Chimichurri on Everything!

My first recipe for chimichurri came from an old issue of a Latina magazine from around 1995, which explains why the notepaper I copied the recipe into is totally faded…

8 Chimichurri Recipes for Your Next Party

The idea of chimichurri is simple: a blender sauce made up of olive oil, vinegar, parsley, onions and pepper. Once processed into a loose paste, serve it over grilled meats.

I loved that it was a good alternative to mojo sauce, essentially a combination of olive oil salt, water, dried peppers, garlic, paprika and some citric acid (lemon, lime or orange).

Chimichurri originated in Argentina, but other Latin American countries have added their own special varieties, and you can tweak your own version too!

Certainly, from the simple version that I fell in love with two decades ago, there have been other complicated, chucky versions with chopped bell peppers. Some versions may include tomatoes, or red wine vinegar, mustard, or a variety of spices, oregano and scallions.

For those who can tolerate cilantro, can mix or substitute the parsley. We are part of the 4-14% of the population that share a group of olfactory-receptor genes that makes us perceive cilantro as soapy. It’s science.

The sauce goes equally well over chicken as it does fish, over vegetables, in soups, as a dressing to salads. And there’s sopping up with crusty bread and washed down with a cold beer or some piquant or fruity wine. Topping baked potatoes with chimichurri is better than smothering it in butter, and tastier!

My personal favorite is the variety that incorporates avocado and results in a creamy and sexy sauce that is good over steak, great with an orzo and grilled chicken antipasto salad, and extraordinary as a marinade base for fish filets. I also use it to boost mayo, and with a dash of Sriracha, it makes for a decadent flavor to elevate any sandwich or burger.

If you make the creamy avocado sauce, you’ll find that it congeals when refrigerated. If you’ve ever had Chicken Villeroy, which has a base of Béchamel sauce, I use the same principle but with the creamy avocado chimichurri. Then you can coat in breadcrumbs and seal it in with the meat or fish. It’s spectacular!

I’ve seen it used as a dipping sauce for empanadas as well as a dressing for corn, and in tacos.

Although chimichurri is generally a savory sauce, I did see an interesting version with tomatoes, red onions, and grilled peaches that I am curious to taste. There’s a video here.

The Pinterest board includes several varieties of chimichurri, but also a variety of dishes that will make the condiment all the more desirable from snacks, to salads, to main and side dishes, and even over eggs. Plus it is so much fun to say it (in English or Spanish)!

Micheladas and other Beer Cocktails

A few years ago, we’d gone on vacation to Barbados, and we met these Coast Guard boys whose ship had docked nearby for a few days. I remember playing in the pool under a full moon and cracking up as they tried to teach me how to order beer in two dozen different languages.

For a Latina, I can pronounce bier in German like a muttertochter. Since our vacation, microbrewering has gone from cottage industry to an international movement. The jet setters among you can benefit from learning some foreign words and phrases (commit to memory or bookmark).

And yes, cooking with beer is a thing, but also cocktail bars are now known to create inventive beverages with beer. Gone are the days of the simple beer chaser!

A beer cocktail is exactly what it sounds like: a cocktail made by mixing beer with a distilled beverage or another kind of beer. Sometimes fruit and herbs are added.

Beer purists would hate the very idea! They’d scream that beer and cocktails are two separate things, akin to Church and State – and never shall the two mix!

These guys would approve. 

Then there’s the michelada, a game-changer if there ever was one. It literally means a cold one. A chela is a beer. A chelada is a cold beer. Let go of michelada!

To put it simply, it is Mexican cerveza preparada (prepared beer). The beer is served in combination with lime juice, peppers, sauces, and spices.

There are many versions, although regionally you may find some standard ingredients; there is no such thing as "traditional" cocktail, you can get as creative as you wish. There is a michelada with tomato and lemon juice, much like a bloody Mary; and another that, like a margarita, is served in a glass with a salted rim. Micheladas may have Worcestershire, teriyaki or soy sauce, mole, a dash of hot sauce, a combination of peppers and even tropical fruits.

What I truly love about it is that micheladas and beer cocktails lend themselves to tweaking. Using beer as the foundation gives you endless options these days, that you can work it around specific dishes from appetizers to desserts, to specific cuisines!

Check out the micheladas and beer cocktails Pinterest board, replete with recipes and ideas.

https://www.pinterest.com/amapolapress/food-goddess-micheladas/

Beer cocktails give you versatility, an opportunity to be creative, and expand your palate. What better reason to go beyond the commercial and supermarket brands! There is something refreshing and accessible about the idea of beer cocktails.