| | Published June 14, 2017
| All hail Cilantro for that extra spice
| | | By Susie Iventosch |  | | Green Chili Goat Cheese Dip Photos Susie Iventosch |
It seems to be love or hate with cilantro, but I am a huge fan. Not only is it a key ingredient in many Mexican dishes and salsas, but freshly snipped leaves are so tasty in green salad. It's a perfect addition to curry sauce and the beautiful leaves make for a lovely garnish. Cilantro is the king of herbs in my book and for some reason, the smell of it just reminds me of summer.
When we made chimichurri grilled chicken the other night, we added cilantro to this typical Argentinian sauce, and it was a palate-pleaser. Since cilantro pairs so well with lime juice, we tossed in a touch of both lemon and lime, which made it extra zingy. Normally, chimichurri is made with parsley and oregano in addition to garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil and red wine vinegar. The zesty lemon-lime potato salad fell into place and all together, this is a fun meal to serve for your summertime barbecues and picnics. The sauce holds well in the refrigerator, so if you make extra you can have it on hand as a dipping sauce for other meals, too.
Cooking Term of the Week
Grunt
This is a fun cooking term and one that might prove useful as we get into the beautiful summer fruit season. Grunt is a dessert typically seen in the eastern United States, and is a hybrid between a pie and a cobbler. The fruit (berries or stone fruits) is cooked under a crust of biscuit dough. The grunt is said to be named for the sounds coming from the bubbling fruit under the dough as it cooks. A grunt is usually cooked on the stove top, but can be baked. When baked, it is actually very much like a slump, but that's a term for another day!
| Grilled Chimichurri Chicken
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(Serves 4-6)
1 whole roasting chicken
1 batch chimichurri sauce (recipe below)
DIRECTIONS
Rub skin of whole chicken with 1/2 cup of the chimichurri sauce, reserving the remaining sauce for serving. Place chicken in aluminum pan, or a baking pan that you don't mind putting on the barbecue or grill. Place the pan with the chicken over the center burner and cook indirect on gas grill with the two side burners on medium and the center burner turned off. Cook for approximately 1 hour, or until done and juices from legs and thighs run clear. This will vary depending upon the size of the chicken and the grill you are using. Carve chicken and drizzle chimichurri over when serving. Pass extra sauce for seconds!
Chimichurri Sauce
(Yields approximately 11/2 cups)
INGREDIENTS
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves (no stems)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. powdered cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Clean parsley and cilantro and cut off the bottom part of the stems. Place in food processor along with oregano leaves and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and puree all together in the processor. Cover and let stand at room temperature for about 2 hours until ready to use. If you make it a day or two ahead, refrigerate and bring to room temperature before using.
Lemon-Lime Potato Salad
(Serves 4-6)
6 medium potatoes (3 new potatoes and 3 Yukon gold)
Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 bunch cilantro, stems removed and leaves chopped or julienned
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Clean potatoes and cut into evenly-sized halves or quarters. Place in a large pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook the potatoes until they easily pierce with a knife, but are not mushy. This will take roughly 15 minutes or so. Check them often, because you don't want them to be either underdone or overdone. Drain potatoes and place in a bowl to cool.
Lemon-Lime Cilantro Dressing-directions
Heat 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil in small frying pan. Cook garlic and shallot until translucent. Remove from heat and cool. Meanwhile, place remaining ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add cooled shallot and garlic and shake well. Adjust with extra olive oil as needed for your tastes. We tend to like a tangy dressing.
Gently toss cooled potatoes with dressing and stir every once in a while to make sure all of the potatoes are well-coated. Serve at room temperature. This salad is really nice served on a bed of lettuce with slices of avocado on the side.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA