As an argentinian I would recomend first soaking the dried oregano and chilli flakes in the vinegar and even add a splash of water. And then adding the oil, it makes the chimichurri so much better
I make it the exact same way except I use white wine vinegar instead of red….but I know u were asking the Argentinian :). He probably would have mentioned if something was different
These are my favorite kinds of videos you make. Show us something we're familiar with, break it down into the core components, and show us how to remix it into interesting variations. This approach is excellent in building the foundational knowledge to be able to improvise in the kitchen. It feels like learning music theory but with food.
Haha - I went down to the comments to essentially say this, only to see it as the top comment. Spot on! The only thing I'd add is I love when you throw out great little additional tips like "if you have the grill going, might as well cook some chicken for tomorrow too!"
Loved the video! Argentine here: for me, chimichurri has oregano as well as Italian parsley (important, this is the parsley we have there, we don't have the curly one). Our red pepper flakes are less spicy than the ones from the US but I think Americans will probably like that additional kick. I would also recommend making it at least a day in advance so the flavors combine. Also, if you feel intimidated about the fresh ingredients, you can totally use dry and let it sit so everything hydrates, they sell packets of mixes like this in Argentina. Fresh is better, of course, but don't let that prevent you from trying chimichurri! Thanks for making a very accurate version and giving some insight about how to use the formula! I'll definitely try new combinations!!
My favorite thing about all your content is that you're always giving us a "blueprint" instead of specific directions. Love taking a blueprint and making it my own
I feel like by breaking things down and presenting it as a blueprint he gives us the tools to really make it our own. You just don't get that kind of understanding and flexibility with a traditional recipe
yeah i guess american (?) folks aren't raised with concepts of cuisine or even... food groups? Like, if you find the concept of "oh, this is an archetype that can be readily modified based on available ingredients or the desired dish" novel, then I must say god bless, but that isn't necessarily specific to ethan's content. But man he's got some gems for ya then Wow
@@jacyoutube4459 what a beyond idiotic comment. Shameful, really. Hope you manage to produce some shred of value in your day to day life, but if this is any indication, I wouldn't hold my breath.
Aguante el chori con chimichurri vieja. It's great for sandwiches and meats, but a secret to some pizza places here is brushing a little of it on top of the mozzarella great contrast and adds a crisp acidity to the pizza.
@@EthanChlebowski ooh let me tell ya it is, I'm not inventing anything out of nothing, people do do it here in 🇦🇷 myself included. A good 70% hydration dough made with poolish and slowly bulk fermented in the fridge for a day or 2, a nice thick sauce spread thinly and a high fat mozzarella cheese (over 20%) it's a killer combo. Brush a little chimi on that sucka and boom thank me later.
Thats how its described in books too. Just like dressings are split into fat,acid,sweet and umami. Or how stocks are main flavor,liquid, mirepoix, aromatics. Its just that usually we buy books with recipes over actual books about cooking so all the interesting stuff gets left out which is a pity
The visual aides help me recall the ingredients and the categories long after I watched the video 💚 The combination of his voice and cadence, his demonstrations and his visual aides help me learn so much!
These “blueprint” videos are amazing. Sometimes you don’t have the required ingredients but you still want to make something and this breakdown of sauces, ingredients and dishes really helps.
every cooking vid of all time has been a "blueprint" vid. I.... i just am staggered by some of the statements in this comment section. it's like it never occurred to most folks that DISHES are made up of individual INGREDIENTS combined & treated (heated, cooled, bathed, etc) in certain steps I'm sure Ethan isn't the only cooking content you've ever seen in your life--did you think the others weren't providing a blueprint? mind boggled
@@jacyoutube4459 actually no, lots of recipes are very ingredient specific, lots of recipes have key ingredient that cant be subbed, and lots of recipes’ way or cooking are specific to the ingredients and cant be used as blueprints or a formula. and lots of the recipes doesnt tell u why it works and how u can use the formula
Argentinian here! traditionally chimichurri contains much more oregano, and also some pimentón/paprika. I like squeezing a bit of lemon too. If you’re in a hurry try hydrating the dry ingredients with a splash of hot water.
I am torn on the olive oil as presented in the video, most chimichurries I've tasted (even in Argentina when I went there a couple of years ago) are made with neutral flavoured oil. but to each his own I guess. but yeah, Chimichurri is fantastic.
@@MrRilarios Olive oil is great if you plan to make a small batch or an amount that you know it won't last beyond that moment. The problem is that you won't be able to save it on the fridge, it will rot really fast due the low temperature. Traditionally here we use a neutral flavored oil better for conservation in cold like sunflower oil, not only is better suited for that but it's also extremely more cheaper.
