Tammy – Mom of one of our CSA families – introduced me to this magical herb sauce. It’s a great way to use up your weekly bunch of fresh culinary herbs. But better than that – it’s heavenly! And easy. Plus, her kids loved it! Technically, it’s a spin on a chimichurri, except it skips the parsley.
Trust me and double it
Just saying – it’s wise to make a double recipe. It’ll disappear before you can say Jack Flash!
You can add it to scrambled eggs, add a dollop to soup, drizzle over steamed baby potatoes and spice up the crazy rotation of CSA salads – you’ve never eaten so many healthy bunches of greens – that include flavorful things, like kale, komatsuna and sorrel. Or use it to marinate meat or baste baby onions before grilling on the BBQ.
Happy eating, Tam
Image from the Simply Life blog – a CSA foodie from Boston.
What you’ll need
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1-2 medium cloves of garlic, crushed into a paste
- 1 well-crumbled bay leaf
- pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon + fine grain sea salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Variations add
- 1 tsp sage leaves (poultry)
- 1 tsp basil leaves (tomatoes)
- 1 tbsp parsley (chimichurri)
Herb notes: 1 TBSP fresh = 1 TSP dried
How to cook magic herb sauce
Gently warm the olive oil over medium-low heat in a skillet or pan, until it is just hot. When hot remove from heat.
While the oil is heating, lightly pound the rosemary, thyme, and oregano in a mortar and pestle.
Stir the paprika, garlic, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and salt into the oil. Then add the bruised herbs and lemon juice.
You can use this now, but know – the oil just gets better as it ages over a few days. Keep it in a refrigerator for up to a week/ten days-ish. It thickens up when cold, so if you need it in a liquid state, place it in the sun or in a warm place for a few minutes.
Makes ~2/3 cup. Prep time: 5 min – cook time: 5 min
