Chimichurri Sauce

Chimichurri Sauce is a super fresh herbacious blend of parsley, garlic, lemon, and olive oil. A bit like pesto in that it is herb-based and blended with olive oil, but very different in flavor. It's origins lie in South America where it is a popular marinade, dipping sauce, spread, and much more. 

My neighbor dropped off a huge bunch of  parsley on my front doorstep the other day - cut straight from his garden. That's how I got started down this Chimichurri path. I've heard about this amazingly fresh, delicious sauce plenty of times before and I've always been intrigued. But I've never had a big bunch of parsley just waiting for me to do something exciting with it. Thanks to my neighbor, it finally happened this week!

I used this recipe from Food.com as my base. I didn't modify it much because, after reading the reviews and comments, I really didn't want to mess with perfection. I mean, listen to this!

• "My dad is from Buenos Aires and this recipe is spot on!"
• "This makes your steak taste like it was just dragged through a garden" (that's a good thing, right?)
• "One word to describe this marinade: FRESH!"

I used the first of my chimichurri sauce as a marinade for grilled chicken. It'd also be great with steak or shrimp, and it is so easy to do. Simply cover the chicken with spoonfuls of chimichurri in the morning, then grill over hot coals in the evening. Serve with extra chimicurri on the side, as a sauce.  So fresh and delicious!

Other Ways to Use Chimichurri:

• In quinoa patties (leave out the herbs & sub in a few big spoons of chimichurri instead).
• Stirred into a garden fresh frittata. (PS I love this blog & its photography!)
• As a marinade for kebabs.
• As a marinade (or just sauce if you don't think ahead!) for steak or shrimp. 

Chimichurri Sauce

• 1 1/2 packed cups fresh parsley

• 8 garlic cloves

• 1/4 cup vinegar (I used rice vinegar, red wine vinegar is another popular option)

• 3/4 cup olive oil

• Juice from 1/4 lemon

• 1 Tbsp diced red onion

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp salt

Pulse parsley in food processor a few times to begin chopping it up.

Add all other ingredients.Process until it all comes togther in a sauce. It will still have some texture - you don't need to process it until it is completely smooth here.

Store in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it as a marinade

Basic Walnut Oil Vinaigrette

Summer salads are a staple around here, and one of my favorite types of dressing is a basic vinaigrette.  I’ve always made them with olive oil, but this summer I’ve discovered walnut oil and the pleasant nutty flavor it brings to a simple vinaigrette.  This dressing is so simple to pull together – only 3 ingredients.  The subtle toasty walnut flavor here is a great complement to anything from spicy greens, quinoa based salads, and bean or lentil summer salads. 

Oh, and let me come clean on my level of general laziness:  one of the reasons I’m a big vinaigrette fan is the fact that they’re so fast to pull together.  I recently got this nifty little tool which means I can make a vinaigrette in my liquid measuring cup – only one dirty dish!  Speaking of time and busy-ness and ‘laziness’ as a virtue…have you read this article from the NY Times?  A very interesting read.

Anyhow, next time you want to make a simple dressing but are wanting something a little different, give this walnut oil based vinaigrette a try.  I have been loving it on brown lentil salads, if you’re into that kind of thing!

Basic Walnut Oil Vinaigrette

• 1/2 c walnut oil
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp dijon mustard

Put balsamic vinegar and mustard in a liquid measuring cup.  Whisk together well, then drizzle in walnut oil while continuing to whisk.  Dressing will emulsify as you add the oil.  Store in the fridge; will keep for at least a month.

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

It’s officially summer when you can make the switch from hot to iced coffee. There’s nothing better than a frosty glass of iced coffee on a warm summer morning. 
This recipe isn’t a new one – we’ve been seeing it pop up all over the place this summer – but we’ve been enjoying it so much lately that we thought we’d snap some pictures and share it with you. It goes perfectly with our Vanilla Simple Syrup (and cream)!

Cold brewed coffee can last for up to 2 weeks in the fridge (NY Times says so!). We’ve consumed ours well before 2 weeks have gone by, but it is very handy to be able to make a double batch of coffee and have it ready to drink for more than just one morning.

The idea with cold brew coffee is that because there is no heat involved in the cold brew process, the coffee is smoother and less bitter than traditional coffee. According to America’s Test Kitchen:
Exposed to far less heat, cold-brew is significantly less acerbic than its sweltering sibling. Less bitterness means that the subtler flavors found in coffee beans are more perceptible. For me, good cold-brew balances hints of dark chocolate, caramel, ripe black fruits, and vanilla with a pleasant viscosity, mild acidity, and pitch perfect bitterness.

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

• 4 cups water
• between 3/4 c. and 1 c ground coffee (depending on how strong you like your coffee)

Mix together, then let sit on the countertop for 12 to 24 hours. I do it either the morning before or the evening before.
After the coffee and water have steeped, strain the coffee through a metal or paper coffee filter, into a glass pitcher. Serve! Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Popsicles with Roasted Strawberry & Coconut Milk

In search of something creamy and cool, with a seasonal fruit thrown in the mix, we came up with these popsicles.  With only three ingredients – coconut milk, roasted strawberries, and a spoonful of agave for sweetness - these are simple to make and easy to substitute in any seasonal fruit you’ve got on hand.  Not bad in terms of a reasonably healthy treat that makes toddlers literally squeal (loudly) with excitement!

