CHIMICHURRI

SOURCE: FRANCIS MALLMANN AND PETER KAMINSKY. SEVEN FIRES: GRILLING THE ARGENTINE WAY.

Every time a serving of Chimichurri shows up on the dining table, the higher the gaucho ascends along the infinite echelons of Argentine romanticism and Patagonian mythos. Chimichurri bares the free and unbridled spirit of the noble and rugged gauchos wandering across the South American prairies on horseback to hunt wild cattle for their hide and tallow or to lead animal herds into private ranches. Any excess slaughter or bovine captive roasted on an open wood fire to feed the gauchos’ stomachs, and in turn, the carnivorous freelancers of the pampas seasoned their asados with oregano and parsley leaves steeped and reconstituted within the nonperishable interface of vinegar and oil. Once land privatization regularized gaucho labor to a stationary permanence from its contractual state, Chimichurri also underwent a literally fresh modernization of the same ingredients, but at an additional price of the aging process to allow flavors to properly mingle.

Ingredients

1 cup/240 mL water

1 tablespoon/18 grams coarse salt

1/3 cup/45 grams finely chopped garlic

1 cup/60 grams finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, preferably picked fresh on the same day

1 cup/50 grams finely chopped oregano leaves, preferably picked fresh on the same day

2 teaspoons/6 grams crushed red chili flakes

2 tablespoons/30 mL red wine vinegar

1/2 cup/120 mL extra virgin olive oil

Specific Equipment

Small saucepan

Nonreactive bowl

Wire whisk

Jar equipped with a tight-fitting lid

Makes 2 cups/500 mL

Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan set over high heat. Stir in the salt until well-dissolved. Remove the saucepan from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Stir the garlic, parsley, oregano, and red chili flakes in a nonreactive bowl until well-blended. Pour in the red wine vinegar and the olive oil, constantly whisking with a wire whisk, or until the mixture is well-blended. Whisk in the salted water until well-blended. Transfer the sauce to a jar equipped with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before use.