The latest in my neverending quest for pizzas to keep me interested in the food Bear wants to eat every night of the week…Chimichurri pizza!
I first got hooked on Chimichurri sauce when I had my great big herb garden and more cilantro and parsley than I could ever use. Then I went to an Aztec restaurant in Orange County and had a dinner that I still crave – breaded pan fried skirt steak with rice and chimichurri sauce. This stuff is amazing, spicy and pungent and fresh. I’ve eaten everything from beef to veggies with it, and in looking for something else to spread it on, I’ve come up with this pizza treatment.
Start by making your favorite pizza dough and rolling it out. Then make your sauce.
Chimichurri Sauce
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup cilantro
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Combine all the ingredients up to the oil in a blender and puree. Add the oil in a steady stream to allow it to combine. Taste for seasoning and balance, and add the red pepper flakes at the very end.
You can add any of your favorite herbs to this sauce. I especially love a bit of fresh oregano or marjoram in here.
Spread your sauce on the dough in place of tomato sauce. I took a couple of steaks and browned them on the grill for a nice char flavor, but don’t let them cook too long or they’ll overcook in the oven. Just a kiss for grillmarks is enough. Cut into chunks and spread them around the pizza.
Here we used mozzarella cheese and it was great, but I think next time I’m going to try pepperjack. The crust can hold up to a lot of heat, I think that would be a fun variation.
