A Marinade Makes the Meal - Chimichurri Marinade

I got the original recipe for this marinade from a great book I picked up when we stayed in the Outer Banks (Nags Head to be exact) a couple of summers ago. It is called The Outer Banks Cookbook by Elizabeth Wiegand.  It is adapted from a recipe by Chef Wes Stepp at the Red Sky Cafe. I know, from other recipes, that Chimichurri is usually a parsley-herb marinade but I was all out of parsley so I used some spinach in its place.  It worked well.

I've made similar in the past and used it as a sauce, or added it to a pan sauce, or used it on grilled meats or fish. It is extremely versatile. Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for several days. I wouldn't go more than a week though.

Chimichurri is an Argentinian sauce - it is used on many different kinds of foods - mainly protein before grilling.

This is my version of the original:

Chimichurri Marinade

1 cup tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, packed

1/2 cup spinach leaves*

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

2 cloves garlic, chopped

pinch Stevia**

Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until combined.

Risa's notes:

*original called for parsley.

**original called for sugar.

I poured this over boneless skinless chicken thighs and marinated them for 2 hours and then put them in a grill pan and browned them. Cooked them through and served them with Farro and Roasted Broccoli.

Yield: 2 cups

Source: adapted from The Outer Banks Cookbook by Elizabeth Wiegand

Posted by RisaG 3/28/12