Looking for a kitchen project that is quick, versatile, and absolutely wonderful? Look no further than this easy recipe for homemade chimichurri!
I haven’t been doing a whole lot of exciting cooking lately. Ever since finishing my cookbook draft, I’ve been drifting through meal prep. I’ve made big pots of soup that last most of the week. There’s been at least one batch of bean-centric chili. More sheet pans of roasted vegetables than I can count. I’ve also relied heavily on a some Costco favorites (their pre-cooked chicken skewers and bags of kale and Brussels sprouts salad spring immediately to mind).
The long and short of it is that while we’ve been eating relatively healthy, vegetable-focused food, it hasn’t yielded much that I can write about.
However, there is one thing I’m excited to talk about. A couple weeks back, I was at Joy’s house recording an episode of Local Mouthful. When we finished, we were both ravenous. Joy heated up some meatballs from her freezer, cooked up some quinoa and pulled a tub of homemade chimichurri out of the fridge. The meatballs and quinoa were good, but the chimichurri, well, it was amazing.
It’s a condiment made from parsley, oregano, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, red chili flakes, and salt that was originally devised in Argentina to serve on top of grilled meat. It’s something I’ve had over the years at various restaurants, but it never clicked for me until I had Joy’s version. So bright, green, and fresh (I think the fresh element is a big part of the appeal, particularly since we’re living through another major snow storm right now).
I’ve made two big batches since them and have been spooning it over everything that seems even marginally appropriate. Roasted vegetables! Hummus! Scrambled eggs! Turkey sandwich! Mealtime is chimichurri time right now.
Quick Homemade Chimichurri
Ingredients
- 2 cups parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pinch red chili flakes
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In the work bowl of a food processor, combine the parsley, oregano, garlic, vinegar, salt, and chili flakes. Pulse 4-5 times to help start the blending process. Then, with the motor running, stream in the olive oil.
- Taste and adjust acid, salt, and heat levels as you feel is needed.
- When you're happy with it, scrap the chimichurri into a jar and refrigerate. It will keep at least a week in the fridge.
One of my go to condiments to keep in the fridge — although in summer I make it with wild monarda instead of the oregano. I use it EVERYWHERE. Stirred into orzo or Mediterranean couscous is the easiest side dish imaginable.
This looks awesome! Will make it soon! My first chimichurri experience was on swordfish at Little Fish in Queen Village- in days gone by. So memorable!
I absolutely love chimichurri, but I have to say – your ratio of oil to vinegar is backward 😉 This is not supposed to be a vinaigrette. It is its own thing and it’s supposed to be very vinegary. Try it – you’ll probably like it.
This is so delicious and it goes well on EVERYTHING! Thanks for sharing this and reminding us all how easy it is to eat like royalty. It’s about that self love, people.
Kudos from Argentina! My recipe is very similar (I guess every Argentinean and Uruguayan has his own)
Some comments:
The chili flakes should not be too hot. The whole thing isn’t supposed to be hot.
You may add a tsp of powdered black pepper
Some people use oil, other prefer just a vinegar/water mix.
Your should at least triple the vinegar, the taste of chimichurri should be vinegar-y.
Most people use dried oregano leaves, not fresh. But that is probably because fresh oregano wasn’t easily found in Argentinian markets until recently.
If you decide to use oil, you should reverse the mixing order (vinegar/water before oil) to allow the dried herbs and chili flakes to re-hydrate
Usually only parsley leaves are used, not the stems. Some people don’t use parsley, only oregano.
Due to the high vinegar content, you can keep the concoction in the fridge for several weeks. Chimichurri is usually kept refrigerated for a few days before using.
Here chimichurri is only used on red meats, offal and chorizos. Rarely on poultry, never on fish or vegetables. But that is of course only a matter of tradition.