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Quick Sauces for Summer

dominic lockyer/flickr

During this season of grilling, some of us think that the process stops the moment we take the food off the grill. But you can really do a lot more to put together a fantastic plate. And as the French say, "the sauce is everything." Listen for some sauce recipes.

 

The Recipes

Francis Mallmann’s Chimichurri

 

Ingredients

 

¼ cup water 
1 tbs. coarse salt 
1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled 
1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 
1 cup fresh oregano leaves 
2 tsp. crushed red- pepper flakes 
¼ cup red-wine vinegar 
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

 

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the salt and stir until it dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Mince the garlic very finely and put in a medium bowl. Mince the parsley and oregano, and add to the garlic, along with the red-pepper flakes. Whisk in the red-wine vinegar, then the olive oil. Whisk in the salted water. Transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and keep in the refrigerator. Let the flavors mingle for at least a day and serve with grilled meats. The sauce can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 weeks (adapted from Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way, by Francis Mallmann with Peter Kaminsky; Artisan, 2009).

 

Salsa Verde (Italian)

 

Ingredients

 

1 ½ cups packed, roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup capers, drained

3 anchovy fillets

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 medium cloves garlic minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated zest from 1 lemon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Place parsley, olive oil, capers, anchovies, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and lemon zest in work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until parsley is well chopped, about 10 1-second pulses, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a small bowl and use immediately.

 

Spinach Pesto

 

Ingredients

 

2 cups baby spinach

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

12 cloves garlic, peeled

½ cup pistachios

1 cup parmesan cheese

Salt & pepper

 

In a small sauce pan set over low heat*, cook the whole garlic cloves in the olive oil until aromatic and soft, approximately 1 hour. Allow to cool to room temperature.

In a blender, add the spinach, pistachios olive oil and garlic cloves. Turn on the blender. Add additional olive oil if the pesto is too thick. Pour into a mixing bowl and whisk in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

 

*Extra Virgin Olive Oil starts to lose its aromatics at temperatures above 140°F. We’ve found that poaching the garlic in the olive at 160°F allows the garlic to cook and the olive oil to retain most of its beautiful aromas and taste. We use a digital induction burner to hold the temperature ay 160°F for one hour and the results are amazing! You can use a candy thermometer to try and adjust the heat on the burner to stay around 160°F.

 

Tzatziki

 

Ingredients

 

2 cups Greek yogurt

1 clove of garlic, minced

½ cup grated, peeled cucumber

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar or lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

 

Squeeze excess moisture from the grated cucumber using a clean kitchen towel. In a small bowl, mix yogurt, garlic, cucumber and vinegar or lemon juice. Stir in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Al Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.
Executive Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Corks restaurant is fascinated by food and wine, and the way they work in harmony on the palate. His understanding of the two goes all the way to the molecular level, drawing on his advanced education in molecular biology. His cuisine is simple and surprising, pairing unexpected ingredients together to work with Corks' extensive wine offerings.