Quick and Easy Chimichurri

I don't know about you, but I love a tasty dipping sauce. Salsas, drizzles, dressings...I'll take them all! One of my favorite sauces to throw together also happens to be one of the easiest. Chimichurri is a flavor packed sauce that requires no cooking, minimal chopping and odds are, you already have about 99% of the ingredients sitting in your pantry. You'll be getting your dip on in no time! 

Traditional Chimichurri has roots in South American cuisine, mainly in Argentina and Uruguay, commonly used to top grilled meats. This chimichurri combines fresh parsley & finely chopped garlic with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper & crushed red pepper. The herby concoction is the perfect finish for grilled steak, chicken or fish. And don't get me started on some toasty grilled bread or crunchy french fries! Let me stop drooling, real quick! 

The texture can vary from thick and chunky, to loose and more oily. Some recipes call for oregano, onions, lemon or lime, and you'll notice varying quantities of the main ingredients with each recipe you find....and I'd say none of them are wrong! It really just depends on your preference. If you've never tried chimichurri before, I would say this recipe is a great base to start with and then you can experiment with adding other flavors from there. 

There are a ton of great uses for Chimichurri! Here are some of my favorites...

Tastes great with:

• Grilled Beef, Chicken or Fish

• Grilled Veggies

• Toasty Bread

Drizzle it on: 

• French fries

• Rice

• Pasta

Combine with:

• Sour Cream

• Mayo (Some chimi mayo on a burger, yum!)

Try it as a marinade!

Notes:

*I like to use a food processor to pulse the parsley and garlic, but if you don't have one, chopping with a knife will work just as well. I would recommend finely chopping the garlic.

 *I suggest throwing this together before you start prepping the rest of your meal just to be sure that all of the flavors have had a chance to mingle.

*Any leftover chimi can be stored in the fridge. The oil may solidify and the parsley may turn a little less vibrant green, but that's ok! Just let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes and give it a stir. It will still taste great. If you loose your loving feeling for chimi that isn't quite as colorful as when you first made it, you can combine it with some mayo or sour cream for a creamy chimi spread. It tastes great on a burger! 

Thanks for Chewsing!