Foodies traveling to Buenos Aires will generally have a culinary to-do list that includes items like steak, empanadas, Malbec, dulce de leche and chimichurri. And, almost any restaurant dedicated to Argentine fare will have a menu designed to check off most, if not all, of those boxes.
For a more immersive culinary experience, however, spend an evening at The Argentine Experience. Located in the Palermo Hollywood neighborhood, this entertaining supper club provides its guests a lightheartedly fun but seriously tasty introduction to Argentine cuisine by way of a three-course meal. Although not exactly a cooking class, diners are tasked with assembling empanadas and properly steeping mate (a green tea that Argentinians inexplicably seem to love.)
One of the many outstanding dishes they serve is this update on a classic chimichurri that the chefs at The Argentine Experience spent six months developing as a brilliant accompaniment for steak. It should be noted, however, that this recipe is quite unusual for Argentina in that a traditional chimichurri contains no onions or garlic, and if it does they are usually raw.
The Argentine Experience Chimichurri (3 portions, each serves 6)
Ingredients:
2 onions
1 clove garlic
1 cup olive oil
1 cup vegetable oil
5 tbs. paprika
2 tbs. dried oregano
2 tbs. dried basil
4 tbs. dried Chimicurri*
1 tbs. salt
2 tbs. sugar
1 tbs. black pepper
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Peel onions and place on a baking tray with the head of garlic, and add a little salt, pepper and olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until soft to the touch.
3. Remove from oven and peel the garlic. Add them and onions to a blender and blend into a paste. Place in a wok.
4. Add both the oils then cook the paste on a very low heat for 10 minutes, add the sugar and salt and cook for a further 5 minutes.
5. Add the rest of the herbs, stir well then simmer gently for a further 5 minutes.
6. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool naturally.
*Chimichurri is also the name for a kind of dry rub containing various herbs, these rubs vary greatly in the amount of herbs they use and there are plenty of recipes for these online.
