Living in Argentina was quite the experience. I attended a four month long accelerated Spanish program at the Universidad Adventista del Plata, in Libertador San Martin, designed for foreign students matriculating into the university. I was fortunate to spend some time in Buenos Aires and soak in the Europeanesque architecture and culture. Beef (lomito) is a staple in the Argentinian cuisine and was also a part of my diet during that time. Argentines do not have a lot of spicy condiments or spicy seasonings as many of their dishes are reminiscent of Italian and Spanish dishes. I remember this delicious herb sauce called chimichurri. It looked like traditional pesto but had its own unique flavors and was always paired with the lomito. A traditional chimichurri verde sauce is made from finely chopped parsley and oregano, but for my take on this traditional Argentine sauce, I used mint instead of oregano. I hope you enjoy this fresh spring recipe as I created it especially for my husband’s 30th birthday party and it was a hit!
English Peas and Fingerling Potatoes with a Mint Chimichurri sauce.
Serves 8
English Peas and Fingerling Potatoes:
Fingerling potatoes, 1 lb (454 g)
English Peas, 10 oz (284 g)
Mint Chimichurri Sauce:
2 garlic cloves
1 cup parsley
1/4 cup mint
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice from one lemon
Salt to taste
Garnish:
chives, chopped
lemon zest, from one lemon
Directions:
Blanch the fingerling potatoes or teeny tiny potatoes for about 20 minutes in salted water (you can use about 1 Tbsp of salt). Use enough water to cover the potatoes by one to two inches.
Meanwhile, make the chimichurri sauce. Blend all the ingredients in a food processor, set aside.
Blanch the fresh English Peas blanch in boiling salted water for 90 seconds. Drain hot water and run cold water over the peas.
Mix the peas and potatoes in a medium-sized bowl with the chimichurri sauce. Garnish with lemon curls or zest and chopped chives. It can be served warm or cold and makes an excellent spring side dish and a potluck favorite.
Note: I used Trader Joe’s for the main ingredients; therefore you won’t need to measure out the potatoes or peas when using Trader Joe’s products. The English peas are found in the refrigerated section. I wouldn’t recommend the frozen kind, as you want the peas to be al dente.