In the past year or so, I have become slowly obsessed with all things cilantro. I’m really leaning in to exploring more bitter tastes, appreciating their contrast to sweet and sour. Chimichurri has variations spanning many South American countries, with a distinct differences depending on whom you ask. This version is pretty straightforward, but you can change it up as you like. In Italy, you have pesto and in South America, you’ve got chimichurri!
There are some folks in the world who will never love cilantro – and it’s genetic! About a quarter of the population has a “super-taster” gene with makes bitter foods taste shockingly bad to them. Evolutionarily, this is a smart physiological response since bitter foods found in nature are often toxic. There is actually a test you can do at home to determine if you’ve got the super taster gene. If you’ve always disliked cilantro, arugula, and some brassica veggies, chances are you just taste the “bitter” way more than most folks. Take that, mom!
Back to chimichurri for bitter lovers. You can make this in a mortar and pestle, blitz it in a food processor or just chop and combine. Either way, taste as you go and adjust seasoning to your liking. You can use this as a marinade, salad dressing, sauce for veggies or just about anything else.
I’m going to make some chimichurri flank steak on Twitch this week. I’ll first marinate the steak, then grill and top with generous heaps of more chimichurri. On the side, we’ll have elotes and palomas to drink. See you there. 🙂
Ingredients for Chimichurri:
- ~1 bunch cilantro – about 1 cup, leaves and stems (flat leaf parsley works great too)
- 2 cloves garlic
- ~2 TBSP red wine vinegar
- 1 lime (lemon works here too)
- ~ 2 tsp oregano
- ~1 TBSP red pepper flakes
- 1 garlic clove, microplaned
- ~1/2 cup olive oil
How to make chimichurri:
- Add all ingredients except the oil to a food processor and blitz until the cilantro is in tiny pieces.
- Stir in the olive oil to combine. Let sit for 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to meld.
If using as a marinade, prepare the same, but use only a few tablespoons of oil.
Whiskey and Ginger 