We decided to see what would happen if we attempted to concentrate fresh strawberry flavors from fresh and light to rich and intense.  We love fresh strawberries, but their flavor sometimes seems too muted when you start using them as an ingredient (rather than eating them straight out of hand).  We did it simply by roasting the strawberries for 20 minutes. Sprinkled with a tablespoon of sugar, they develop bubbly brown edges and deep flavors.  Perfect for blending with coconut milk to create a creamy popsicle with lots of strawberry flavor.

To be honest, these popsicles came together as a result of leftovers. I had some coconut milk waiting in the fridge, and I was itching to use it in a summery dessert. We had leftover roasted strawberries from our latest cocktail over at our Whole Foods column, Locally Mixed.  A little agave for sweetness (chosen for its easy-to-stir-in consistency) and we had ourselves four sweet little popsicles! 

Popsicles with Roasted Strawberries & Coconut Milk

• 1/2 c. coconut milk
• 1/2 c. roasted strawberry puree (recipe below)
• 1 Tbsp. agave

Blend all three ingredients together, pour into popsicles molds, and freeze overnight.  Warning:  This recipe only makes about 4 small popsicles; feel free to double it!

 

Roasted Strawberry Puree

• 2 cups roughly chopped strawberries
• Sprinkled with 1 Tbsp sugar

Yield: 1 cup

Roast at 400 for approx 20 minutes or until edges are browning and the pan contains bubbling & caramelizing strawberry juice.  I highly recommend a rimmed baking sheet for this recipe!  Scoop roasted strawberries into a glass jar for storage and mash them with a fork until they fall apart into a rough “puree”.

If you’re looking for another excuse to make a batch of the Roasted Strawberry Puree, here’s one:  Roasted Strawberry, Gin, & Ginger Cocktail!

Homemade Mayonnaise

Sarah and I have been talking about doing homemade mayo for what feels like forever. Now we're experiencing summer temperatures in Colorado, and our thoughts are on picnic baskets, baguette sandwiches, and potato salads. I am not a huge mayo fan, and I have always used it sparingly on sandwiches, if at all. It was a great point of contention when I discovered that my husband's family dips their artichoke leaves in mayonnaise. (Melted butter, am I right?) But homemade mayo is a whole different creature than the supermarket stuff. Is anyone surprised?

I recently bought the gorgeous cookbook Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. I'm pretty sure that everyone else in the blogosphere (did I really use that word?) already owns this hefty tome, but I tend to be late to the party. When we decided to finally make mayo, I thought Dorie was just the woman to turn to. Of course, I did not read the recipe from start to finish beforehand, and I flubbed it on my first go. (Note to self: read the damn thing first.)

So take it from me, when the recipe says to go slow and literally add the oil drop by drop, it truly means literally. It isn't to say that it takes very long to make mayo (unless you have to start all over again). It actually doesn't take long at all. You just need to do it right. Drop by drop.

Also, I tried it in my food processor which has a gracious 14-cup capacity (love that thing), but it didn't work for this because it was just too big. I switched over to my handy stick blender, and finally things started happening. So if you have a large food processor, use the small bowl attachment, or try another mixing method.

Homemade Mayonnaise

• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

• 2 tsp white wine vinegar

• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1/2-1 cup oil, mild (such as grapeseed or canola) or more flavorful (we used olive), or a combination

Put the yolk, vinegar, and the mustard in a bowl, blender, or food processor. Whisk or whir to blend. Drop by drop (literally!! don't go to fast here...) start adding the oil, mixing all the while. When you've got about 1/4 cup oil beaten in and the mix is starting to look like mayonnaise (around 4 minutes or so), you can add the remaining oil more steadily, but still slowly. Use at least 1/2 cup oil, and up to about 1 cup to get the consistency you want. We only used the minimum 1/2 cup oil, and we liked how thick and flavorful the result was.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

It’s amazing how much flavor a healthy dose of lemon zest can contribute. This cake has a brown crisp top, then inside it’s dense and lemony. I personally recommend eating a slice as soon as you pull it out of the oven so you can enjoy the lemony steam this cake creates!

We’ve really been getting our money’s worth from the latest Bon Appetit magazine. The Agave Margaritas were a big success and then we moved right along to this delicious cake. It’s a classic French recipe; the magazine says that it is one of the first recipes French mothers teach to their children. And so I have to assume that everyone in France has this delicious cake recipe memorized. Right? Either way, it’s a great classic recipe.

The lemon zest is added to the sugar, then the two are rubbed together until the oils in the lemon are evenly distributed and the sugar becomes clumpy and moist. The cake comes out of the oven with a shiny brown top, and as you slice it open you’ll release a burst of lemony steam. Enjoy!

Lemon Yogurt Cake

recipe by Bon Appetit

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp lemon zest

3/4 cup whole milk Greek yogurt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350.  Grease & flour an 8 1/2” loaf pan.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Combine lemon zest and sugar in a large bowl, and rub the two together with your fingers until the sugar is moist. Add yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla – stir to combine completely.
Fold dry ingredients into wet and stir gently until  just to combined.
Pour batter into pan, smooth top, and bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting.