Chimichurri Ole!

A few weeks ago I catered a party for a friend of mine and made these delicious pistachio crusted lamb chops with a chimichurri dipping sauce. Chimichurri is a South American condiment, specifically native to Argentina, I think. They use it on grilled meats as both a sauce as well a marinade. But I love it so much I put it on just about everything! I like it better as a sauce, uncooked, than as a marinade because I think the fresh herby flavour gets lost once cooked.

Put it on any roasted (or grilled!) vegetables, fish, poultry, meat... you catch my drift. This sauce is amazing, healthy, and so easy!

The house I was catering for had a beautiful industrial strength blender so I made a really nice smooth chimichurri that coated the lamb chops really nicely as we dipped and nibbled. But I don't have a blender at home (well I DO have a brand new food processor sitting in my parents' basement that I dream about every night, but that's another story) so instead I just really finely chopped everything. It still resulted in a delicious sauce, it was just a little more chunky than smooth.

This sauce makes any dinner more exciting. I just served it on some lamb loin chops with roasted butternut squash and broccoli. A pretty standard dinner, but the addition of the chimichurri was a nice new flavour. I topped my roasted vegetables with feta because I love feta, but if you wanted to use goat's cheese or some queso fresco go right ahead! Any salty cheese will pair nicely with the sweet pumpkin and the herby/sour chimichurri.

Chimichurri

1/2 cup             olive oil
1/4 cup             lemon juice
1/4 cup             red wine vinegar
1 tbsp               minced garlic
1 cup                parsley
1/3 cup             cilantro
1 tbsp               dried oregano
1/2 tsp              chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste







BLENDER METHOD: Put all the ingredients into a blender (or food processor will work as well) and blend until you get a smooth sauce. This method may yield a slightly thicker sauce (because you are emulsifying the oil) so thin out with water as needed. But make sure you check the seasoning at the end!

LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLD METHOD: Chop the parsley and cilantro as small as you have patience for. Mash the garlic using the side of your knife to get a paste. Mix all of your ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk (or fork, or spoon, or your clean fingers...). Season to taste and use!

I know this is a really easy recipe, but I thought I'd share it anyways because I think it's a super easy and delicious way to change up the flavours in your everyday dinner recipes. No sugar-filled ketchup (tomato sauce) needed! No rich buttery fattening cheesy sauce needed! Say hello to heart healthy extra virgin olive oil and parsley :)