Homemade Chimichurri Recipe

Want to know a delicious chimichurri recipe? It is a delicious sauce or typical seasoning used in South American countries to accompany the famous roasts or grills, being used mainly in Argentina.

It also accompanies popular empanadas from those regions and even salads. It is usually  made from spicy herbs and spices combined with oil and vinegar.

The main ingredients of chimichurri are parsley, oil and pepper. However, in its preparation you can give preference to other elements, which is why it is considered a very versatile and even customizable sauce.

Although in its preparation many variations of the original recipe are applied, it is recommended to keep the indicated proportions to obtain the traditional flavor. In this way, it will be perfectly complemented with the foods that accompany it.

Due to its popularity, commercial presentations of chimichurri are obtainable and can already be purchased in many markets. However,  the ideal is to prepare it at home with fresh ingredients and vary the quantities until you get the desired flavor.

Next, we’ll look at a homemade chimichurri recipe that tries to preserve the original proportions of this unique spice. In addition, we will briefly show four other versions of this sauce.

The origin of the name chimichurri

In the gastronomic world there are three possible stories about the origin of this name ; the attribution of the sauce to any one in particular is not entirely concrete.

The first says that the sauce was created by James McCurry, an Englishman popularly called Jimmy who marketed the product in the 19th century. It is said that he created it because he did not have Worcestershire sauce available. Apparently, people who weren’t native to the area, when they tried to pronounce his name, ended up saying “Yimi Churry”.

Another historical aspect guarantees that the British captured by the Spaniards from the South American colonies in the beginning of the 19th century asked in prison to pass the sauce on their meals. They did this using the expressions “give-me-curry” or “che-mi-curry”, which were then modified to become “chimichurri”.

Finally, it is said that the sauce could have originated from a Basque term arrived in America, “Tximitxurri”. This means “mixing” and alluded to a sauce made with ingredients and techniques that were repeated in every case.

Homemade & traditional chimichurri recipe

This recipe preserves the original ingredients and proportions of the exquisite sauce, and is designed for approximately six servings. If you want to do more, you can increase the amounts of each ingredient proportionately.

Ingredients

• 3 bay leaves.
• Juice of 1 lemon (100 ml).
• ½ teaspoon of salt (2 g).
• 1 cup of olive oil (200 ml).
• ½ cup of wine vinegar (100 ml).
• ½ teaspoon of pepper (2 g).
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme (5 g).
• 3 cloves of minced garlic (15 g).
• 1 large spoon of oregano (10 g).
• 5 tablespoons of chopped parsley (40 g).
• ½ finely chopped red onion (20 g).

• 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika powder (5 g).

elaboration

1. Mash the oregano, parsley, garlic and bay leaves cut in a mortar.
2. Mix the onion and the rest of the spices (thyme, pepper and sweet paprika) in a bowl.
3. Prepare the base of the sauce by mixing the oil, vinegar, lemon and salt.
4. Add the base of the sauce to the mixture and stir.
5. Place in a glass jar with a lid.
6. Let the sauce marinate in the least cold part of the refrigerator for two days.

Once used, this sauce  can be consumed within 3 months if refrigerated.

Variations from the original chimichurri recipe

From this chimichurri recipe, you can get variations if you add different ingredients or substitute others. For example, if you substitute a little more garlic for red onion, you will get a garlic chimichurri.

A tomato chimichurri is obtained if 200 grams of sun-dried tomatoes are added to the traditional mix, and if we allow enough time for it to hydrate.

To get a cilantro chimichurri, we need to substitute this herb for parsley in the same proportion; the result is a very aromatic sauce, ideal to accompany various preparations.

With this chimichurri recipe, so easy to make, there’s no reason to buy it. You still have the advantage that its fresh ingredients give you quality and a longer shelf life, without preservatives or chemical additives.