Zesty sauce serves veggies, too
I first tasted chimichurri when I was 23 and traveling in South America. It was served in every churrascaria on their cooked meats. I, too, have traditionally served chimichurri with steak. The garlic, herbs and acid from the lemon and vinegar enhances the flavor of the meat. But with more and more people wanting to eat vegetarian or vegan meals, I needed to shift gears.
The great thing about chimichurri is that it tastes just as good, maybe better, on vegetables, and it’s perfect for anyone going gluten or dairy-free. It’s easy to prepare — it takes mere minutes if you use a food processor or blender — and it goes with just about every veggie.
In this recipe, I serve it on snow peas, but I have also served it with asparagus, carrots or roasted cauliflower or beets. If you’re mixing vegetables — also delicious! — I recommend cooking the vegetables separately, so you can accommodate any different cooking times.
And if you have any extras, chimichurri is fantastic on eggs the next day!
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss vegetables with the olive oil and salt. Transfer to a single layer on a sheet pan.
2. Roast for 10-12 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. (You can use this same temperature no matter what vegetable you’re using; just test at 10 minutes to see if done.)
3. For the chimichurri sauce: Put the garlic, shallot, cilantro and parsley in a food processor. Process until nicely chopped. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, chile pepper flakes and salt. Pulse until well blended, scraping down the sides of the processor.
4. To serve, transfer the cooked vegetables to a serving bowl. Let cool slightly, then toss with half the chimichurri. Serve the rest tableside, in case you want more!