I am off to the east coast for a few days where the weather will be decidedly UN-Coastside like, but I wanted you to know I will have a big announcement next week when I get back! I also wanted to share with you a sauce I have been enjoying that is perfect for a wide range of veggies.

Whether you call it Salsa Verde, Chimichurri or Charmoula, it adds pop and flavor to a variety of dishes. Typically used for meats in Italy and Argentina and on fish in Morocco, this base of parsley, cilantro, an acid (red wine vinegar or lemon juice), garlic and olive oil also plays very nicely with the smokiness of grilled vegetables.

Since there are varieties and options, I’m not going to give a recipe but will walk you through the techniques and the choices as well as some veggie grilling suggestions.

These sauces can be made by hand or in a blender. If made by hand they will be more rustic and have a looser consistency that can look very nice when serving. The blender made sauces will come together very quickly and be a bit tighter, looking more like a pesto.

If making by hand:

Start off with a half bunch each of Italian parsley and cilantro and chop coarsely. Place in a medium sized bowl with a half cup of olive oil. To the bowl add 2 cloves minced or pressed garlic.

Here is where things can differ: In Italy in and Argentina they add 1/4 cup red wine vinegar and sometimes some fresh oregano and red chili flakes. In Morocco they typically use lemon juice as the acid (about 1/4 cup) and spice it up with cumin or sweet paprika.  Add your choice of the optional ingredients to the bowl, along with a pinch or two of salt, and stir.

Feel free to play with the ratio of parsley to cilantro, or the amount of acid and garlic, but remember this is meant to be a pretty pungent sauce, so don’t cut back too much on them!

If making in a blender:

Add all the ingredients except the olive oil in the blender jar. Start on low and drizzle the olive oil in slowly, working the blender speed up to medium.

The batch above was made in a blender, and the picture is from my first “real” photo shoot with an actual camera and not on my phone like all previous posts! (A special thank you to Beth Intro Photography for some lessons while I was visiting family in Atlanta!)

Some ideas for using your sauce:

Great on grilled cauliflower, grilled or roasted carrots and grilled Portobello mushrooms. Instead of olive oil stir the ingredients into some mayonnaise, cutting back a bit on the acid, and toss with grilled potatoes that have cooled to room temperature for an amazing twist on potato salad!

I’ll be back next week with some big news and more recipes. Until then…

Have Fun Cooking! (And grilling!)

–Stuart