BBQ Recipes

As published in Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way

From gaucho campfires to society weddings, you can always find chimichurri in Argentina. The basics–olive oil, parsley, and oregano–never vary but the rest is up to the ingenuity of the chef and local tradition. Invention is fine, but you have to stay true to the original idea. My variation on the theme is fresh herbs instead of dried, which is what the gauchos use.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
• 1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 cup fresh oregano leaves
• 2 teaspoon crushed red- pepper flakes
• ¼ cup red-wine vinegar
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

To make the salmuera, bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the salt and stir until it dissolves. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Mince the garlic very fine and put in a medium bowl. Mince the parsley and oregano and add to the garlic, along with the red pepper flakes. Whisk in the red wine vinegar and then the olive oil. Whisk in the salmuera.

Transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid, and keep in the refrigerator.

Chimichurri is best prepared at least 1 day in advance, so that the flavors have a chance to blend. The chimichurri can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 to 3 weeks.

*Recipe copyright chef Francis Mallmann from his book, Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way.