In June 2015, Mel Healy, a fellow writer and blogger, posted an article stating that the legendary chimichurri sauce that we so assiduously prepare in Argentina and Uruguay, was the original concoction of an Irish adventurer that joined the liberation movement against Spain’s rule there. Amongst the brave hearts from Eire that enthusiastically joined the fight, there was a lad called Jimmy McCurry who joined the forces of General Manual Belgrano and his Northern Army.
Mel wrote: “One evening, as Jimmy and the General and the rest of the lads were putting up their tents and updating their social media…General Belgrano took young Jimmy aside and said (I’m paraphrasing here), ‘Hey Chimmi, we’re getting a bit pissed off with all this Fray Bentos muck from Uruguay. Is there any Irish nosh ye can rustle up for us tonight for a change?” It seems that Jimmy went back to his tent and mix a few ingredients to create a novel sauce for the general.
In Europe there has been a millenary tradition of “green sauces” for meats, one of them being the famous salsa verde of Spain or the sauce vert of France, which makes that anecdote plausible.
Today we will prepare our version of the chimichurri, for which we assembled the following items.
We prefer to use extra virgin olive oil (instead of the regular one) white wine vinegar, plenty of orégano (harvested in the hills of Córdoba, Argentina) parsley, tarragon, garlic and red pepper. We like to add a touch of honey at the end to counter the acidity and protect our stomachs. First of all, start by meticulously slicing and dicing the red pepper and the garlic cloves. On the move.
Once you have that step completed, put everything in a bowl and stash it somewhere safe.
That lone chorizo is anxiously watching our cooking and cheering us up all along the process. First of all, line up all the ingredients on your cutting board. Like a general aligning the troops.
We will show you what condiments we use (start in the center and move counter-clockwise). They are black pepper, moringa, sweet curry, tarragon, parsley, and orégano, bien sûr.
Prepare four measures of olive oil for each measure of white wine vinegar. 4 X 1. Precisely. Once the troops are all aligned, the infantry must make the first move. On to the blender-mixer.
Put everything together in the fabulous blender-mixer that my kids gave me for my birthday.
After the veggies went down, we dump the liquids, slowly, carefully (don’t make a mess like we do) If we add a cup of warm water (we said warm, not hot) the mixing will be greatly facilitated.
When everything (except the honey) has been loaded up, it is time to strike. Stay with moi!
Stir carefully, checking the consistency of the mix. When you feel it is ready, put the honey. Once you feel it is ready, set up the small containers to pour the mix and get it ready for the fridge.
As you can see we did this video on our own, on the spur of the moment, without any help. What really matters is that the final product was a deliciously healthy achievement. Voilà. Pour in a special container and place it at least 24 hours in the fridge. It will come out much, much better.
Please remember to put it in fridge and if you happen to try this recipe, let us know how you did.
The loyal birra is keeping watch of the chimichurri sauce in our humble fridge. Vamo’ arriba !
Buen provecho!
Stay distant. Stay safe. Stay beautiful.
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