I must have unknowingly bought the miracle parsley plant.  

Two summers ago, I bought an Italian, or flat-leaf parsley plant at a local nursery.  At the end of the summer, I brought it inside for the winter, something I try each year in a way to ease the pain of losing my fresh garden herbs.

Over the long winter our parsley plant barely held on, growing a wee bit sickly from the lack of sunlight.  Sure, I had the plant in the sunniest window possible, but the gray days of winter lingered on and our poor plant looked quite sad.  With a bit of hope and lots of optimism, I planted the parsley in the garden in the spring and oh-my-goodness, it thrived.

This parsley was so abundant this summer, I found myself making Chimichurri, a South American sauce, similar to pesto, but using parsley in place of basil.  I harvested a bunch of parsley and brought much of the remaining plant inside in a pot.  I am hoping we have a similar experience with the parsley again this spring.

Chimichurri

1 cup parsley, packed
4-6 cloves garlic
3-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
dash of ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in a food processor.  Pulse several times until the parsley is well ground.

Scrape the sides of the food processor and repeat until the desired consistency is reached.

Makes about 1 1/4 cup chimichurri.

Serve over pasta, grilled meat or seafood, or over steamed vegetables.  If using for a holiday meal, throw some green and red vegetables together for a very festive touch.

We used the chimichurri over orzo pasta with vegetables and meatballs.  Delish!

Life is sweet,
SPC