The first time that I tasted Chimichurri sauce was 6 years ago, almost to the day.  I had taken my guy out to the Buenos Aires Grill for his birthday, where we feasted on delicious steaks slathered in this herby, zesty green sauce.  At first glance I thought it was just another pesto, but then I tasted it.  It tasted fresh and green, like an herb garden is dancing all over your tongue, followed by a little kick of heat to remind you that you are alive and finally a slight tangy kiss of vinegar.  Love at first bite.

Memorial Day is just around the corner – grills are coming out of winter hibernation and getting ready to receive the first choice cuts of meat or the first fresh veggie kebabs of the season.  Instead of regular old Barbecue Sauce like every other year, you should give my tasty friend, Chimichurri a turn at the grill.

Last week my Father-in-Law was up for a visit.  For his last night with us I wanted to make him a special dinner, something where he could taste the love.  I headed up to Bill the Butcher to take a peek at their selection and finally get a chance to meet the voice of their Twitter, Teri.  As some may remember, there was an article about Bill the Butcher quite a while ago. That article did not say the nicest of things.  Admittedly, I had made it a point to stay away based on what I read… until recently.

Teri took me through the shop, introduced me to their butcher, Zach – super nice guy. They put the questions I had to rest with full disclosure about the types of meat they offered and from where they all came from.  They have their customers best interests at heart and are moving forward with lessons learned.  I’m really glad that I gave them a shot because the Painted Hills New York Strips that I picked up ended up being that special dinner I was looking for.

When I got my haul of beef goodness home, I started brainstorming ways to prepare the steaks.  One of my favorite places to mull things over is in my Herb Garden, so I headed out to collect a few snips of this and a few snips of that when inspiration hit me.  Chimichurri!!!  I have everything I need right here!  So I set to work gathering up the rest of the herbs I needed to make that magical green sauce of the Gods.

Now my Chimichurri recipe may not be your Argentinian Grandmother’s traditional recipe, but it is absolutely divine in its own right.  It also doubles as a magnificent marinade for meat and vegetables, and I’ve also used it as a base for a vinaigrette.  It’s versatile, it’s delicious, it’s super easy and I am so pleased with it I want to share it with you.

I love a condiment that you can use for many different applications.  Such is my Honey Ginger Glaze.  It works beautifully on meat, fish, veggies, fruit and Tofu.  It’s a perfect finish on anything grilled.  It takes an ordinary pork chop and turns it into an extraordinary glossy bite of gingery bliss.

I picked up some gorgeous boneless pork lion chops from the awesome guys over at The Swinery, in West Seattle and combined those with my glaze made with some Chamiso Honey that I ordered from the sweet folks at Grampa’s Honey.

Honey Ginger Glaze

• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon Ginger, peeled and freshly grated
• 1/2 teaspoon Aji-Mirin (Sweet Cooking Rice Wine)
• 1/4 teaspoon Sesame Oil
• Juice of half a Lime

Combine everything together in a small bowl and simply whisk to combine.  Makes a little over 1/2 cup, and will keep for up to 1 week covered in the fridge.

Tips:
– Use a pastry brush to brush it on grill foods shortly before it finishes cooking.  If you put it on too early, flames and heat can cause the sugars in the glaze to burn.
– Try it on Fish, Tofu, Beef, Chicken, Pork, Duck, Fruits and Vegetables, it’s very versatile.
– You can use this glaze as a base for marinades and salad dressings.

Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest things.  Like this recipe.

On those days when life keeps you running around like crazy, there just does not seem to be enough hours in the day and you want something tasty to snack on but don’t have the energy to fuss around with a complicated recipe.  Well, this is an elegant and simple little recipe that goes together in a snap, keeps well when stored in the fridge and has big flavor that is sure to impress even when you’re pinched for time.

There are a few ingredients that I always keep on hand, because of their versatility and the big flavors they bring to the table.  Goat cheese and Oil Packed Sun Dried Tomatoes are two of those items.  They can be added separately or together from salads, to pastas to appetizers making them a favorite in my kitchen when I’m looking for a little extra punch of flavor.

This recipe is the perfect thing to make when you have unexpected drop-in guests because it goes together in 5 minutes.  Get your ingredients together, add them to a food processor, whip it up, scoop it in to a bowl and throw some crackers or herb toast points on the side.  Done.

Aside from using this as a spread on crackers, it’s also an amazing condiment for burgers and sandwiches too!

Goat Cheese & Sun Dried Tomato Spread

• 1 1/2 cups Goat Cheese
• 1/2 clove of crushed garlic
• 1/2 cup Oil Packed Sun Dried Tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1/2 Teaspoon  Fresh Thyme or Parsley
• Squeeze of Lemon Juice
• Salt to Taste

Put all the ingredients in to a food processor and pulse until smooth and well blended.  Place in a serving bowl and serve with crackers or toast.  Makes about 2 cups and will keep up to 1 week, covered in the fridge.

