Chimichurri

My favorite part of making chimichurri is the bright herbal fragrance that freshens the entire house. You can smell it from outside!

If you've never had chimichurri, you're in for an intense treat. It's green and herbal, it has lots of heat and bite from the garlic, and a little bit of tang from the lime juice. Traditionally, it's made with red wine vinegar, but I prefer lime juice. Use lemon juice if that's all you have.

My recipe calls for a little dried oregano. I have forgotten to add the oregano before and I didn't miss it. But when I do add it, I notice it's there and I love the flavor it contributes. For the olive oil, I use about half extra virgin, half regular olive oil. I think that using only extra virgin olive oil competes too strongly with the flavor of the parsley and garlic. But that's your call.

All of the ingredients in this recipe can be chopped in a food processor. Personally, I prefer to hand chop everything. It has a different texture when you chop everything by hand. I prefer this texture over the food processor. Plus, I find it relaxing to do all that chopping. I like to sprinkle coarse sea salt on the garlic. The salt helps to puree the garlic as I'm chopping it. 

I like to make chimichurri when we grill. Goes great with almost anything! We slather it heavily and shamelessly over the food! My husband even sneaks a spoon full before the food is served!

1 1/2 bunches of italian flat leaf parsley, leaves only

5 large fat garlic cloves
1 tsp dried oregano

2 pinches of dried red peppers, more if you prefer spicier

2 pinches of cracked black pepper

the juice of 1 1/2 limes
olive oil, to your desired consistency

salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a blender (minus the olive oil). Or hand chop everything! Add the olive oil and lime juice at the end, blending with a spoon. I hope you enjoy!

Chimichurri on top of grilled shrimp and grilled veggies, served on warm tortilla.

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

I don't know why it's called "BBQ" shrimp. There's not a drop of BBQ in this and neither does it taste like BBQ sauce. This is what we have always called it in New Orleans. This dish is so full of flavor, it really doesn't matter what it's called! It's buttery, peppery, bold and aromatic from the worcestershire. It pairs great with an ice cold Abita Amber. Or two... or three....

Like most of my recipes, this one is a combination of several online user recipes and several restaurant recipes. And of course, this is a huge portion! We're big eaters in my family and we love left-overs. Cooking small portions is not an option!

I've cooked this several times and have tweaked the peppers, dry herbs (along with experimenting with fresh herbs) and garlic to my liking. I have also added 3/4 cups of Earth Balance margarine because I really like the taste of this particular brand. If you don't have access to Earth Balance, use your favorite brand of margarine. For the sticks of butter, use REAL butter. Ingredients in the butter should be simple: cream, natural flavors. That's it.

Don't be scared by the 4 sticks of butter. Keep in mind that this recipe covers 3 lbs of shrimp! And we always have lots of buttery juicy goodness left over, even after the shrimp are gone. And you can control just how much butter you're eating based on how much dipping you do!

Quick tip, for the dried herbs: thyme, oregano and rosemary... rub them between your hands before using. This will release some of their natural oils, giving a stronger flavor.

You may use the head-on shrimp if you like. The head does provide extra "shrimp" flavor but I prefer the shrimp without the head. I think the tentacles get rather messy.

As far as how long to cook the shrimp, I always forget to time it. I just know how long to cook them from practice. If you're unsure, ask at the seafood stand/fish market when purchasing the shrimp.

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family and I have. We serve the shrimp on a large serving platter, place it on the middle of the table and we eagerly dig in with our hands (food tastes better when I eat with my hands)! Provide lots of napkins because your hands and face will get messy from the buttery goodness and provide bowls for the shrimp shells. Enjoy!

4 sticks of unsalted butter
3/4 c of Smart Balance Original Buttery Spread
Juice of 4 lemons
2 lemons quartered
2 lemons sliced into thin rounds
3 tsp creole seasoning, I prefer Tony Chachere's
3 tsp fine ground black pepper
3 tsp coarse cracked black pepper
3 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tsp dried oregano
3 tsp dried thyme
3 tsp dried rosemary
5 tsp minced garlic
1 cup worcestershire sauce
3 lbs large uncooked, shell on shrimp, 16/20 count or larger
3/4 c parsley, chopped
bunch of green onions, diced
lots of french bread for dipping

Start with a heated large shallow pan. Melt the Smart Balance margarine. Add garlic. Heat should be set to medium so the garlic does not burn. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the first stick of butter, let it melt, and allow to come to a simmer. Add the second stick, allow to melt and allow to come to a simmer. Continue the same with the 3rd and 4th stick of butter.

Add the worcestershire sauce, all the dry seasonings and the lemon juice. Allow to simmer gently for about 4 minutes, constantly stirring. Turn the heat up, add the shrimp. Make sure all of the shrimp are bathing in the butter bath. Stir occasionally.

When shrimp are done, stir in half the parsley, half the green onions, and a few of the lemon quarters and rounds. Turn the heat off and serve in a giant bowl. Top with the rest of the lemons, parsley and green onions.