How to Make Easy Chimichurri Sauce

Steps

1. Wash the parsley and trim the stems. I usually leave it in the bundle it came in from the store and work my knife away from the twist tie. Get all the leaves off, then take a minute to remove any really thick stems remaining. Some thin stems are A-okay. You want about a cup of packed parsley, but it's ok if it's not exact.

2. Crush 2 cloves of garlic with the side of a chef's knife. Peel off the skin (it's easy once the garlic is crushed). If you know you love garlic, toss in 1 or 2 more cloves, otherwise wait until you've tasted the chimichurri before adding more. 

3. If using fresh oregano, tear off leaves until you have 1/4 cup. I love the flavor of fresh herbs, but 2 tablespoons of dried oregano really does work great in this recipe if you don't have fresh oregano. 

4. If using a fresh red pepper, remove the stem and seeds, and slice into strips. (1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper also works well. See how versatile this recipe is!) 

5. Add parsley, 2-4 cloves garlic, oregano, and fresh red pepper (OR 1/2 teaspoon crushed flakes) to a food processor or blender. 

6. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and 2 teaspoons cumin, if you're using it. 

7. Add 1/4 cup red wine vinegar and 3/4 cup olive oil.

8. Use the pulse button on your machine to pulse the mixture in 1 second intervals. You want everything to get chopped but don't go so far that it's completely pulverized. (If you don't have a blender or food processor, you can also just mince everything really fine and mulch it by hand with the vinegar, adding the oil slowly while whisking so that it emulsifies.)

9. Taste the chimichurri and add more garlic, salt/pepper, or whatever you feel it might be missing. 

10. Enjoy with your favorite grilled meat! Chimichurri makes an AMAZING marinade, so I will often make a batch of this and use a little bit of it to marinate the meat, and save the rest to spoon over the meat when serving. (My favorite is Flank Steak. Click here for the recipe!)