I will be out for the holidays starting this week so there probably won’t be any new posts till the beginning of January. Have fun, eat well, and Happy Holidays!

Until then, click and savor this picture…

Here is my personal favorite recipe for chimichurri. You can mix it all together but I prefer to go through a 3-step process while preparing the sauce.

1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
1 small bunch flat leaf-parsley; chopped (should equal about 1/2 cup)
1 medium onion; finely chopped
2 cloves garlic; finely minced
1/2 of a red bell pepper; seeded and finely diced
1 tomato; peeled, seeded, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Teaspoon bay leaf (laurel); very small flakes
1 Tablespoon coarse salt
1 Teaspoon ground black pepper
hot chili flakes to taste

Make sure all of the fresh ingredients are well washed and clean before preparing.

Add all of the ingredients except the oil and vinegar into a large bowl and toss well to make sure that the salt is spread evenly around the ingredients. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Next add the vinegar and water. Mix well. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Finally add the oil and mix well. Make sure that the liquids cover the rest of the ingredients. If not add equal parts of oil, water, and vinegar until they are covered at least by a quarter of an inch. Transfer to a non-reactive clean bowl or jar that can be covered. Make sure to cover well. Place in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend overnight. For better results prepare at least 2 or 3 days ahead of time.

Related:
Parsley-Garlic Chimichurri Recipe

If you love cheese, warm melted cheese that is, provoleta is a must have pre-meat dish for an asado. Provoleta is semi-hard provolone cheese in cylindrical form. For asado it is sliced about 2 cm thick and cooked on the grill until melted with a crispy exterior. Both sides are typically seasoned with a generous amount of oregano or other herbs and spices. A light sprinkling of dried red chili flakes may be included for the brave. The herbs and spices are pressed well onto the cheese in order to prevent them from falling of during the cooking process.

How To Cook

The true method of cooking provoleta is to place it directly on the grill. This method can be quite difficult and takes a bit of practice to master. If done incorrectly, the cheese can melt right through the rack and onto the coals leaving you with a gooey mess on the grill; not fun to clean. If you are quick enough to pull off the grill before it falls, you’ll just have a puddle of melted cheese to serve on the plate. To prevent all of this from happening, you’ll need to let the cheese sit at room temperature for about an hour or more. If you have ever left cheese out for a while, you’ll notice that a dryish skin forms on the outside. This will help the exterior to become crispy while cooking and prevent a huge melting mess. The will need to be very hot with a substantial amount of coals underneath in order to keep that heat and further help the searing process. You can either serve it as is with one side crispy or attempt to flip it. The choice is up to you. Do it right and you’ll end up with an outstanding smoky flavored melted piece of gooey madness.

If cooking cheese directly on the grill seems too risky or if you decided to throw in the towel after too many failed attempts, do not despair. You can use one of those small and shallow disposable aluminum pans or create one with foil wrap to cook the cheese. The grill will still need to be super hot but you won’t have to worry about losing the cheese. As easy as it may sound, a little trial and error may still be in order because the cheese may stick to the pan making it difficult to serve. Flipping may be somewhat difficult with this method.

Finally, there is one method that is extremely hard to fail, but is considered cheating. Lightly coat a non-stick frying pan with oil and cook the cheese over medium heat. Flip the cheese when one side gets slightly crispy.

Whichever method you choose, try not to let one side cook for too long. If the cheese develops too much of a crunchy crust it may become slightly bitter and difficult to cut.

Serving

About half of one slice is enough for one person. Eat it plain or along with a slice of crusty bread.