The Real Chimichurri

Chimichurri...heard of it before?  If not, you are missing out, for sure!  Chimchurri is an Argentinean sauce or condiment, similar to pesto, that is popular throughout South America.  We, as American's, have created more elaborate versions of it using herbs like mint and cilantro.  But this basic chimichurri is Argentina's national "steak sauce".  This, as Steven Raichlen explains, is the Real McCoy!  And boy howdy is it!  We LOVED this sauce.  I have had chimichurri before, but not like this.  This was wonderful.  It was tart, it was spicy, it was full of garlic...it was a true explosion of flavor right there in your mouth!  YUM!!  I believe you could put this sauce on anything...we had it over fish, but it would be wonderful on chicken, on steak, on eggs (that's right, I said eggs), even on pasta.  Oh the things you could do with this....I'm even thinking of doing a pita pizza with chimichurri as the base sauce...but that will be for another post :)

The Real Chimichurri
Recipe created by Steven Raichlen, Planet Barbecue!
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon dried Oregano
1-2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
A few drops of lemon juice
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Directions:
Place the garlic, salt, and black pepper in a mixing bowl and mash into a paste with a fork or a wooden spoon.  Add the oregano, hot pepper flakes, vinegar, and lemon juice and whisk to mix.  Whisk in the olive oil in a thin stream, followed by the parsley.  Taste for seasoning, adding salt and/or vinegar as necessary.  You can serve the chimichurri right away, but if you let is stand for an hour or so, the flavors will be better blended and richer.  Enjoy!

Please note:  I did not get my garlic mashed up like the recipe calls for... I was...well, I was a bit impatient, but hey, it was still out of this world fantastic, so no worries if you don't get it into a paste either...you are still gonna be blown away!!