Summer is in full swing and it's time to start grilling. Whether on a terrace in the city centre, in the country or in an authorised picnic area outdoors, a barbecue is an event that always manages to gather people together. I just love the smell of a barbecue!
Today I want to share a recipe, or should I say, a version of a recipe that I first discovered in Madrid and then later rediscovered in Buenos Aires. OK, it’s not a Spanish recipe as such because the honours belong to Argentina, although there is cause to believe that it originated in the Basque country. But anyway who cares? It’s a recipe that is simple and the star of any barbecue.
When I first landed in Spain, I rented an apartment in the centre of Madrid next to Plaza de Isabel II and on the corner was a restaurant called La Vaca Argentina, in those days fat and calories weren’t on my worry list and I would visit the restaurant several times a week to have a glass of cold beer and a tapas of grilled chorizo sausage with chimichurri. I had already fallen in love with chorizo but it was the chimichurri that was amazing. This fresh, tart and tangy concoction of herbs, garlic, oil and vinegar had me totally won over.
However it wasn’t until I went to Argentina one year that I learnt how to make it, but as is the case with most staple recipes every household has its own variation and depending on what you have available to you. This ‘sauce’ is ideal for grilled meats of all kinds, sausages, pastries, and you can even drizzle it over a margarita pizza giving it a really special touch. It just about jazzes up any meal. The great thing about it is that you can make a decent quantity and it will keep in the fridge for at least a week to 10 days.
The Spanish connection goes back over a century. In the 19th Century, many Basques settled in Argentina and the name of the sauce probably comes from the Basque word ‘tximitxurri’ that loosely translates as "a mixture of several things in no particular order". That is effectively what it is, a concoction of herbs and oil where the order or the recipe doesn’t really matter. However, there is one step that will speed up the final result and that is adding the hot water to all the dehydrated ingredients before mixing with everything else. You should let them sit for about 30 minutes until all the water has been absorbed and the dried herbs have totally softened. From that point on you can mix and match as you wish the rest of the ingredients. This is not a purist’s chimichurri recipe but my take on it, and if you don’t mind me saying say so, it is really tasty!
You will need the following:
1 Cup of chopped fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons of dried oregano
2 Finely Chopped dried Ñora peppers
1 Tablespoon of crushed dried chilli flakes
1 Tablespoon of dried basil
4 or 5 Freshly peeled garlic cloves, finely minced (or put through a garlic press)
¼ Cup of red wine vinegar
½ Freshly squeezed lemon (juice only)
5 Chopped sun dried tomatoes
¼ Cup hot water
½ - ¾ Cup of mild olive oil (add to taste – if vinegar is too strong)
1 Teaspoon black pepper
1 Teaspoon sweet Paprika
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix and then fill a sterilized jam jar with all the mixture and let it macerate in the fridge overnight before using it. It is always best after about 6-8 hours. Then just drizzle it over whatever you want! I highly recommend what is called a ‘Choripan’; a grilled chorizo sandwich with chimichurri sauce.
Absolutely incredible! Enjoy!