Argentina Steak: Chorizo in Buenos Aires

Whether it be chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage) or salchicha parrillera (a longer, thinner version of chorizo), a traditional Argentine asado (steak dinner) always starts with a pre-meal sausage. The kingpin of these choices is the chorizo as it is loved by almost everyone. Argentines like to begin a meal with these “embutidos” in order to set the tone for the evening which is bound to involve a seemingly endless supply of some of the finest steaks in the world. Normally, people limit themselves to a single chorizo so as to not ruin their appetite for the marathon to come, however those with plenty of room to spare will go for two because they are just that tasty.

More often than not these sausages are stuffed with pork and various spices such as salt, pepper and garlic, though other variations involve replacing the pork with beef or the addition of paprika, sweet red pepper, and hot chilli pepper flakes. Much like when shopping for morcilla, you will have to find the right butcher for you as recipes change from shop to shop. Look for the chorizos to be light pink in color, and try to avoid those with little gray spots because that suggests that they may have mixed older meat into the “embutido”. It is also recommended that you ask the butcher when the sausages were put together just to be sure. Grilling sausage in Buenos Aires requires a slightly different technique than that of coveted Argentine steaks.

Normally the asador (grill master) cooks over high heat and very quickly, but the chorizo needs to be cooked over lower heat so that the casing remains intact. Although it is up to you whether you want to puncture the casings with the intention of making a dryer sausage. Just be careful when you choose to do so as you may induce a hot geyser of grease to launch from your “embutido”. The chorizo is most commonly eaten with a fork and a knife when served at a Buenos Aires parrilla (Buenos Aires steakhouse), but it is most popularly eaten as a sandwich known as a choripan and topped with an original Argentine sauce called chimichurri.

 

Argentine Sauces: Chimichurri in Buenos Aires

Argentine cuisine has major contributions from Europe mainly from Italy and Spain. Evidently, the food is certainly delicious but one of the biggest complaints among foreigners is that their food has a very limited sauce selection. And of course, I agree, I have been to several restaurants in Buenos Aires, the truth is that there is something missing, sauces!

Unlike any other Argentine preparations, chimichurri is a unique sauce of herbs that is commonly used to season or marinade Argentine steak, chicken, and choripan (a type of sandwich of crusty break and grilled sausage). Chimichurri is a blend of seasonings such as chopped parsley, clove garlic, salt, ground pepper, chili pepper flakes, oregano, cumin, shallot or onion, olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice.

The true story of chimichurri is not very well known. Therefore, there are several versions of how this particular sauce was named “chimichurri”. One of the most common stories is as follows; in the nineteenth century, an Englishman named Jimmy Curry came to Argentina. The locals pronounced his name as Chimi Churri because they could not say it correctly. He wanted to import Argentine meat to England and once he tasted the meat, he asked with what sauce the locals ate it with. They did not have an answer. He asked the locals to give him several spices; he mixed those spices together to make a dressing. Everyone else tried the meat with his special dressing and loved it! Thereafter, the locals named the special dressing by the Englishman’s name.

If you have tried chimichurri and want to make it at home, you certainly can! There are a few different ways to make chimichurri. Follow this recipe that only takes approximately 5-10 minutes. Place a cup of chopped flat leaf “Italian parsley”, crush 3 to 5 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper, ½ teaspoon of chili pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons of fresh oregano leaves, crush 2 tablespoons of shallot or onion, ¾ of a cup of vegetable or olive oil, 3 tablespoons of sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice in a blender or food processor. I preferably add more pepper flakes to make my chimichurri spicier. Carefully, pulse several times to have all the ingredients well chopped and mixed. Now you are ready to spread some chimichurri to your favorite Argentine steak or whatever else you like!

 

 

 

 

La comida argentina tiene importantes contribuciones de Europa, principalmente de Italia y España. Evidentemente, la comida es deliciosa, pero sin duda una de las mayores quejas de los extranjeros es que su comida tiene una selección muy limitada de salsas. Y, por supuesto, estoy de acuerdo, yo he estado en varios restaurantes en Buenos Aires, y la verdad es que hay algo que falta, son las ¡salsas!

A diferencia de otras preparaciones argentinas, el chimichurri es una salsa única de hierbas que se utiliza comúnmente como salsa o adobo para la carne, el pollo y el choripan. El chimichurri es una mezcla de condimentos como el perejil picado, ajo, sal, pimienta molida, hojuelas de chile, el orégano, el comino, la cebolla o cebolla, aceite de oliva, el vinagre y el jugo de limón.

 

La verdadera historia de chimichurri no se sabe muy bien. Por lo tanto, hay varias versiones de cómo se llama esta salsa especial “chimichurri”. Una de las historias más comunes es la siguiente: en el siglo XIX, un inglés llamado Jimmy Curry llegó a Argentina. Los argentinos pronunciaban su nombre como Chimi Churri porque no podían decirlo correctamente. El quería importar carne de argentina a Inglaterra y una vez que probó la carne, les preguntó con qué salsa los argentinos se la comían. Ellos no le pudieron contestar porque no se la comían con ninguna salsa. El les pidió a la gente del lugar que le dieran varias especias, esos condimentos los mezclo juntos para hacer un aderezo. Todo el mundo trató la carne con el aderezo especial y ¡les encantó! A partir de entonces, los argentinos llamaron el aderezo especial como el nombre del inglés, Jimmy Curry (Chimi Churri).

Si usted ha probado el chimichurri y quiere hacerlo en su casa,  sin ninguna duda ¡inténtelo! Hay algunas maneras diferentes de hacer chimichurri. Siga esta receta que sólo letomaráa unos 5-10 minutos. Coloque una taza de  perejil italiano picado, aplastar 3-5 dientes de ajo, 1 cucharadita de sal, ½ cucharadita de pimienta recién molida, ½ cucharadita de hojuelas de chile, 2 cucharadas de hojas de orégano fresco, aplastar a 2 cucharadas de cebolleta o la cebolla, ¾ de taza de aceite vegetal o de oliva, 3 cucharadas de vinagre de jerez vino o vinagre de vino tinto, 3 cucharadas de jugo de limón en una licuadora o procesador de alimentos. Yo le añado un poco más de pimienta para hacer mi chimichurri un poco mas picante. Después, pulse varias veces para tener todos los ingredientes bien picados y mezclados. Ahora ya está listo para comer su carne preferida o cualquier otra cosa con un poco de chimichurri.