Turning Herbs into Sauces

One of the best things about having a garden is the ability to walk outside, gather a few things and whip up a something delicious. When I first started gardening, herbs were my gateway drug. They are fairly easy to grow, require little maintenance and add such amazing flavor and brightness to a recipe. Our Spring and Summer meals are full of fresh herbs, most often basil, parsley and cilantro. I'm sharing my Chimichurri and Pesto recipes here because they are my go-to sauces that can be used in a million different ways. Enjoy!

Fresh herbs, lemon and garlic are a great start to just about any meal

CHIMICHURRI

This sauce is typically made with parsley and oregano, garlic and crushed red pepper. I add cilantro to mine instead of oregano because I just love cilantro. There are plenty of variations and ways to tweak it to your taste.  It goes great with beef, but I also love it on chicken or fish. Here is my version.

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

3 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/3 cup good olive oil

Add all ingredients except olive oil to food processor, pulse until well combined. Put food processor on low and drizzle in oil slowly until all mixed well.

Finished product: Delicious, bright chimichurri! Tonight I will be serving this over roasted chicken thighs.

PESTO

Oh pesto, how I love thee so! Typically made with fresh basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese. I prefer mine without the cheese, because I don't find it necessary. I have made it a ton of different ways, trying out different nuts instead of pine nuts. I adore pine nuts, but damn those jokers are expensive! In this version I used walnuts, but I also love it with raw almonds. Adding a little spinach gives it a nice earthiness and helps the sauce go a bit further. Pesto is amazing tossed with pasta or spread on bruschetta, but it also goes great on meat as well.

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/2 cup spinach

1/4 cup walnuts

juice of one lemon

1 teaspoon salt

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup good olive oil

Add all ingredients to food processor, pulse until well combined. Put processor on low, drizzle in olive oil slowly until well mixed.

Yummy pesto! Tomorrow I will be serving this with seared pork tenderloin.

Enjoy! Let me know your favorite ways to use herbs for sauces!