Chimichurri Tempeh
Tempeh is weird. Here’s something fun you can do with it.
As always, if you dig the recipe, tag me at @draggedthroughthegarden on instagram and we can discuss the differences between parsley and cilantro.
Blackened Chimichurri Tempeh. Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. Just like you.
CHIMICHURRI TEMPEH
prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 60 minutes
With lots and lots of garlic…and herbs.
If this recipe had a video, it would be one of those weird ASMR cooking videos where I make all the food outside and you wonder how I got all those dishes out there.
I’ll break this recipe up into four parts: the marinade, the chimichurri, the baking and searing of the tempeh.
First we’ll start with the marinade.
What you’ll need:
garlic
onion
olive oil
coconut aminos
liquid smoke (optional)
molasses
stone ground mustard
vegetable broth (or bouillon)
salt
pepper
sage
rosemary
thyme
Bust open a bulb of garlic. Peel and take the whole thing apart because this recipe uses lots of garlic. Some of it will go into the chimichurri later. Toss a chunk of onion in there too.
The more garlic, the better.
Once your garlic and onion browns a bit, add a quarter cup of vegetable stock and let it simmer for a second. Transfer the contents of your pan to a food processor and add salt, pepper, two tablespoons of molasses, lots of coconut aminos, sage, rosemary (off the stem) and a generous squirt of stone ground mustard. If you have liquid smoke, throw some of that in there too. The smokiness will shine through the marinade, so add however much you’d like. Also keep this pan handy for later.
It smells better than it looks!
Blend that mess up and add it all into a ziplock bag. Toss your brick of tempeh in there. Then toss some thyme right into the bag as well.
It’s the……….thyme of the season.
Now that your tempeh is in a bag with all that other stuff, throw it in the fridge for now and clean your food processor.
Next order of business will be putting your chimichurri together. It’s very easy, I promise.
What you’ll need:
parsley
oregano (leaves…but dried is fine)
garlic
red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
olive oil
apple cider vinegar
a clean food processor
Rinse off your parsley and separate the leaves from the stems. Little stems are okay but you don’t walk the big stems in there. Toss all of it and the remainder of your garlic from earlier into the processor. Add salt, pepper and a few hearty dashes of red pepper flakes in there too. Take a few leaves of oregano and toss them in there next. If you are using dried oregano, use about the same amount as you did for the red pepper flakes. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar for acidity and then finally add a quarter cup of olive oil.
This photo is sans vinegar and olive oil just so you can see the amount of greenery.
If your chimichurri ends up somewhat dry or clumpy, add more olive oil little by little until the consistency is runny but not overly watery. Pretty much just like pesto.
Something like this.
And then like this.
Take your finished chimichurri and put it in the fridge for now. Take your tempeh out of the fridge. You can marinate it longer if you wish, I did it for about 45 minutes.
Next you’re going to bake the tempeh to further soften it up and keep the flavor locked in before searing it. This part is flexible. You can use a baking sheet, a cast iron or any other oven-safe vessel you prefer. I used a cast iron to keep the tempeh marinaded.
What you’ll need:
your ziplock bag full of tempeh and other stuff
a cast iron (or something else)
Oil your cast iron and set your oven to 350°. Make sure your cast iron is evenly oiled to prevent your marinade from getting all weird. Add the contents of your tempeh bag into the pan. Marinade and all. If you’re using a baking sheet, add some of the marinade directly onto the tempeh and continue to add more every ten minutes or so.
Add that thyme too, thyme is the shit.
Once your oven is at temperature, pop that sucker in for thirty minutes. After those thirty are up, flip the tempeh and cook it for ten more. Again, this is to ensure the tempeh is tender on the outside to mirror what will eventually be seared on the outside!
The marinade may clump or caramelize a little bit, if you’re able to baste some of it on top of the tempeh, do that.
Finally, you’re going to take your tempeh out of the oven and oil up a non-stick pan. Use the pan from step one. Oil it up and heat it up on a high flame. This part can be tricky so follow these directions carefully!!!
What you’ll need:
your non-stick pan with oil on a high flame
agility
a cutting board
Once your oil is smoking, add your tempeh to the pan. This will start cooking immediately and also somewhat loudly. Don’t move the tempeh in the pan or else you will lose the crust completely! Let it cook in the pan for about two and a half minutes, keep an eye to make sure a char is forming underneath.
Now you can flip the tempeh and cook the other side out, again leaving it in one spot to prevent the crust from getting stuck to the pan.
Here is a smoky picture of what it should look like after flipping it.
Once both sides are cooked out, carefully lift the tempeh out of the pan and set it on a cutting board. You’re going to have to let the tempeh rest for about ten minutes before cutting into it. This will keep the outside crisp and the inside tender.
Peep that char!
After you’re tempeh is rested, cut into it and serve with your chimichurri. You can lay the chimichurri right on top or spoon it onto each individual piece. I wouldn’t recommend dipping directly into the chimichurri just so you don’t get char in there.
Now eat and go finish the rest of your dishes.