Chimichurri on grilled pork

If you’ve had dinner at our house any time in the last year, chances are we’ve made this chiminhurri sauce for you.  There was a stretch of time when I seriously think I made it every weekend for six weeks straight.  Needless to say, we’re BIG fans of this recipe.  I think we love it so much because it’s incredibly versatile.  It works well on poultry, on steak, heck, it’s even good on some toasted baguette.  You’ll have to do a lot of chopping to get to the finished product, but trust us, it’s totally worth it.  Between the red onion, parsley, garlic, and red pepper, this chimichurri pulls together a slew of otherwise strong flavors into a mellow, savory topping for just about anything.

Parsley, Garlic and Red Onion

The finished chimichurri, marinating

1/2 cup minced red onion (about 1/2 onion)

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh oregano (I’ve also gotten by with about 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.  Season with 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.  Add the salt slowly and taste along the way.  Remember you can’t take it away once it’s in there.  Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

We’ve usually served the chimichurri over grilled flank steak, sliced thin against the grain.  Last night we had it over grilled pork and I think we might have the leftovers tonight on some grilled chicken breasts.  It would also be great with some grilled shrimp with a little extra lemon.  Can you tell we like this stuff??  I do think grilled flavors work best, particularly with the bite of the chimichurri and the smoky flavors from the grill.  But if you find it’s great on something roasted or otherwise prepared, we’d love to hear about it.