I’m a member of a FB page called, Mama’s Arabic Kitchen. A recurring theme on it this month is parsley and what to do with the bumper crop the spring rains have nourished. I have a mini parsley forest in my herb garden!
The most frequent suggestions from Mama’s Arabic Kitchen included: “make tabouli, make fatoush, make kefta, make yije, dry it, freeze it, juice it,……….” And then someone suggested , “make chimichurri!” Ding, ding, ding, a brain blip went off in my head!
I had tasted this herbacious, bright, tangy sauce in a steak house way back when, but had forgotten all about it. I decided to “Lebanesize” it adding some Mediterranean flare!
To the regular recipe I added chives instead of shallots, a bit of fresh oregano, and some toasted walnuts. The whole recipe takes about ten minutes to whip up and can be stored in the refridgerator for several weeks, but be sure to bring it to room temperature each time before serving.
Use chimichurri as a dip on its own, a garnish on hummus or baba ganouj, a shish kabob sauce, or a dribble on your yaroos (sandwich) labne or grilled haloume cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
1. Finely chop parsley, fresh oregano, chives, toasted walnuts, and garlic (or pulse 2-3 times in a food processor). Place in a large bowl.
2. Stir in olive oil, vinegar (or lemon juice), salt and pepper. That’s it!
How will you personalize your chimichurri?
3 cups firmly packed fresh and trimmed flat leaf parsley
6 garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh chives
1 cup fresh oregano
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar or lemon jjuice
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 and 1/2 tsps salt