I had planned to make an Argentinean parrillada for two – grilling up a lovely celebration of summer, even if it was on our narrow balcony overlooking the alley, hemmed in by other boxy apartment buildings. But when Wes couldn’t make it home for dinner and I didn’t get around to picking up the charcoal to inaugurate my mini-grill, it turned into a parrillada for one. In a pan. And since I didn’t feel like cooking the sweetbreads I’d bought (for $3!) either, the “parrillada” was really just a steak with chimichurri, and fries and vegetables. And of course, a glass of Argentinean red.

Chimichurri, a zingy blend of herbs (well, parsley), garlic and hot pepper, is great with steak and also contributes to a mean guacamole, as I found the next day with some overripe avocados.

It was my first guacamole, but the pressure was completely removed by reading Rick Bayless’ assertion (in “Mexican Everyday”) that “I know many cooks in Mexico who think that adding anything but [garlic and salt] to avocados is the first step on the road to ruin.” I tried the mashed avocado with just some minced garlic and salt, and it was delicious. The chimichurri just added an extra dimension.

Chimichurri
from Epicurious

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced shallots (about 2 medium)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt

Stir it up, and you’re done!