Alinio-A Blend of Herbs from Chile
Or is it?
Here’s a strange one, I bought a new spice blend from one of my specialist suppliers the other day because the sound of it intrigued me. I am a bit of a sucker for herbs and spices and am always on the look out for something new so this one stood out.
The cuisine of Chile is not, it has to be said, one of my specialities so when I heard of this blend called Alinio I had to give it a go. Now here’s the thing, I think they’ve got the name wrong or they’ve made it up because I can’t find reference to it anywhere.
It is quite a pungent blend, made up of oregano, thyme, rosemary, mint, sage, marjoram and lemon balm. Quite a mix! There is certainly a more liberal dose of oregano and sage and it is used, so I am told in meat and poultry dishes-makes sense, especially with pork.
Have any of you ever come across this before? Is the name wrong? It is nice and I would like to be able to give a more precise breakdown of the dosage of herbs if possible. If anyone has any more information I would be very grateful.
Sounds real close to a starter for Chimichurri. Toast the spices, add some olive oil and a little garlic and red wine vinegar. It is used a marinade and a sauce in the Patagonian regions of Chile and Argentina. You can use fresh lemon juice instead of vinegar. There are literally thousands of different variations, so to breakdown what you have is kinda tough. It goes wonderfully with anything done over an open flame.
August 5, 2008 @ 11:21 am
Dave,
Thanks mate, that’s very interesting. I’ll have a go at that, I used it as a dry rub on some pork loin last week but this sounds better.
Miles
August 5, 2008 @ 11:24 am