I have been undergoing a complete home kitchen renovation for the past three months. I am talking about a down-to-the-studs overhaul, start from scratch do-over type of makeover. It has been a long and arduous process, but I am excited to announce we are finally done!
So, what do two chefs in a household do when they don’t have a kitchen? They MacGyver an interim kitchen in their dining room. Not the most ideal situation but it worked, for the most part. We had an induction burner on our dining room table that we did the bulk of our cooking on. Thank goodness we have a Le Creuset braiser that can do just about everything in. We were able to make pasta, risotto, soups and of course, I would be lost if I couldn’t make eggs with my nonstick pan.
On our side table we had the essentials: our air fryer came in handy for reheating, toasting, and all the frozen packaged foods we were consuming. But as long as I had coffee, I knew everything would be all right. One of the best meals we made in our makeshift kitchen was Cuban sandwiches on my college George Foreman grill, not pictured.
It was difficult to manage this situation, to say the least. With everything being plugged in, our power strip would keep tripping, the dogs would get in the way and when you are used to working in a real kitchen, these circumstances got old real quick. Cue the takeout! It was so easy to scroll Doordash and Grubhub and not think about prepping on a dinky table. Pretty soon we were ordering meals almost every day; sometimes twice a day, if I am being honest. Quite embarrassing considering how much I preach to my students to cook instead of order out but not as embarrassing as not ever having had red chimichurri before ordering a burrito bowl from Chipotle! I love sauces; they are what really tie a dish together.
I had never heard of red chimichurri! I was very familiar with the green version, (shown above) and The Chopping Block has so many grilling classes and Latin classes that feature this wonderful herb sauce. But after experiencing the Chipotle version, I was on a mission to find out all about its cousin.
Green chimichurri (chimichurri verde) is bright, herby, and tangy, focusing on fresh parsley, oregano, and garlic, while red chimichurri (chimichurri rojo) is smoky, spicier, and slightly sweeter, swapping parsley for roasted red peppers and paprika, adding heat with chili/pepper flakes, and using red wine vinegar for a richer flavor. Both are uncooked Argentinian sauces used on grilled meats, but red offers a deeper, spicier profile with added smokiness, while green provides fresh, herbaceous brightness. The sauces are deeply rooted in the traditions of Argentine, Uruguayan, and Paraguayan cowboys (gauchos), who used it to add flavor to beef cooked over open fires. Many believe it is derived from the Basque word tximitxurri, which translates to "a mixture of several things in no particular order." These sauces are an excellent way to utilize herbs and spices and can last in the fridge for a week.
Red Chimichurri
Yield: 1 cup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Inactive time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
1 red pepper, roasted (how to video)
2-3 canned chipotle peppers, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/2 cup parsley, minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1-2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt/pepper to taste
1. Roast the red pepper on all sides until the skin is charred all the way around.
2. Cover the pepper to cool down and steam the skin off.
3. Wipe off all the charred skin and mince the roasted red pepper.
4. Combine all of the prepped ingredients into a bowl and thoroughly combine.
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning. You can make this sauce as loose as you prefer by adding just enough oil to coat or more depending on use.
6. Enjoy all grilled meats, fish, tacos, or just as a dip.
I personally like my chimichurris hand-minced for some texture but if you do prefer more of a paste-like texture similar to a pesto then you can put all of these ingredients into a food processor or a blender for a more homogeneous consistency.
I can’t wait to introduce this “new to me” find into The Chopping Block's grilling and other classes this year. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do. We offer so many classes with ingredients and menu items you may never have heard of before so check out our class calendar. If you want to learn more about other sauces and learn to make green chimichurri, don't miss our upcoming hands-on Elevated Sauces for Everyday Cooking class.
