Opinion – Marcão’s Recipes: Chimichurri is the secret of Argentine barbecue; learn to do

If I’m going to post a recipe for each World Cup country here, unfortunately I need to include Argentina, so let’s get on with it.

Just kidding: I love Argentina, Argentines and Argentine food. But what is Argentine food?

The first thing that comes to mind is barbecue. But barbecue, despite the differences in meat cuts and cooking techniques, is more or less the same everywhere. We need something more typical.

Two things make “asado”, the Argentine barbecue, a very special food. The first is the presence of “achuras” (offal) in the “parrillada” (mixed barbecue): “mollejas” (thymus), “riñones” (kidneys) and “chinchulines” (small intestine) are considered delicacies. I move on to the next item.

What gives the Argentine barbecue a unique flavor is the chimichurri, a sauce based on olive oil, vinegar, spices and herbs. Nowadays it’s easy to find ready-made chimichurri, in pots, but it’s not the same as homemade chimichurri — even because, in general, the ingredients are inferior.

There are also dry seasoning preparations, sold for you to mix at home with olive oil. Let me tell you: using fresh garlic and herbs makes a lot of difference in flavor. Dried parsley doesn’t taste like anything, and dried garlic tastes like industrial food.

Chimichurri recipes vary a lot, with two main streams: one that takes only olive oil and vinegar, more common to see in Brazil, and another that also adds a brine. Let’s go on this second type of chimichurri.

The following recipe is adapted from one that Argentine chef Francis Mallmann published in his book “Seven Fires” (V&R, 2010).

My main change was doubling the amount of garlic—although this is milder than the original, as the garlic is roasted. I also delegate the work of mincing the garlic and parsley to a food processor.

Mallmann says to wait a day, until the flavors blend well, before using the sauce. It might be. But try to use it quickly, within a week. Although chimichurri will keep in the fridge for a long time, parsley loses its fresh flavor within a few days.

Roasted Garlic Chimichurri

Yield: about 500 ml

Difficulty: easy

INGREDIENTS

2 heads of garlic

1 bunch of fresh parsley

1 cup oregano leaves (fresh or dried)

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika

60 ml red wine vinegar

120 ml of extra virgin olive oil

Filtered water

PREPARATION

1. Bake the whole heads of garlic at 200ºC for 20 minutes. In the air fryer, 10 minutes at this temperature is enough. Wait for it to cool and peel the teeth.

2. In the food processor, beat the garlic with the parsley.

3. Place the salt, garlic, parsley, oregano, paprika, vinegar and oil in a glass jar of about 500 ml (of olives or hearts of palm, for example). Wait for the liquids to settle and top up with water. Cover the pot and shake it well. If the volume reduces, add more water.

4. Store in the fridge and use on grilled meats and fish.