I wanted to make a chimichurri sauce with a different consistency than the previous blended chimichurri, and once I started making it I decided to also change the flavor a little bit by replacing white wine vinegar with balsamic vinegar, using more oregano than parsley – which when I think of a chimichurri sauce the first thing that comes to my mind is oregano, thanks to Argentinean neighbors in Ecuador -, and also added some chopped green onions. I really liked this sauce, Nicolas (the sometimes picky husband), thought it was great except for the balsamic vinegar, but lately he doesn’t like balsamic vinegar, so if you do you’ll probably enjoy this sauce. Same warning as for the previous chimichurri sauce: be careful as mixing garlic and oil can produce dangerous toxins, so this sauce should not be left at room temperature and should be consumed the same day.
Ingredients:
3 tbs finely chopped fresh oregano
2 tbs finely chopped parsley
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
5 tbs olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
3 tbs finely chopped scallions or green onions
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Combine all of the ingredients in a jar or container with a tight lid, shake well.
Refrigerate until ready to use (but use the same day).
Other recipes:
Rick Bayless posted a Mojo de Ajo recipe which features large amounts of olive oil, garlic cloves and lime juice cooked slowly in the oven and then refrigerated for use later on. I keep a jar of the smashed garlic/olive oil/lime juice in my fridge for weeks and sometimes longer. I think the citrus alleviates the potential for the garlic and oil to create harmful bacteria. Don’t you think with the addition of vinegar in this sauce that it would do the same thing? What about adding some lime juice to ensure it? It sounds like a delicious recipe but as a single person, it would be wasteful to use only on the day it was made.
Hi Dianna – I’m not sure about the effect of the citrus/vinegar on the garlic, but I’ve kept it (refrigerated) for up to 3 days, the main thing is the olive oil start to get cloudy and solidify after day 1, but I usually just shake it and it’s fine. My husband told me that in France his family puts garlic in olive oil and keeps it for long periods – without refrigeration. It seems to be one of theses cases where there is a very small chance that it will be harmful, but if it does the danger is high.
I made this sauce a couple weeks ago to go with your empanadas recipe. Even now I am still craving more. Wonderful flavors. Thanks for sharing.