Additional Serving Suggestions:
– Topping for crackers, pita chips, melba toast, herbed toast
– Condiment for Sandwiches and Burgers
– Quick way to dress up some Penne Pasta by tossing it together.  Great Hot or Cold!

Oooh this Summer has been a busy one, and now we are already in to Fall.  Good thing we preserved some of Summer’s gorgeous basil.  So what to do with all that lovely Basil Paste we just made a few weeks back? I’ve got a little something up my sleeve that puts an answer to that very question.  This time we are going for a bit of an unconventional twist on the classic Gremolata. 

Usually a classic Gremolata is a dry or sometimes wet combination of chopped parsley with citrus, garlic and salt.  Ours will be a little different thanks to the basil and a little wet thanks to the Olive Oil our Basil Paste base, but that’s okay because the flavor is sensational either way.  You certainly could use fresh Basil if you have some handy.  So what we will be creating here is Emerald Summer Sunshine on a spoon, my friends.

Basil Gremolata

• 2 Tablespoons Basil Paste or 1/2 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, finely chopped
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic, finely minced
• Zest of 1/2 Lemon
• Twist or two of Fresh Cracked Pepper
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together thoroughly.

It just doesn’t get any easier than this.  This is amazing on fish, chicken, tofu, toasted baguettes, mixed into a vinaigrette or any other creative way you want to put it to use.

So how do we hold on to the flavor of this Summer gem without going the same ole Pesto route? I’m about to show ya…

Don’t get me wrong now, Basil Pesto is one of my favorite condiments. But there is sooo much more you can do with Basil.   I’m going to give you a super simple recipe to preserve your basil and turn it into a base ingredient for many other Basilicious condiments and recipes. And yep… I’ll be throwing a Pesto recipe at ya in the very near future.

Basil Paste

• 3 Cups Basil Leaves, washed and well packed
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Stuff this all into a food processor equipped with chopping blades and pulse until the Basil is blended to about the size of a peppercorn. You may have to scrape the sides of your processor, the consistency should be a similar to a tomato paste.

Refrigerator Storage: Pour the Base Paste Base into an air-tight container, spread evenly and cover with a thin layer of olive oil. You can store it for 3-4 days in the fridge this way.
Freezer Storage: Prep ice cube trays by either rubbing or spraying the insides with Olive Oil. Place roughly 1 Tablespoon in each compartment, cover each with a thin layer of Olive Oil, cover and freeze. Once they are set after a couple hours, pop them out of the trays and place them in a zipper top freezer bag. These will keep beautifully in the freezer for 6+ months.

Truffles.  Butter.  Herbs.  Alone these three things are simply beautiful, but put them together and you will be transported to a place where creamy butter flirts with aromatic white truffles and fresh herbs come in to elevate the whole lot for a little taste of Heaven on Earth.

Aren’t truffles freakin’ expensive?!  Well yes, fresh truffles can fetch $200,000 for a White Truffle a little over 2 pounds… BUT there are alternatives out there that don’t require you to squander the kids college fund or take a second mortgage on the house to get yourself in on some of this action.  White Truffle Paste & White Truffle Paté are available and considering how a little goes a long way, they are a good value to enjoy a little decadence on occasion.  And come on… aren’t you worth a little luxury now and again?

So what do they taste like?  They are certainly in the umami class of tastes.  They can be described as meaty, heady and even a little hint of garlic.  If you have ever had a Porchini and you know how heady and aromatic those mushrooms are, well a truffle is that x10.  White Truffles love to be infused in oil, butter, and anything creamy.  They are a beautiful addition to eggs, cheese, potatoes, risotto, chicken or pork.

So what I have concocted is a compound butter infused with fresh herbs and white truffles.  You can make this ahead and freeze it, it will keep beautifully.  It is versatile too.  You can use it to flavor pasta, put it on sliced baguette and toast it for an amazing crostini, top a steak with it, add it in last minute to a white sauce or beurre blanc or you can do what I did and stuff it up under the skin of a turkey breast and roast it.

Truffled Herb Butter

• 4-5 Tablespoons unsalted Butter, room temp
• 2  Tablespoons fresh Herbs, chopped (any variety is fine, I used Rosemary, Sage, Oregano & Tarragon)
• 1/2 Teaspoon White Truffle Paste or 1 large grape-sized fresh White Truffle, shaved with a Microplane grater
• 1/4 Teaspoon ground White or Green Peppercorns
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Place all ingredients into a small bowl and mix together until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Use within 3 days or store in the freezer and slice off as much as you need as you go.

This stuff will add a serious nom factor to whatever you decide to use it for. Once your friends and family taste the creations you make with this sexy little butter they will think you are some kind of culinary genius… yet you can be a culinary newbie and still whip this up with ease.  I’ll be posting a couple recipes for a fancy Grilled Cheese and that infamous Roast Turkey Breast shortly.

***Cook’s Note:  If you don’t have access to or you dislike truffles you can substitute crushed garlic or smashed roasted garlic.  It won’t be the same thing but you will have a pretty delicious Garlic Herb Butter.