Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri is to Argentina as pesto is to Italy ... but even better. There are as many variations of this as there are people on this planet, but they're almost all delicious. This is one I adapted from Food Network when I recently made a batch of beef empanadas. It comes together quickly but tastes even better if you let the final result sit for 15-30 minutes to let all the flavors meld.

Ingredients

• 1 cup lightly packed chopped Italian parsley
• 3 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (optional)
• 2 tablespoons shallot, minced
• 1/2-3/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
• 3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until well chopped, but not pureed.

Serves many.