Monday, July 20, 2009

It's not easy being green

I've been cooking up a storm lately. When I'm stressed, I cook. Of course when I'm done cooking, I have no desire to eat what I've been slaving over and smelling for the last couple of hours.

Whipped up a batch of chimichurri over the weekend and have been trying to figure out ways to use it outside of slathered over a medium steak. Most recipes I reviewed stated that the sauce is only good for a few days. Not sure why as it's just herbs, oil, lime juice, but I guess the potency of the hebal notes would dissipate over the course of a few days.

My version of arroz verde is the second best use of the chimichurri sauce. Recipes below.

Chimichurri
1 part basil
1 part mint
1 part garlic
2 parts cilantro
2 parts parsley
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2-3 serrano or jalepeno peppers
salt to taste
olive oil

Take all the herbs and the lemon juice and zest and pulse in a food processor until fine. Turn on the food processor and stream in olive oil until the consistency preferred. Add salt to taste.


Some chimichurri recipes are a lot of oil so the herbs swim in it. I prefer a loose pesto like consistency that is spreadable. Almost any herb can be added to this. This is what I had on hand from the farmer's market. The proportions are also subject to preference. I like something that's got the balanced grassy notes of parsley and not just cilantro. I didn't have any oregano on hand, though I've added it in the past. I love the floral notes of the mint and basil.

I love to slather this on a steak. I've mixed it with cream cheese for a dip. And the arroz verde below is incredible.

Arroz Verde
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups basmati rice (any long grain rice should do, but I love the nutty smell of basmati)
1 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of chimichurri

Bring the chicken broth to boil in a saucepan. Add the rice and salt and 1 tablespoon of the chimichurri. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Let it simmer for 20 minutes or until the broth is absorbed. Dump the rice into a large bowl and toss with a fork with remaining 2 tablespoons of chimichurri.


Eat!

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