Right now green garlic is available at the Moscow Farmers Market from Affinity Farm and other local farms and at the Tuesday Community Market from Hands & Hearts Farm and the University of Idaho Soil Stewards Farm.
Fresh, Local Green Garlic Chimichurri**
Growing up in Costa Rica, we had homemade chimichurri every time my family hosted a barbecue. This garlicky, vinegary sauce originates in Argentina, where it is served alongside their world-famous grilled meats.
My version uses green garlic instead of regular garlic cloves. Green garlic, as the name implies, is the young shoot of the garlic plant that appears in early spring before the garlic bulb forms. It has a milder, nuttier flavor than full-grown garlic, and you can put it in pretty much everything. You can use both the white and green parts of the shoot.
This recipe makes half a pint, but it can easily be doubled or tripled.
It is vegan and gluten-free, and it will keep in the fridge for up to three months. Just make sure to take it out of the fridge at least an hour before you intend to use it to let the olive oil come back to room temperature.
Ingredients 5-6 green garlic shoots (green and white parts), roughly chopped 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (or to taste) ¼ cup local parsley from Pokey Creek Farm (available at the Moscow Food Co-Op), roughly chopped 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons of dried oregano ½ teaspoon of salt (or to taste) ½ cup of good quality extra-virgin olive oil Freshly ground black pepper
Directions 1. Place all of the ingredients for the chimichurri except for the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Process until a rough paste forms (it’s OK to have some chunks of parsley and green garlic in there). 2. Transfer the mixture to a clean container and add the salt, olive oil, and ground pepper to taste. Mix until well combined. 3. Let the chimichurri rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. This step is extremely important. The chimichurri won’t taste right if you try to serve it immediately. 4. Serve alongside your favorite grilled meats. Other Ways to Use Chimichurri
Slather it over vegetable skewers as they come off the grill.
Use it in sandwiches instead of mayo.
Use it as a quick dressing for salads (feel free to add more olive oil to thin it out a bit).
Toss it in an Italian-inspired pasta salad with chunks of salami and mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and some fresh basil.
Serve it over grilled or baked fish. It goes particularly well with tuna and swordfish.
Make some choripán (another Argentinian invention). Grill some bratwurst and serve it in a hot dog bun with plenty of chimichurri on top.
Chimichurri and steak. To find local meats, visit your local farmers market.
** This recipe was adapted from Michelle Bernstein’s Traditional Chimichurri recipe.
Local Foods, Local Flavors guest blogger, Daniela Miranda, is the food photographer and recipe developer behind The Boozy Oyster blog, a food and cocktails blog that aims to inspire home cooks to try out new recipes. When she’s not cooking, she and her husband like to foster dogs and go hiking on Kamiak Butte.
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