Cooking is often about experimenting and creating unique foods with amazing flavors!
Mexican Chimichurri sauce for pizzas definitely fits into this category and will bring unbeatable taste to your next pizza night.
Mexican chimichurri is a simple, easy-to-make sauce that is simultaneously spicy and delicious.
While not very well known compared to other variations of chimichurri, this Mexican version is sure to leave your taste buds wanting more! This article will cover:
- What Mexican chimichurri is
- Where Mexican chimichurri originates
- Why to put it on pizza
- The best Mexican Chimichurri Sauce for pizza
- Tips and notes for the recipe that you need to know.
Let’s get into it!
What is Mexican Chimichurri?
Mexican chimichurri is a spicy, tangy sauce used for pizza as well as a condiment for other dishes. It is typically very spicy due to the specific type of chili used to make it.
Chile de Arbol peppers (Spanish for tree chili) are originally from Jalisco and Oaxaca, two states in Mexico.
They are long and slender, with a Scoville heat rating of 30,000 units — in other words, hot! Their rating is similar to a cayenne or Tabasco pepper for reference.
While very hot, Chile de Arbol peppers are also extremely flavorsome — hence why they are used in a sauce that boasts an intense tang.
Where does Mexican Chimichurri originate?
There are known to be seven culinary regions in Mexico, each influenced by its own location and history.
Mexican chimichurri originates in the central Bajío region of Mexico. The Bajío region was home to the first European settlers. Along with the settlers came their ways of cooking, such as using pork, rice, and spices to create dishes.
Outside of this lowland region, Mexican chimichurri is not as common, though there are variations of the sauce in other Central and South American countries.
An example is the Argentinian chimichurri which uses green herbs and is not as spicy as its Mexican counterpart.
Mexican chimichurri sauce was originally made for pizza, but can also be used as a condiment for a variety of other foods like tacos, scrambled eggs, or burgers.
Why Put Mexican Chimichurri on pizza?
When pizza was invented in Naples, it was labeled a ‘poor person’s’ food and known to be very basic in taste and ingredients. Then, Gabriele Bonci came along and reinvented the way Italians saw pizza!
Bonci, nicknamed the ‘Michelangelo of Pizza’, created new flavors, toppings, and ideas for the staple dish.
In 2003, he opened the Pizzarium in Rome, which has quickly become the best pizza eatery in the capital.
Like Bonci, Mexican Chimichurri pizza sauce combines creativity with cooking. It steers away from what’s ‘normal’ and allows the chef to be imaginative in how they create a delicious dish.
So, get out of your comfort zone and give this recipe a try!
Mexican Chimichurri Sauce for Pizza: Recipe
Description
A sauce to give a delicious twist to your homemade pizzas! Also called salsa de arbol, this sauce will add some heat and flavor to your pizza – leaving the taste buds wanting more.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan on medium to high heat.
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Add chiles to the pan.
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Lightly toast chiles for approximately 1-2 minutes.
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Transfer chiles to a blender .
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Blend chiles with garlic, onion, evaporated milk, Dijon mustard, and mayonnaise.
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Blend sauce until it is smooth.
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Add salt to taste.
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If you want a thinner sauce add water until the desired thickness.
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Get your pizza bases out and create a masterpiece with your sauce!
Note
Be careful not to burn the chiles when you are toasting them in the frying pan!
Adding water will make a thinner sauce, whereas adding sour cream can thicken the sauce depending on your desired thickness.
Other spices and herbs such as oregano or cilantro can be added to this recipe. Three excellent toppings for a pizza with this sauce are grilled corn, roasted capsicum, and feta!