Really like the South American vids -- there's so much great content for Asian and European cooking but South American cooking is often left out, and I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to learn more about it.
On the chopped vs blended method I do a hybrid. So I blend the oil and vinegar with the herb stems so they don’t go to waste (plus that’s where a lot of the nutrients are). Then I chop the leaves and aromatics and mix those with the blended mixture. Tastes so good and there’s no waste. Edit: I should clarify. I blend the oil and vinegar with the soft herb stems like parsley or cilantro. Not anything with hard stems.
This sounds like a good balance, unless there is some relevant way in which the resulting vinaigrette responds to the rest of the ingredients. I definitely found the chopped chimichurri to be a bit too liquid when I made it last summer, so this could add that saucy body to it.
I keep a container of this in my fridge year round. A fun variant I like is a "dry" chimichurri, where you use dried parsley, oregano, basil and thyme and add like a tablespoon of paprika then I use a hand-blender in a narrow container and go for a kind of mayonnaise-like emulsion, which works because of the garlic. Throw a spoon of that on a steak and you're set.
Lived in Argentina as a boy but still have family and friends there….looove the chimi! One recommendation is using sunflower oil or something a little more neutral than olive oil. I love olive oil, and it works fine…I just found sunflower oil allows the other flavors through a bit better. This was recommended to me by one of my friends down there. I could live on Choripan, in a baguette of course, with some chimi. Sorry if someone else suggested this. :)
@@kr8714 I havent tried avocado oil, but usually any not invasive oil works just fine. Its really common the sunflower oil in argentina so we use that, but any neutral oil does the job
I made my own chimmichurri for the first time last summer and now it is basically essential any time I grill steaks. It is so easy, I don’t know why it took so long! And then the garlicky oil in the bottom of the serving bowl is perfect for dunking good bread into.
I’m really finding these “choose your own adventure” videos helpful. It’s nice to break away from all of my old recipes, and they are helping me be more creative in the kitchen. Thanks!
Like Ethan and others have noted, I think the best part of this video is the acid/fat/aromatics breakdown. It really helps one understand the why verses the how, which shows you why it works together in the first place, AND how take this concept in any direction.
General people underestimate so much how useful is the structured perspective of food preparation, and this videos is exactly the reasong it is. Very great video Ethan!
I've made a Thai version of your chimichurri. My herbs are thai red basil, mint, green sawtooth coriander. And for my aromatic and spices I used good quality fish sauce made it mild for Mrs. So I skipped the thai chili. Thanks for making it easy.
There was a Thai restaurant I'd ALWAYS hit anytime business took me to North Carolina (triad area)- that had a condiment VERY similar to what you made, only they had chunks of pickled Thai chilis in it. I could eat that stuff all on it's own.
The cilantro and habanero "chimi" it's just called Pebre in Chile, but the way is made is more chunky bits and more spicy, but its also made the way you did it
TIL! - Pebre, is a very popular Chilean sauce made with chopped cilantro, tomatoes, onions and garlic, along with olive oil, vinegar and usually a spice component like chili peppers. It is served everywhere in Chile to accompany a wide variety of dishes, and of course everyone has their own version. And - Pebre is a Chilean sauce made with cilantro, chopped onion, olive oil, garlic, chile peppers as well as chopped tomatoes. Similar to salsa, this Pebre recipe adds a nice bite to your meals.
@@otto_jk I heard about 5% of the population believe it taste like soap. You are the unlucky 5%. I will say that one time when I out a lot of cilantro In a dish, it did taste like dish soap. But only one time and at high dose
For the traditional version, I'd say the most often overlooked aspect is including enough pepper flakes so the oil turns reddish People are usually obsessed with the green herb aspect of it, but the sauce is equally reliant on plenty of oil, oregano, and pepper flakes, at least from what I've tasted in Argentina (one critique I have of chimichurris there is that some versions are too vinegary)
Love it. Forgot to add the dried Mexican oregano last time and made something I liked even better. 1 bunch of cilantro 1 small bunch of parsley (not flat leaf) 1/2 a head of garlic (grilled) 1 serrano pepper (grilled) zest of 1 lime 1/2 juice of lime red wine vinegar olive oil red pepper flakes chicken bullion powder (or salt to taste) Enjoy!
I made both of these this week, and while the regular chimichurri is great, this cilantro habanero one is amazing! I even made the whole bowl like you did with bulgar wheat. Incredible! Thanks for the inspiration for food this week!
