Argentine-Inspired Chimichurri And Tomato Pizza Recipe

Chimichurri is a delicious, olive oil–based condiment featuring parsley or cilantro along with ingredients, such as garlic, chile pepper, vinegar, lemon juice, herbs, and spices. This sauce is a staple not just in Argentina but also in Uruguay and Paraguay. Most commonly used to dress grilled or barbecued meat, it's also delicious on chicken, fish, grilled vegetables, and crusty bread. Combining chimichurri with pizza isn't the traditional way to serve it, but this fusion makes sense as Italian food is a big part of Argentine cuisine. Argentina had heavy Italian immigration between the 1880s and 1940s, and today, 62% of Argentine people have some kind of Italian roots (Universidad Nacional de la Matanza).

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for Argentine-inspired chimichurri and tomato pizza that's packed with significant flavor. Besides chimichurri, the pizza is topped with cherry tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper, mozzarella, and sharp provolone. The dish nods to the decadent Argentine dish provoleta, which consists of melted provolone mixed with oregano and crushed red pepper. Bottalico notes that this chimichurri recipe contains half the olive oil it normally does to prevent the pizza from becoming too saturated, so double the oil if you're making it for other uses. On chopping, she adds: "It may seem like time saver, but don't make chimichurri in the food processor. It's not supposed to be a puree. Finely chopping the ingredients by hand will preserve important texture."

For the chimichurri, you will need a bunch of parsley, dried oregano, garlic, a red chile pepper, sweet paprika, salt, black pepper, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice. Most importantly, you will need a good-quality olive oil — the quantity is generous and you will definitely taste it.

This recipe calls for a premade pizza dough. If it's frozen, make sure you bring it to room temperature before starting the recipe, and follow any steps on the package for proofing and resting the dough ahead of time. Of course, if you'd like to make your own dough, go ahead. The rest of the recipe won't change. Have some cornmeal or olive oil on hand for preparing the pizza pan. For the toppings, gather fresh mozzarella, sharp provolone, cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and more dried oregano.

To make the chimichurri, first use a chef's knife or mezzaluna to chop the parsley as finely as you can and finely mince the garlic. Make sure you have ½ cup chopped parsley. Transfer the parsely and the garlic to a small bowl.

Add the chile pepper, paprika, salt, and black pepper to the bowl and stir to mix.

Pour the vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil into the bowl and stir well. Let the chimichurri sit out on the counter for at least 1–2 hours to develop more flavor. If you have time, let it sit out overnight for the best flavor (while not traditional, refrigeration is advised).

Preheat the oven to 500 F.

Place the ball of dough on a floured work surface and sprinkle a little flour on top.

Gently press the dough into a disc shape with flattened fingertips, starting in the center and working your way outwards.

Flip the dough and continue pressing it in the same way to gradually enlarge the disc until it reaches 12 inches in diameter. Be patient and don't pull the dough.

Sprinkle the cornmeal onto a circular baking pan or grease the pan with oil. Place the dough in the pan.

Tear the mozzarella slices into rough chunks.

Evenly distribute the mozzarella and provolone on the dough, leaving a ½-inch border empty around the edge.

Spoon the chimichurri around the cheese.

Evenly distribute the cherry tomatoes halves and sprinkle red pepper flakes and dried oregano on top.

Once the oven is fully preheated, place the pan on the lowest oven rack and bake for 8–11 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is browned.

Let cool for 5 minutes, and serve.

There is not just one way to prepare chimichurri. Like many traditional condiments, it can turn out differently depending on who's making it. In addition, there are several popular varieties of chimichurri that feature different principal ingredients. What the versions have in common is that they are green, oily, and flavorful. The parsley chimichurri recipe in this recipe can be modified into cilantro chimichurri by changing the main herb. Another kind of cilantro chimichurri leaves out the oregano and adds one whole onion per bunch of cilantro.

Garlic chimichurri is a stronger version of the original. Garlic lovers may love this version while others may prefer to keep their distance, considering it can contain a whole head of garlic mixed with only a few sprigs of parsley and other traditional ingredients. Finally, tomato chimichurri is another popular version that includes chopped sun-dried tomatoes. The sauce is still green, but the tomatoes provide bits of vibrant red color and modify the flavor. Any of these versions of chimichurri would be delicious on this chimichurri tomato pizza, so experimenting to see which one is your favorite is a good reason to keep making this pizza again and again.

Argentine cuisine has strong Italian influences, and pizza itself is a famous Italian dish. So, think Italian pizza toppings when considering other vegetables to add to this chimichurri pizza. Grilled eggplant or bell peppers would be tasty in addition to or instead of the cherry tomatoes. Black olives, artichoke hearts, or sun-dried tomatoes scattered on the pizza would be a flavorful addition, as well. Choose a few of your favorite toppings rather than trying them all to avoid overloading the pizza.

This recipe includes bite-sized chunks of fresh mozzarella and cubed sharp provolone as the cheeses topping the pizza. If you're able to find any Argentine cheeses in a specialty shop, they would be delicious on this pizza. Argentina has a rich history of cheese making dating back hundreds of years to Spanish settlement in the 1700s. Mass immigration from Europe starting in the 1800s influenced cheese making in this country, including immigration from Italy, France, and Switzerland. Reggianito, a hard cheese ideal for grating, is the Argentine version of Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano. You could sub Parmigiano or Parmesan on the pizza. Cremoso is another popular Argentine cheese made in the style of Italian crescenza (also known as stracchino). It's a soft, white, creamy, and spreadable cheese. If you can't find these, Brie or Camembert have a similar texture and are easier to find in the US.