Chimichurri Sauce on Grilled Flank Steak - May 18, 2011

Tonights dinner was all about the sauce... chimichurri sauce, that is. I was first introduced to the delectable taste at Restaurant Magnus in Madison a decade ago and have still not figured out how to recreate it exactly.

Here is my basic recipe:

"Roast" two garlic cloves by tossing them, still in their peels, in a skillet over medium heat and then ignore while you get the rest of the ingredients ready. After 10 minutes of faux roasting, peel and toss the garlic in a food processor along with two chopped scallions, a bunch of parsley, a splash of red wine vinegar, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Process until smooth, then slowly add olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

This one was good, but not fantastic. A little too much oil, not enough vinegar, and could have used a bit more red pepper. As you can see, I served it over grilled flank steak (which I cooked beyond the medium rare I was hoping for) alongside some lightly dressed greens, grilled rosemary potatoes, and a piece of french bread to sop up the extra chimichurri.

While I was out on the deck picking the lettuce, parsley, and scallions for tonight's dinner I thought I should also take a few pictures for posterity's sake.

Here is one of the two tomato plants. I'm amazed at its growth so far! We've had a ton of rain so I think I have watered it only a couple times.

At the far end of the deck I have cucumber plants trying to grow, a variety of herbs along the railing, two pepper plants, some green onions, and then arugula in the foreground.

And here is Cally-Cat venturing out on the deck to smell the air and try to grab a bite or two of something green before I shoo her back in. She particularly seemed to like the chives and onions, which is why they are raised, but has recently grown interested in my fledgling peas which you can see in the corner.