A Green Sauce: Chimichurri

There are several green sauces that are used as condiments and can sometimes double as marinades. There is salsa verde, sauce verte, chadon beni sauce and chimichurri among others.

All green sauces contain fresh herbs, garlic, oil and acid in the form of lime or lemon juice and or vinegar. The ingredients are minced finely or pureed together and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. Green sauces go well with meats, seafood and snacks like chips, crisps and cheese. The sauce can be spooned over eggs, pizzas and be spread on sandwiches. Green sauces are versatile and can transform the ordinary into extraordinary.

In addition to being versatile in use, the sauces are also highly adaptable, therefore you can add as much or as     little of some ingredients to suit your own taste. What this means is that you can tailor the sauce to complement seafood and then make adjustments to the recipe if you are planning to serve it with meat or grilled vegetables.

In this recipe, I adapted it not only to suit my taste but also the lamb with which it was served. In choosing to serve it with cheese and biscuits, I opted to use a mild cheese that would complement the robust flavour of the sauce. Go with your instinct and play around with the various ingredients to come up with different notes of flavour.

The Argentine recipe from which I drew inspiration used fresh parsley, garlic, red pepper flakes, fresh oregano, onions, olive oil, vinegar (red wine), lemon juice and salt. Other ingredients that can be added are paprika, cumin (jeera) fresh thyme, and bay leaves. Here is my adaptation.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
• ½ cup packed parsley*
• ¼ cup packed mint*
• ¼ cup chopped onions
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• Minced hot pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons Canola oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Add the herbs garlic, onions and hot pepper to the bowl of a food processor, cover and mince finely. You will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of time.
2. Add the lime juice and vinegar along with salt to taste; pulse to mix. Taste and adjust to suit your taste – add more salt if necessary or more of the acids – lime juice or vinegar. Pulse to mix.
3. Add the oil and pulse 2 – 3 times only to mix. The mixture should be thick and sauce like but not runny; add more oil if necessary.
4. Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before use, so that the flavours can combine. Or, store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

NOTE

• Packed means, to remove the leaves from the stems and press then down into the cup to measure.
• Any of the leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in a clean jar. It will keep for at least a couple of weeks. It may loose a little of the bright green but will taste great.
• If using olive oil, use a light or mild flavour version. Any vegetable or neutral flavour oil can also be used.
• This sauce can be made a day ahead of use.