Don't Cry for Me, Argentina!

We go to the grocery store almost every day. Although this may sound very time consuming, the truth is we like to get the freshest ingredients. And other times it's solely for inspiration.

How do I know on Monday what I want to eat on Thursday? And when Thursday comes, we might not even know what we want then...so off we go to Central Market to see our flock of foodie friends who work there (you know who you are!) in the hopes we will be somehow inspired to cook something wonderful.

And inspired we were last weekend when Central Market launched their two week celebration of all things Argentina. (If you live in Texas and live anywhere near a Central Market, please promise me you'll check this Argentinean Festival out. It continues through May 25 and they have really done it right this time.)

In honor of Central Market's Argentinean Festival, plus the fact that David's daughter, Kate, is currently living in BA (that's Buenos Aires), we decided to have an Argentinean dinner Saturday night which means in part that everything was grilled.

David bought a grass-fed New York strip steak from Uruguay, we also purchased some chistorra (a coiled pork sausage) and a round of aged provolone for some amazing grilled provaletta.

I served this with a simple salad of baby arugula I bought at the farmers market (and I added some avocado, too) and then whipped up this tasty chimichurri sauce that we put on everything, except the salad, of course.

Fortunately, this meal has inspired David to create an Argentinean burger...grilled grass-fed hamburger meat topped with a slice of provolone and a big dollop of chimichurri sauce! He hasn't made this burger yet, but when he does, you'll read about it here.

I hope we've inspired you to do something Argentinean...if not food, perhaps the tango or open a nice bottle of Malbec??

Buen provecho!

Chimichurri
The Cowgirl Gourmet

Print recipe

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

I concocted this recipe after making chimichurri several times using various recipes. This one has just the right combination of flavors and pizazz...perfect for a grilled steak, chicken or even pork. I think the combination of lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegars and pepper flakes are what make this one so perfect!

1 bunch of organic (preferably) flat-leaf Italian parsley, washed and coarsely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
Juice and zest of one lemon (zest the lemon first, then juice it)
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno vinegar (if you don't have this, just omit and add 1/2 teaspoon more red wine vinegar...or see recipe below)
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil (you don't have to use extra virgin, but it should be a good olive oil)

Put everything except the olive oil in the blender and puree.

Once everything is mushed up, slowly drizzle the olive oil and puree until emulsified.

Bring to room temperature before you are ready to serve.

The sauce will last for two months in the refrigerator.


Jalapeno Vinegar
The Cowgirl Gourmet

I also love to add jalapeno vinegar to black beans.

6-10 whole serrano peppers, washed (or more depending on the size of your bottle)
White vinegar
A clean bottle with cork

Place whole serranos in a bottle and pour enough white vinegar to cover the peppers. Let it sit for about a week before using and it will last indefinitely. When the vinegar is almost gone, I simply add more vinegar and eventually more serranos to the bottle.