Chimichurri
October 16, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Condiments, Sauces & Marinades
My fondness for chimichurri started back in the early 90s when I was teaching in Colombia. There’s this great restaurant called Andres Carne de Res north of Bogota, and I remember having chimichurri with a steak there. First of all, the steak was one of the best I’d ever tasted (still), the stuffed grilled tomato on the side was fabulous, and the chimichurri just seemed to bring it all together. I seem to remember plenty of cilantro in their chimichurri, which is probably what drew me to it.
Chimichurri has it’s origins in Argentina but is popular throughout South America. The basic ingredients are herbs, garlic, olive oil, paprika, and vinegar, but there many variations and it seems that no two families make it the same way. Some people like to use just parsley, or combine parsley with cilantro or oregano, and the amounts of garlic and liquid ingredients vary. Some recipes have a little heat in the form of pepper flakes, and I’ll toss in a few every now and then. Roasting the garlic is another delightful variation that lends a subtle buttery flavor.
It’s a great all-purpose sauce that goes well with beef, chicken, and fish. Chimichurri is quick and easy and quite healthy with all the vitamins and minerals from the herbs and garlic. The parsley provides loads of vitamin C, which helps our bodies to absorb the iron in meat. We enjoy the freshness of the parsley and oregano from our garden. I usually add cilantro, but my plants are very slow in producing right now, so no cilantro this time.
Tabouleh (aka Tabbouleh, Tabouli)
July 21, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Grow Your Own, Middle Eastern, Salads
Early today I returned home from 10 glorious days of vacation to find our garden in full production mode. All the tomato plants have green tomatoes, teasing, making me wait until they ripen. I could pick some of the green peppers to encourage more flowering, and I probably will as I find it difficult to wait for peppers to fully ripen to a beautiful red, yellow, or orange.
The parsley is very bushy, even though I trimmed it back before we left and made fresh tabouleh with the leaves and stems. Tabouleh is one of the healthiest salads you can make; the parsley alone is bursting with 13 vitamins and minerals and even supplies protein; the bulgur provides fiber, protein, and potassium; the tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and lycopene; and the scallions are a significant source of vitamin K, about 250% of the daily requirement. Somehow knowing that the salad is so healthy makes it taste even more delicious.
Parsley Cilantro Marinade and Dipping Sauce
July 14, 2008 by Andrea
Filed under Condiments, Grow Your Own
We’re breaking away from our current Hawaii programming to bring you the latest Grow Your Own post direct from our summer garden. This marinade is mixed up like a pesto and flavored somewhat like a chimichurri without the extra liquid. Last week I grabbed some fresh parsley and cilantro as well as a few snips of oregano from our outdoor garden, tossed in some fresh garlic, olive oil, and a little water, then let the food processor do the work. We used it as a marinade for grilled chicken breasts and served them with grilled corn and a simple green salad. Shrimp or a good firm fish will also work well, just reduce the marinading time to about 30 minutes or so. The marinade adds a lot of flavor to light and easy meals for busy, hot summer days.
This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, a blogging event that celebrates the dishes we create from foods we’ve grown, raised, foraged, or hunted ourselves. The event now happens twice a month, and I am hosting this round. The deadline for entries is tomorrow July 15, so you still have time to join in. Check out the Grow Your Own page for instructions and send me your entry! Read more
