Chimichurri

Chimichurri is a fantastic addition to any dish. It is a South American condiment that frequently accompanies meats, but it is also great on all kinds of veggies - I love it on carrots especially. My hubs calls it South American pesto, which is a pretty good analogy for those who’ve never had it.

The following version is based on a more traditional recipe but you can substitute all kinds of different herbs/leaves for the base; carrot top chimichurri is a personal favorite (to do this substitute carrot top leaves for the parsley). You can also leave out things if you don’t have them or don’t like them, I frequently don’t add oregano. I also don’t always measure everything exactly or wait to add the olive oil.

The most recent time I made a batch, I did a couple of things to make it easier/add some nutrient density.

1)    I didn’t bother stripping the leaves from the stems; I cut off the bottom couple of inches of the stems and put the rest in the blender with the leaves and stems whole. Less waste, less work, and more nutrient density – a win/win/win for whole plant eating.  

2)    I didn’t use any oregano, ‘cause I didn’t have it.

3)    I didn’t measure the vinegar or olive oil. I added a little at a time as I blended everything together and adjusted as needed. (If you’ve not made a lot of things like this, I’d recommend measuring the first few times you make it until you have a better sense of what the final product should look like.)

4)    I stopped and mixed everything several times to make sure that all the plant matter got exposure to the blades for proper blending. (This isn’t as necessary if you strip the leaves from the stems, but sometimes packing the leaves creates a large ball of plant matter that doesn’t move very well within the blender and requires some help.) Next time I may try rough chopping everything (leaves and stems together) to help break up the plant matter a bit and hopefully help with the compact ball that can be hard for the food processor blades to deal with.

I recommend making this at least a few hours (if not a day or two) before you need it to allow the flavors to meld together.

Chimichurri

Ingredients

Italian parsley, 1 cup packed

Garlic cloves, 2-4 (depending on preference)

Oregano, 2 tbsp fresh

Red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Olive oil, ½ cup

Salt and pepper

Servings: makes about 14 oz (most of a pint size mason jar - see photo above)

Time: 5min

Instructions:

1.     Mix everything except the olive oil together in a small food processor. Pulse to combine.

2.     Once everything is fully combined, drizzle the olive oil in slowly until everything is mixed together.

3.     Store in a container in the fridge until ready to use.