I first had Chimichurri at an Argentinian Steak restaurant my partner and I went to on our anniversary. It was amazing, the flavours were explosive but not overpowering and complimented the meat perfectly.

I looked everywhere to find a bottle or jar that I could keep at home but I think that even if I had, it would not have been as good as that fresh one I had in the restaurant.

There are lots of recipes out there claiming to be the best and most authentic and I’ve played around with a few combinations to find out what tastes best for me. It is a personal thing of course but I found that some of the recipes I tied were either lacking in flavour or the vinegar in particular was a bit overpowering.

However, I think I have now cracked my favourite combination and I tested it for a Valentine’s meal with my partner. He had steak and I had mushroom ‘steak.’ He also loved the flavours, so I think I’m onto a winner.

You should play around with the flavours and quantities to find what suits you best and use this recipe below as a sort of guide.

Chimichurri goes really well with any sort of meat or meat substitute and will keep in the fridge for a few days so you can use it in other recipes if you have leftovers. I used it both as a marinade and as a sauce to top the finished food.

One final tip- I find hand chopping the ingredients gives a better result. A food processor can come out far too smooth and its much more appealing to the eye and to taste for it to be roughly chopped by hand.

Ingredients:

½ cup Olive oil

2 tbsp Red wine vinegar

4 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1 large chilli, finely chopped (deseeded if you want a milder flavour)

Couple sprigs of fresh Oregano, finely chopped

Large handful of fresh Parsley, finely chopped

Small Handful of Coriander, finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1 Mix all the prepared ingredients together in a bowl and allow to sit for about 15 minutes, or longer if you can, to allow the flavours to mix together.

2 Use as a marinade or as a sauce.

This recipe makes 8 servings and is roughly 128 calories per serving.

Carbs: 1g

Fat: 13g

Protein: 0g