Lamb with Mint Chimichurri

Sometimes you think you've got a great idea for a 'new' recipe, only to find out that... well, you were hardly the first to think of it. But hey, that's the world of food blogging for you. In any case, lamb with mint is hardly a new idea, and there are a few other recipes out there that have taken the idea of mint-plus-herb-sauce, and you can find any number of lamb recipes featuring pesto, gremolata, chimichurri, chutney, or green harissa. It's not surprising really; mint goes beautifully with lamb, but lamb is also one of the few meats whose flavour is powerful enough to partner with a particularly bold condiment.

Now mint sauce is great, but I really like to bring bolder flavours into play with my lamb. If you're unfamiliar with chimichurri (or more specifically, green chimichurri verde), it's an Argentinean sauce made from garlic, oil, and vinegar along with copious quantities of chopped parsley. I always wondered where the name came from - after all it's pretty distinctive and fun to say.  The most plausible etymology relates to the Basque word tximitxurri, which roughly translates to 'a mixture of things in no particular order.'  Basically, kitchen-sink cooking.  A Basque origin for this sauce is not surprising, as a large number of Basque immigrants settled in Argentina in the 19th and 20th centuries.  Despite this, a number of folk etymologies (which is a nicer way of saying false origins) have been proposed as alternative origins for the word, and oddly enough these tend to cite a corruption of one or more English phrases.  Various stories have claimed that an English meat importer named Jimmy Curry (or an Irish freedom-fighter named Jimmy McCurry) was so enamoured with the South American mojo criollo sauces that this variation came to be synonymous with him.  Some of these (rather Anglo-centric) stories go on to claim that one Jimmy or another actually invented this sauce, and that chimichurri is simply a corruption of his name by Spanish-speaking Argentines.  This origin, like many food folk etymologies, is not backed up by any contemporary evidence, but tends to be repeated because it makes for good story-telling.  Entertaining stuff, but the purely linguistic explanations tend to be a little more believable.  Regardless of the name and its origins, it's delicious stuff.

My chimicurri recipe adds to the green parsley aspect of the original with the distinctive (and lamb-loving) taste of mint.  It also goes beyond the basic green/garlic/oil/vinegar combination to bring in a couple of other flavours that partner beautifully with lamb, namely cumin and lemon. The combination is earthy and aromatic, yet bright and acidic. I think it's a perfect foil to the lamb - and there's no reason to limit it to just this cut. Feel free to try it out with a rack, leg, or any other cut.  It's also quite nice with rich, well-aged red meat like beef and bison.  And if you're not into meat, first of all thanks for reading this far.  Secondly, mint chimichurri also happens to make a fantastic salad/salsa when combined with mango and tomato.  You can find a recipe for that right here.