Chimichurri Sauce
by Erin Fletter
Photo by Svetlana Monyakova/Shutterstock.com
prep time
10 minutes
cook time
makes
4-6 servings
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- knife skills :
Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls).
- mince :
to chop into teeny tiny pieces.
- pulse :
to process just short of a purée in smooth, rhythmic bursts of power with a blender.
- tear :
to pull or rip apart a food, like basil leaves, into pieces instead of cutting with a knife; cutting breaks cell walls more, so herbs can discolor faster.
Equipment Checklist
- Cutting board + kid-safe knife
- Blender (or food processor)
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup
scale
1X
2X
3X
4X
5X
6X
7X
Ingredients
Chimichurri Sauce
- 1 to 2 bunches flat leaf parsley (about 2 C packed)
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- 1 T honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
Chimichurri Sauce
1.
intro
Chimichurri (chimmy-churrie) is a green sauce made from parsley, oregano, vinegar, and olive oil that is used as a marinade or sauce for grilled meats, fish, chicken, pasta, and bread. It is popular in Argentina and all over South America.
2.
rinse + tear + mince
First, rinse 1 to 2 bunches of parsley (you want 2 cups of packed leaves total). Save a small handful of leaves if you're also making the Awesome Agua Fresca drink (see recipe). Then tear leaves from the stems and mince them into tiny pieces. The tinier, the better! Add the minced leaves to your blender or food processor.
3.
crush + peel + mince
Crush 1 garlic clove and peel it. Then mince it finely and add to your blender or food processor.
4.
measure + add
Measure 2 teaspoons oregano, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 pinch of black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of water and add to your blender or food processor.
5.
pulse + stream + blend
Pulse the ingredients a few times, then stream in 1/4 cup olive oil while your blender or food processor purées the Chimichurri Sauce!
Photo by Tamara Elnova
Hi! I'm Parsley!
“I'm an herb with small green, aromatic leaves, and I add a fresh, bright flavor to foods. Try me! Taste a salad or other dish, then chop or tear some of my fresh leaves into it and taste again. You may be surprised at the flavor I add to your recipe! When you hear my name, do you also think of sage, rosemary, and thyme? That's because I'm part of the line, 'Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,' in the traditional English ballad 'Scarborough Fair' made famous by Simon and Garfunkel!"
History
- Today, parsley is the world's most popular herb. Nobody is sure where parsley originated, though it is said by some to have originated in Sardinia (an island territory off the western coast of peninsular Italy). It is native to the central and eastern areas of the Mediterranean.
- The Ancient Greeks believed parsley sprung from the blood of the hero Archemorus after a dragon killed him!
- Humans have been cultivating parsley for 2,000 years!
- Like many vegetables and herbs, parsley was first used as medicine before being consumed as food.
- In some countries, the curlier variety of parsley is more popular. People say this is because the flat leaf type resembles a poisonous weed called Fool's Parsley.
- California produces over forty percent of the parsley in the United States.
Anatomy & Etymology
- There are two parsley varieties commonly used as an herb, curly leaf and flat leaf. The flat leaf type is often referred to as Italian parsley.
- Parsley is a biennial flowering plant—it will grow back year after year in prolific bushes. Its leaves are scalloped, small, and hardy. They can survive colder temperatures and grow best in partial shade.
- Parsley plants can grow up to 2 feet high the first year after flowering (their flowers are small and white).
- A relative of celery (try celery leaves some time—they taste a lot like parsley), parsley gets its name from the Greek word for "rock celery" (petroselinon) because it thrives on rocks and walls.
- The word "parsley" combined the Old English "petersilie" (same as the current German word for parsley) and the Old French "peresil." These are from the Latin "petroselinum" from the Greek "petroselinon."
How to Pick, Buy, & Eat
- When selecting parsley for cooking, choose the flat leaf (Italian) variety, which is milder, less bitter, and more fragrant than the curly variety.
- Select parsley that is bright green and fresh-looking, with no brown or rotting leaves. Store fresh parsley sprigs wrapped in a damp paper towel in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge.
- You can also add a parsley bunch to a glass of water and tie a plastic bag loosely over the leaves, then store the glass in the fridge. Wait to wash its leaves until just before you're ready to use them by swishing them around in the water to loosen any clinging dirt.
- Make a tea from parsley to help with colic, gas, and indigestion.
- Add raw chopped parsley to salads, soups, and burger patties. Add some to your morning smoothie, or tie up a few fresh sprigs with other herbs, like thyme and bay leaf, to make a bouquet garni (an herb bundle) used to season sauces and broths. You can also make pesto with parsley instead of basil or use it in chimichurri!
- Tabbouleh, the well-known salad from the Middle East, is made mostly with parsley, tomatoes, onions, olive oil, and bulgar. Gremolata is an Italian condiment made with parsley, garlic, and lemon zest.
