Book of Days Tales

The 3^rd Sunday in August in Argentina and Peru is children’s day.  Most nations in the world have a special day designated as children’s day but they are all over the calendar.  Here is what is offered in Argentina as a “kid friendly” recipe but adult supervision is advised. One of the points of the recipe is to teach cooking terms to children.

Argentinian Chimichurri Monkey Bread

Ingredients

Chimichurri Sauce

1 to 2 bunches flat leaf parsley (about 2 cups packed)
1 garlic clove
2 tsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
½ tsp salt
1 pinch black pepper
¼ cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)

Chimichurri Monkey Bread

1 tsp dry active yeast
2 Tbsp warm water
2 ½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
4 Tbsp softened butter
½ cup + 2 Tbsp whole milk
½ cup chimichurri Sauce

Instructions

rinse + tear + mince

First, rinse 1 to 2 bunches of flat-leaf parsley. Then tear the leaves from the stems and mince them into tiny pieces. Add the minced leaves to your blender or food processor.

crush + peel + mince

Crush 1 garlic clove and peel it. Then mince it finely and add to your blender or food processor.

measure + add

Measure 2 teaspoons oregano, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 pinch of black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of water and add to your blender or food processor.

pulse + stream + blend

Pulse the ingredients a few times, then stream in ¼ cup olive oil while your blender or food processor purées the Chimichurri Sauce!

preheat + measure + sprinkle + bloom

Preheat the oven to 375º F/190º C. Place 2 tablespoons of warm water with 1 teaspoon of active yeast in a small bowl and whisk. Sprinkle some sugar in it and whisk again. Set aside to let the yeast “bloom”

measure + add + mix

Measure 2 ½ cups flour, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and add to a mixing bowl. Use a whisk or a fork to mix.

crack + whisk + mix

Crack 1 egg and whisk it in a separate mixing bowl. Mix in 4 tablespoons of soft butter (break the butter up into individual tablespoons to make it easier to mix). Then add 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons of milk to the egg and butter and mix well. Add the yeast and water mixture and mix again.

mix + knead + add

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon. Using your hands, knead the dough in the bowl, adding more flour by the tablespoon if the dough is too sticky (dough should be somewhat sticky, but not so much that it completely sticks to your hands).

tear + roll + add + bake

Tear off small chunks of dough and roll them into golf ball-sized pieces, using more flour if the dough is still too sticky. Add the dough balls to a big mixing bowl and mix in ½ cup of chimichurri sauce (save the rest for dipping!). Make mini chimichurri monkey breads in a muffin pan by adding 2 to 3 dough balls to each cupcake well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the bread is golden brown on the surface and the dough is cooked through. Serve with extra chimichurri sauce for dipping!