Chimichurri (and Chimichurri Grilled Potatoes)

When I was in college, I spent two summer internships in LA before moving there following graduation.  During one of those internships, I joined my friend Diana for a cookout at the home of an Argentenian co-worker. It was a beautiful California summer day, and they had sausages on the grill. The grill master happily placed one on my plate and pointed to a large bowl of green sauce next to the grill. As he drizzled a large spoonfull over the grilled meat, he told me it was called Chimichurri. I immediately fell in love, never having tasted anything like it.  Following the cookout, he was kind enough to share his recipe, and I'm still using it six years later!

While his original recipe called for two bunches of parsley and 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, I tweaked it a bit. In some regions, cilantro and lemon juice are used, so I added a little bit of both (a great addition for a cilantro lover like me). It's a versatile sauce, good with any grilled meat (or vegetables)!.  Monday, I made a batch to drizzle over steak and then tossed a little bit with grilled potatoes for a wonderful side dish.

Chimichurri

Ingredients

1 bunch of parsley, roughly chopped 

1 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

1 large clove of glaric, roughly chopped

2 cups of olive oil

1/8 cup of red wine vinegar

1/8 cup lemon juice

1 tsp salt 

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like things spicy)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until it comes together into a sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste.  It's as simple as that! 

This makes a big batch, so store leftovers in the fridge (should last a week or so) or in the freezer (should last a few months).

Chimichurri Grilled Potatoes

Ingredients

1.5 lbs small potatoes, washed and halved (I used a bag of red, purple, and yukon gold potatoes)

~1/4 cup + 2 Tb chimichurri

salt (for parboiling the potatoes)

Directions

Place the halved potatoes in a medium sauce pan and cover with cold salted water. 

Bring to a boil, and let the potatoes simmer for about 8 minutes, until they are almost done (you should be able to insert a paring knife into a potato half fairly easily but still meet some resistance).

Drain the potatoes and toss with about 2 tablespoons of the Chimichurri.

Grill over med-high heat for about 2 minutes. Flip and grill for another 1-2 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Serve topped with the remaining Chimichurri.

Swiss Chard & Brussels Sprout Pesto

Pesto is such a simple, versatile concept.  Starting with the basic recipe using basil, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese, you can play with different combinations of herbs, nuts, and cheese for almost endless possibilities (cilantro pecan pesto is one of my favorites). It's also a great staple to keep around the kitchen, lasting for months in the freezer. You can toss it with warm pasta for a quick sauce, use it in place of tomato sauce for pizza, spread it on sandwiches, toss it with roasted potatoes for a delicious side dish, or use it mixed into a chicken salad.

Recently, I've seen recipes trading winter greens in place of herbs. Why haven't I thought of this before? It's genius and so very simple. With just one extra step of blanching the greens, you're ready to make pesto. I used a combination of swiss chard and brussels sprouts, but you could use kale, collard greens, turnip greens, you name it.  This winter pesto is earthier than its bright summery cousin, but it's perfect for these lingering wintery days as we eagerly await warmer weather and fresh herbs springing up in our gardens.

(Recipe adapted from The Kitchn's Winter Greens Pesto)

Ingredients

1 large bunch of swiss chard, stemmed and roughly chopped

1/2 12 oz bag of brussels sprouts, stems trimmed,  tough outer leaves removed, and sliced

large bowl of ice water

2/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 heaping cup pecorino romano cheese, grated

1/4 tsp lemon zest

3 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

pinch crushed red pepper (optional)

1/2 cup + 2 Tb extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Using a dry (no oil) skillet over medium heat, toast the chopped almonds for about 5 minutes until they begin to smell toasty and turn golden brown.  Be careful not to let them burn. When done, remove from skillet and let cool.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to blanch the swiss chard and brussels sprouts. Have a large bowl of ice water ready.

Once boiling, add in the chopped swiss chard and brussels sprouts. Let the water come back to a boil, and stir to ensure that the leaves are all submerged. After about 3 minutes total, once the chard has wilted, drain in a colander, and then plunge into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.

Drain the swiss chard and brussels sprouts in a colander again, squeezing out any excess water. Place drained greens on a clean dish towel, rolling the dish towel around them, squeezing out any remaining water.

Place the swiss chard and brussels sprouts into the bowl of a large food processor. Add toasted almonds, garlic, grated cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Pulse a few times and then puree until ingredients have become a paste.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and then turn food processor back on. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. About halfway through I stop, scrape down the sides again, and resume until all of the oil is incorporated into the pesto.

At this point, you can serve the pesto, store it in the refrigerator for a few days, or freeze it, where it will last for a few months. Enjoy!