Every country griller knows that good meat is cooked by marinating it with brine, however nowadays (and for a long time) it is customary to marinate it with chimichurri.

Chimichurri is a must-have to accompany meat or a good roast, as well as the Creole sauce that I will talk about another time.

No one knows for sure what its origin was, according to some it is due to a British prisoner who, when asking for something to accompany the meat, to the confusion of the laborers, requested certain condiments with which he prepared a dressing himself. Others maintain that the name derives from a Basque sauce and many others that it must be a distortion of some indigenous word. Whatever its origin, it has been accompanying meat for almost two centuries.

Originally it was a brine (special mixture of water, salt, garlic and bay leaf) to which seasonings were added; today the emulsion is made with vinegar and oil.

Let’s see the recipe…

Ingredients :

1 cup chopped parsley

2 large cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon of ground chili

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon of hot or sweet paprika of your choice.

½ tablespoon of salt and half of black pepper

½ cup oil (corn, olive or sunflower)

½ half cup of white vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation:

The ideal is to prepare the mixture in a mortar, crushing everything well to release its juices and then add the emulsion prepared with the oil, vinegar and lemon. If you do not have a mortar, finely chop the parsley and garlic, place it in a bowl and add the seasonings, mixing well.

Then add the vinegar, oil and lemon, previously beaten (not too much) and mix until coated.

Let it rest for a few minutes and enjoy!

Another recipe: (if you don’t like it or don’t have parsley)

2 full spoons of oregano

1 head of garlic, finely chopped

3 bay leaves

Salt and black pepper to taste

Hot or sweet paprika according to taste.

1 tablespoon of ground chili

½ liter of oil

½ liter of vinegar

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients well and add the oil. Mix until coated and add the vinegar.

Let it rest for a day and it’s ready.