of oil with a neutral flavor, but I really like how it remains with extra virgin olive oil.

If you like sauces more liquid and with less seasoning, you can add more oil and vinegar, always keeping in mind that the ratio is 2 to 1.

Add whatever herbs or spices you want.

You can use apple cider vinegar or any other type of vinegar.

Although I recommend adding fresh garlic, garlic powder is also a good option.

I always use pink Himalayan salt, but any type of salt can be used.