I’ve never made chimichurri but I recently made a hanging herb garden that is flourishing so I think it’s time to go for it! I’ve been making a lot of mixed herb pestos that have come out amazingly!
Great video Ethan! I love when foreigners get exited but all things Argentinian eheh! Now if you allow me here a through guide on Chimichurri and other Argentinian AND Chilean sauces. First of All, I will give techniques and recipes different to yours, that doesn't mean yours is wrong, the idea with Chimichurri is getting creative and do what you like, at the end this is maybe to inspire different ideas. So lets start with the basics... Provenzal, Provenzal Sauce is basically the base of the Chimichurri which is Parsley and Garlic, so basically Parsley, Garlic, Salt, Pepper and Oil, traditionally in Argentina we always use Sunflower oil or neutral oil, I like to use Olive Oil but that's just me. One important thing to make either Provenzal or Chimichurri is that you cut the Parsley and the Garlic together, the idea is that when you chop both at the same time then you smash both with the knife and chop again and smash pressing and moving the knife towars you (with the blade looking away of you of course), this will create something in the middle of a paste and a chop, it will release the garlic flavour and imbue it on the parsley, also use a bit more garlic here, but remove the stem. After Provenzal is out of the way lets talk about "Salsa Criollla" or in english "Creole Sauce" this is a very different one, you chop in equal sizes, tomatoes, onions, red, green and yellow bell peppers, add Oil (again traditional is neutral oil you can use olive oil is better and in my opinion more flavourfull although the idea is to not have the taste of the oil but to taste everything else) and either Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Juice, that is the basic, you can add a bit of Provenzal to that. Now lets go to Chile for a bit before going for the Chimichurri, here we have Pebre, Pebre is like something between Chimicurri and Salsa Criolla, it has tomatoes, onion, red and green pepper, and provenzal but instead of parsley you use Cilantro, and you can add even some White Wine, I'm not an expert in Pebre but that is the basics a Chilean here could give more advanced tips. Now Chimichurri and we have 4 Varieties and different ways of doing each. Variety 1 - Normal and Traditional Chimichurri You start with a provenzal and add Oregano, here I would say add more than what you add and Dry Oregano is fine, the idea of Chimichurri is to make it one day and eat it the following day or after 48 to 72 hours so Dry Oregano is okay cause it's going to get hydrated. Chilli Flakes its traditional but usually we add more now our Chilli Flakes are not very spicy and Chimichurri is not necesarrily hot but it has to have a distinctive heat to it and to add to that I would say use Paprika too or the way we call it here "Pimenton Dulce", this is in part for color, usually Chimichurri is more redish, the greenish sauce is the Provenzal. Now the different way of doing this is my way because it's what I like. To the traditional add fresh aji picante, fresh chili basically it is more hot and I like hot chimichurri, then instead of sweet Paprika, use a mix of hot paprika and smoked paprika, Oil go for Olive oil a good Italian Olive Oil, for the acidic part I like to use half lemon half balsamic vinegar and to finalize it a bit of Whisky. Variety 2 - Cooking Version Basically don't add vinegar just oil, and use it to put on the meat in grill, this is good for big pieces like entire rib cage and stuff like that but mainly entire rib cages. Variety 3 - Blended Here you can do what you did if you like it but I would say that the blended version should not use vinegar and it should be use to marinate, mainly pork, so you grab your pork put the blended chimichurri and that goes in the fridge for at least 2 hours to 12 hours, you can add beer to that so it adds moisture, yes we marinate with Chimichurri Beer. Variety 4 - Blended then Strained So this part willl make two products, you make the chimichurri with or without vinegar it's okay and then you blend it and after that you strain it with cheese cloth, you will get two byproducts, basically Chimichurri juice and Chimichurri Paste a quite Dry Paste, with the Paste I have never did anything but you could actually put it in a dryer and get dry chimichurri and then you can make a dry rub with it while the juice is used to inject the meat with it, so basically you get a Cooking Syringe and inject the meat in various places with the chimichurri juice, sometimes we do this with Vacio in English Thick Flank Steak its FOR ME the King of the grill most Argentinians will say that the King is the actual Asado which are the Ribs but for me the Vacio and injected with chimichurri... so juicy. Hope this is of someone's interest, and if it's too much text... sorry xD
Spot on analysis. There's no such thing as a "ultimate chimi recipe". Personally y prefer less parsley and more spicy ingredients. Two things to try: 1- Mix some chimichurri with mayo, it makes a killer salad dressing. and 2- make a similar video about salsa criolla (creole sauce), We usually prepare chimichurri and criolla in our asados some days ahead (it improves the flavor), so everyone can decide their favorite one. Even with a single piece of bread, you can devour a full bowl without noticing it.
