Recipe - Chimichurri Sauce

I've made this several times this summer. It's easy to make and it's a fabulous condiment for grilled meats (specially churrasco and chorizo) and vegetables. It also makes a great hostess gift. I bring a jar of chimichurri whenever we're invited to a cookout.

My mom got the recipe from a friend who was the owner of a fabulous Argentinian restaurant in Puerto Rico. I've tried many chimichurri recipes, but this one is till the best.

Recipe:

1 head of garlic (smushed in the mortar and pestle until it forms a thick paste)
1 tablespoon adobo seasoning
1 red onion (you can use yellow, I like red because it looks pretty)
1 bunch of fresh curly parsley
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons dried oregano (this is the secret ingredient)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (you can add more if you like it spicy)
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 1/2 cups white vinegar.

Chop the onion, parsley and cilantro. Make sure to chop them finely, you don't want big chunks.

Mix all the ingredients together. You may want to increase the oil and vinegar if the sauce looks too thick.

Add grilled meats and enjoy.

Link Fiesta

Ten hot actors that look like kittens from The Latin Times.

Book clubs that focus on cookbooks. The members all make a recipe from the book and bring it to book club night. This is brilliant!

Sexy mouth book covers by El Librero de Tetsu Hana (Spanish blog)

Pioneer Woman reveals the best concealer ever.

Georgia Pellegrini makes Chorizo Scotch Eggs.

Chorizo Garbanzo Soup

Spring is supposed to be here. I say "supposed" because we just got a snowfall, not a big one, but still the biggest we've had all winter. Even though it's technically spring, it feels like a winter's night. We built a fire and I made Chorizo Garbanzo soup.

This is a great soup for a cold  night. It's a traditional Spanish dish, but I've adapted it to my family's taste. It serves two people, but you can double it to serve a family of four.

Chorizo Garbanzo Soup

2 chorizo sausages (Traditional Spanish chorizo, not the Salvadoran or Mexican kind)
4 small potatoes (I use red potatoes because I like the splash of color)
1 medium-sized Spanish onion
1 can of garbanzos
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of chicken broth
Adobo seasoning, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
Cilantro to taste.

Chop the onion, the chorizo and the potatoes. Brown the onions and the adobo, pepper and red pepper flakes. Add the chorizo and stir until the onions turn a golden-orange color. Add the diced tomatoes and stir for several minutes.

When the tomato mixture starts to boil, add the chicken broth. Let the soup simmer for 45 min.

Add chopped, fresh cilantro before serving.

Serve with a nice sangria or Rioja wine. You can also make some easy Manchego toast to go with the soup.

Manchego Toast:

1/2 loaf of Italian bread
Manchego cheese

Cut the bread into 1/2 slices. Shave slices of Manchego cheese (use a potato peeler to get nice, thin slices). Place the cheese on the toast and bake at 375 degrees until the cheese turns golden brown.