House Green Sauce

We’ve been making this versatile sauce at home for years. It’s somewhere between a smooth chimichurri and a pistou (a French pesto without pine nuts or cheese). Whatever you call it, this tangy and herbaceous sauce perfectly offsets the richness of tender steaks, but also complements grilled vegetables and season-perfect tomatoes. We enjoy it best poured over a ball of burrata cheese, served with a warm crusty baguette to smear your burrata on. 

The sauce is blended fresh, but will lose some of its green vibrancy after a few hours.  At home we place all of the ingredients in the blender, wait until just before the meal, and then whirl away, serving the sauce immediately after.

For the herb leaves, use a mix of your favorite herbs such as basil, cilantro, parsley or mint. For Mediterranean dishes I increase the basil, whereas for Latin dishes I increase the cilantro. For dishes with Middle Eastern spice, I’ll increase the mint in the combination. But there are no rules and the possibilities are endless! 

Yield 4 servings as an appetizer or side dish 

Ingredients

1 ½ cups of fresh herb leaves*, loosely packed, washed and spun dry – I prefer using equal parts basil and cilantro for the burrata dish 

½ - ¾  cup olive oil (start with ½ cup and blend the remaining oil if you like a less acidic sauce)

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped

1 tbsp of Dijon mustard 

pinch of red pepper flakes (add more to taste)

Method

Blend all ingredients in blender, small food processor or with an immersion blender. Begin blending on a low speed so ingredients do not splatter against the sides of the pitcher and increase speed as herbs and liquid start to incorporate.  Season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust if needed. Use immediately or place sauce in an airtight container to prevent browning and use within 2 hours.

*Note about herbs - depending on season and your source of herbs, if the flavor is not fragrant enough, you might need an additional ½ cup. If using more, adjust liquid slightly to encourage blending.