Great video. This week I made an awesome red chimichurri sauce. I used roasted red peppers, roasted onion, and roasted garlic. I also used equal parts parsley and cilantro. Came out great. Chimichurri really is a very versatile and easily adaptable sauce.
I'm Portuguese and we always made a "salsa" base with parsley, lemon and olive oil.... sometimes adding pimenta paste, garlic, onions or oher herbs depending on the dish or personal tastes. Didn't realize this was basically the same as chimichurri.
Thankyou. An Aussie here. I'd heard of chimichurri, but was totally ignorant of what it was. Other than some type of food. We have an extensive herb and vegetable garden. So now the family will be bombarded with chimichurri too!
I really hope you see this, because I was always torn between chopped vs blended and found the perfect balance - roughly pulse the aromatics and herbs, add to a bowl of olive oil and stir and let sit for 15mins before serving. The lack of liquid in the food processor helps maintain a better texture while cutting down on chopping time :)
I like how you demonstrate how to mix-up a base recipe using a visual rubric and create something different. now I'm thinking of what other base recipes I know of that I can mix up.
Here in Brazil we actually have a dry version in the markets (basically the same but without the fat and acid plus dry onion and dry garlic). I never used it with the acid+fat... I use it like a all purpose spice, no matter where you throw it, it's gonna be awesome I'm excited to try this more authentic version as well!
Just started making chimichurri this spring since we have a LOT of parsley coming up. I've been using fresh oregano so far since we have plenty. Love this stuff. Tastes great on a lot of foods and especially like it on baked potatoes and my brisket tacos. To me its like a parsley salad with an oil and vinegar dressing basically. You can eat this stuff straight up too, ha ha. I've been making pesto for years and freezing it so I've froze some of my chimicurri to see how it holds up. I expect it to be fine since I've been freezing parsley for years for use in soup and other cooked dishes. I could probably just throw some frozen chimicurri in a pan, let the oil melt, pull the parsley out and saute my veges for soup in it. Lots of options with this stuff. Your video is probably the most straight forward version of how to make this so thanks for the tips!
Give it a try! You will get more flavour out of it immediately, but I suspect the at the mouth feel will change; you won't get the same chunkyness as a rough chop.
Every time I think an Ethan video isn't gonna be that interested or exciting he finds a way to make it wickedly fascinating. Keep up the great work, bud; This is some of the best culinary content I've ever witnessed on or off the internet.
This sauce is addictive. I keep it in the fridge and been eating as sick day meal for last 2 days with brown rice, chicken and tomatoes. Thanks and looking similar food
I love the way you setup a blueprint of the recipe. Sets up the approach and it helps approach the recipes with unique takes on the recipe. Thanks for your great work!
Lived in Argentina for a while and traditionally, mainly due to access to fresh vegetables/everything being very limited, chimichurri was made with less flavorful ingredient. I would highly suggest trying it with older herbs just because it gives it a more subtle taste that a lot of places don't get right.
Definitely one of my favorite video concepts. Breaking it down into the basic building blocks really helps me understand my options in the kitchen and keeps things from getting boring.
it's great stuff, I also like to make it in a mortar, ends up somewhere in between chopped and blended. An other great variation is a board dressing, just chop your greens and garlic etc on the cutting board, sprinkle of lime or vinegar, olive oil, mix on the board with your knife, spread out and then put the grilled meat on top. Good stuff!
You are definitely your own man, but you could also be the next Alton Brown for the new generation of future chefs. Thanks again for a top quality video, Ethan.
Dawg, you have awakened my taste buds to the oily Tangy spicy aromatic flavor-bomb that is Chimichurri. The explanation and systematic breakdown of the flavor profile really helped me build and tweak my own Chimichurri
For base chimichuri you should never forget to add bunch of red diced onions ;) trust me. And add some sugar as well. Taste buds will explode and you will think the chimchuri is the main dish and not the steak :D
THANK YOU FOR THE BLUEPRINT. To me, this is what sets you apart from many other food content creators who don't explain the reasoning behind what they are doing.
My argentine GF and her family introduced me to "chimi" years and years ago. I'm Mexican, so I like to make my version I like to add a Lil more heat to the party. Her Argentinean family are not big on the heat, almost at all but living in California they have slightly adapted.
Im hooked with chimichurrin since the first day i made in. For parsley wise i prefer to leave the whole leaves intact as the leaf retain its own liquid . It makes the content much more immerse with oil
I can answer that one. I kept it for 3 months (maked with the dey leaves). of course, it's better to add more oil to cover it and avoi to expose to the air. And it will be stronger, believe me). Normally I make a new one and add the old one to get more tasty.
