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I still remember life before chimichurri. The first time I tried this potent sauce was at a traditional Argentinian asado with Marcelo’s family. It’s what my meats had been missing all along. Chimichurri is the perfect balance of herbiness, spiciness, and acidity. It perfectly complements a well cooked, preferably grilled, meat. We love a traditional chimichurri. It’s my mom’s preferred gift for Christmas, she puts it on literally anything! But, we so enjoy creating variations on this special sauce. This Red Chimichurri, made with piquillo peppers and smoked paprika, packs quite a punch of flavor.

In Argentina, most Sundays are spent with family at an asado. Meats of various types are prepared. This can include various cuts of beef, sausages, and occasionally, ribs. As the meats are ready, they get pulled off the grill, sliced and passed around to the family. Alongside the meat is always a jar of chimichurri and some French bread. You might find a salad somewhere on the table, but the focus is always on the meat. The chimichurri, which contains, parsley, garlic, vinegar, cumin, oregano, and red chili flakes, is such a perfect accompaniment to a piece of freshly grilled steak.

While we have yet to visit Argentina together (it’s on our list though), we continue the asado tradition here, albeit not every Sunday. You better be sure a jar of chimichurri is on the table. We try spins on chimichurri often, like with our hatch chile chimichurri, but like this one even more. This smoky red chimichurri packs an even bigger punch with the addition of roasted Piquillo peppers. While any roasted red peppers will do, the Piquillo peppers have a great mild flavor. We find them jarred at our local Central Market. The smokiness comes from a pantry favorite, smoked paprika. A little goes a long way! The rest of the ingredients are the classic components of chimichurri.

We paired it with a sous-vide Tri-tip that was finished on the grill with a quick sear. However, I’m sure you can find many uses for this unique red chimichurri. I imagine it would also pair well with grilled pork or lamb. Hope you are inspired to have your own Argentinian asado!