Nutrition
- Often ignored, parsley has been most frequently used as a garnish at restaurants (especially in the 80s and early 90s—remember that sprig of curly parsley placed on the side of your dinner plate?). But cultures around the world have long recognized the health benefits of parsley and used it more liberally in cooking methods, such as in chimichurri.
- Parsley is full of vitamin C. Vitamin C is necessary for the body to make blood vessels, skin, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments, and it helps repair wounds.
- Some cultures use parsley as a digestive aid because of its fiber.
- Parsley is also a natural breath freshener. It reduces the odor of garlic breath when chewed fresh, thanks to parsley's high chlorophyll levels.
- Two tablespoons of parsley meet 153% of the Recommended Daily Value of vitamin K1. K1 is essential for healthy blood. Our bodies also convert K1 to K2, and K2 is needed to deposit calcium into bones.
What is Chimichurri?
Photo by quiony navarro for Shutterstock
- Besides being a super fun word to roll off the tongue, chimichurri also tastes great. It’s a sauce similar to pesto (the Italian sauce made mostly of basil, nuts, oil, and parmesan cheese) that’s full of parsley and oregano and popular all over South America. Chimichurri is used as a condiment or marinade for grilled meats, but it is also delicious served with fish, chicken, and pasta. We’re baking our chimichurri into our Monkey Bread and serving some on the side for dipping!
Let's Learn About Argentina!
Photo by Ruslana Iurchenko for Shutterstock
- Argentina is officially called the Argentine Republic. This South American country has a population of more than 45 million people, and the official language is Spanish. Their government is a federal presidential republic with a president, vice-president, cabinet, supreme court, and congress.
- Buenos Aires is Argentina's capital and largest city.
- Native Americans lived in Argentina thousands of years before Spanish settlers arrived in 1536.
- Argentina is the largest Spanish-speaking nation and the eighth-largest country in size worldwide! Other languages spoken here include English, Italian, Arabic, German, Yiddish, Guarani, and more.
- Argentina is a country with rainforests, grassy farmlands, and even glaciers. This country is located at the very bottom of South America, and it has a little bit of everything. In the north, where Argentina meets Brazil, the weather is wet and warm where cougars, jaguars, alligators, turtles, flamingos, and many other reptiles and animals live. To the south is the Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia, which have an extremely cold climate. The Tierra del Fuego is a group of islands at the southern tip of Argentina.
- Western Argentina has the Andes Mountains, which form the natural border with Chile. The Andes include the highest peak in the southern and western hemispheres, Cerro Aconcagua, at 22,838 feet!
- The name "Argentina" came from the Italian word for silver, "argento," which is from the Latin word for silver, "argentum." European settlers believed mythical indigenous stories about a mountain of silver.
- Here's a cool fact: In 1917 and 1918, Argentine cartoonist Quirino Cristiani made and released the world's first two animated feature films.
- El Día del Amigo (Friend's Day), on July 20, is a national holiday in Argentina and is a day dedicated entirely to friendships.
- Popular foods from Argentina include "asado" (traditional bbq), "dulce de leche" (caramel sauce used in cakes, ice cream, cookies, and other desserts), "empanadas" (stuffed pastries), "mate" (herbal tea drunk in a gourd), and an indigenous stew called "locro" made with corn, beans, potato, and pumpkin.
- Bueno Aires has the world's widest avenue, called the "Avenida 9 de Julio" or "July 9 Avenue." It has 14 lanes, plus 4 lanes of parallel streets. July 9 is Argentina's independence day.
What's It Like to Be a Kid in Argentina?
- Kids in Argentina go to school 200 days per year. That's about 20 more days than in the United States. However, in many schools, students are in class for only four hours, either in the morning or afternoon. Also, since Argentina is south of the equator, their seasons are opposite the US. So they attend school from March to December, with up to two weeks off in July and for major holidays like Easter.
- Football (soccer) is the most popular sport kids play. In addition, they may play rugby, basketball, baseball, and tennis.
- For breakfast, kids may eat "tostadas" (toast) or a "factura" (pastry), like churros or a "medialuna" (Argentine croissant). They'll drink orange juice, or perhaps yerba maté, or a little coffee with lots of milk with their toast or pastry. If kids go to school half the day, they'll have lunch at home and may eat empanadas, humitas (a dish of cooked corn wrapped in corn husks), milanesas (breaded meat cutlet), or asado. For a sweet treat, "alfajores" are popular. They're light and tender sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche.
THYME for a Laugh
While cooking today, I accidentally rubbed some herbs in my eyes.
Now I’m parsley (partially) sighted!
That's Berry Funny
What is green and sings?
Elvis Parsley.