Mixing chimichurri with mayonnaise is amazing too - if you want a thicker dip or sauce for sandwiches, or just want chimichurri mayo for anything mayo related!
I fell in love with chimichurri just a few months ago! I found a recipe for a balsamic chimichurri, and its now my favorite thing to do to use up parsley right before it goes bad. I've tried both, but I'm much more of a fan of the hand chopped chimichurri. It just tastes more dynamic I guess.
2:30 i am from Chile, we use 1 tomato and 1 Shallot ( in Mirepoix or brunoise), coriander and parsley, 2 garlics, olive oil and lime juice you have "Pebre", is a typical accompaniment of our BBQ, optional you can put some chili, is really nice with the meat, try a hotdog with that and a little mayonnaise is really nice 😇.
I ate at a restaurant recently when I was on a work trip that served steak with the Chimichurri. I was skeptical at first, but my god it was so good. I never forgot the word and even went back the next day for more. Since I have returned home I have tried to make it for my steak. It was not as good as the restaurant, but still very tasty! Its my go to now, who needs A1 sauce these days right?!
Your channel inspires me not to just try a new recipe, but to be creative in the kitchen. I think that is what makes your content unique. Thanks and keep up the excellent work!
not sure if you'll see this, but i tried making chimichurri with a mortar and pestle and it was best of both worlds and SO much more flavorful. Yea, it's a lot more work, but could be worth it for those special occasions.
I made some chicken wraps today with this chimichurri. Damn, that stuff is addicting! I really love the acidic taste of it, and now I will try lots of other variants thanks to your blueprint recipe. Love your videos Ethan, when I'm in sort of a cooking rut or just out of ideas your videos always help me. Cheers!
Condiments can completely transform a dish. Made a BBQ sauce for some pulled pork sandwiches a few weeks ago: approximately equal parts siracha, gochujang & ketchup with a splash of worchester sauce, olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Holy hell was that stuff tasty.
Ethan, I'd also add the fact that it gets better the longer you let it marinate. Usually you want to wait 24hrs before you use it (though I've rarely actually waited that long).
Love this because we grew Seranno peppers instead of Jalapeño this year and have an excess of serranos to use. We are going to adapt our chimichurri recipe to include our serrano peppers. We also grew fresh parsley, oregano, and garlic.
Another wonderful thing about chimichurri and its variations is how you can whip up a quick sauce of the kind while your pan is heating up (great for last minute additions to a meh meal) but you can also use it as a way to extend the shelf life of some fresh herbs (a great tool to have when you have too much available at a particular time). In the subject of variations, I once made a super quick chimichurri inspired sauce to which I added a bit of Worcester Sauce. The extra umami made for a great condiment.
Did anyone else have their Google Assistant trigger at 3:44 into the video? 🤣🤣🤣 Love the content and will be adding this to my next grilling experience 😍👍
After finding chimichurri several years ago, it quickly became my go-to sauce for especially grilled meats and many other things. I'm a big fan of sour.
if someone would like something similar but hates parsley/cilantro, I just take handfuls of arugula and slather it with vinegar, mayo, yoghurt and a bit of salt and it's incredibly refreshing with fatty meats and potatoes.
Yes! Every time I grill I make extra chicken. Grilled chicken salad and grilled chicken salad are amazing. I like the idea of having 2 or 3 sauces on hand now too.
In Venezuela we make guasacaca, and the way I like to make mine is basically chimichurri plus avocado blended together. Shorter shelf life but it's great to make in small batches for steaks, potatoes, empanadas, you name it...
When I make it instead of blending or hand chopping I use a food processor for everything but the oil. It comes out with a texture between your blended and hand chopped versions.
For blend vs. chopped, I use a food processor and pulse it. You can still toss in everything this way (so it's way easier), but you can control the texture pretty well!
my dad who's Argentinean taught me eat chimichurri with red meats only though they go well pork as well. I've always found it tastes weird chicken turkey etc. But it really depends on the palate- that chimichurri inspired sauce for the chicken looks amazing. Have to try. Amazing. I think my dad - who happens to also be a chef would approve I think. :)
I get obsessed with my cucumber salsa and put it on lots of dishes or eat it with corn tostadas or other chips. It brightens up and lightens up so many presentations!
I love chimmichurri and make it very similar to this. I recently tried a variation similar to your red pepper one but roasted and peeled the peppers first, super tasty!
