An Easy Summer Sauce

My toddler pushing the buttons for chimichurri. :) 

And for my first trick... Chimichurri Sauce! This sauce is perfect for grilled meats and is the easiest thing in the world to make. All you need to be able to do is chop the stems off of some herbs and push the buttons of a blender and you have the most delectable, slightly spicy sauce for fish, steak, chicken, tacos, anything!

Bunches of herbs with the stems cut off

You're going to need: 

• 1 bunch cilantro, stems cut off
• 1 bunch flat leaf (Italian) parsley, stems cut off
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 shallot**, peeled and chopped in quarters
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Tsp. of honey
• 2 Tbsp or so of Red Wine Vinegar (but do not despair if you do not have it- I've also used white vinegar and red cider vinegar in this recipe with stellar results)
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• Juice of half a lime
• Jalapeno pepper  (Taste your jalapeño before you add it. If it's spicy, add a quarter of it. It's all dependent on what you like, but this particular sauce can get pretty spicy with a whole pepper. I don't usually add more than half a jalapeño, and I almost always take out the seeds and white membrane first.)

And here's what you're going to do: 

1. Grab a blender or food processor. Both will work equally well for this recipe. In your blending device, put the cilantro, parsley, garlic, shallot, jalpaneo, red pepper flakes, honey, vinegar, and a small drizzle of olive oil. Press the button that pulses or blends the sauce. 
2. Chances are, you need to take a spoon or plastic spatular and scrape down the sides of your device. Also, add some more olive oil (a good drizzle) and give it another blend. You want this sauce to have a thicker consistency, somewhere around a jarred spaghetti sauce. Add more olive oil if you need.
3. Taste your sauce! It probably needs a little salt and pepper. Start with a pinch of each, and then taste it again. I also like to squeeze in half a lime at this point. 
4. When you are pleased with your result, let it sit until you pour it over whatever lucky protein you have chosen. Enjoy!

The final product: beautiful, bright green, spicy sauce!

**When I first started exploring recipes and cooking, I had literally no idea what a shallot was. I wandered around the grocery store for a while, hoping I would magically stumble upon a shallot. I searched high and low through other things I had never noticed and had no idea how to say until I noticed a papery bulb like thing next to the garlic. In my grocery stores, the shallots are either by the jalapeño peppers, in bins by tomatoes and garlic, or hiding by the onions. What are they? Small onions with really nice flavor. A lot of times they come in sets of two within their papery shells. For this recipe you only need one of those little onions.

My other sous chef, Basil Poodle.

Adapted from the cookbook "Keepers" by Kathy Brennen and Caroline Campion.