CARROT TOP CHIMICHURRI (Argentinian green sauce or salsa)

September 2, 2021 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments

Traditionally used on grilled meat, this simple, flavourful condiment can be used on proteins, pasta, vegetables, potatoes, and more. You can even eat it like a dip with your favourite chips, crackers, or cut-up vegetables: it’s that good!  (recipe from the Guardian)

Prepare your dutch carrots: Start by removing the leaves from the stem of the carrot. Place in a cold bowl of water to remove as much dirt as possible. Dry in a salad spinner, then remove any brown or discolored leaves and give it a rough chop until it’s minced. You can also pulse it in a food processor, but not too much. Soak and roughly hand-scrub carrots twice – they will keep longer then.

1 bunch organic carrots with tops
20g parsley, finely chopped, including stalks
2 tsp dried or chopped fresh oregano
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 pinch dried chilli flakes
8 Tab extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tab red-wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Remove the carrot stalks and tops, soak them in water to remove any soil, and rinse. Repeat. Dry, then …

Finely chop 20g of the stalks and leaves, and mix with all the other ingredients.
Season to taste, and it’s done.*
The chimichurri will keep in the fridge for a week or two.

another suggestion:  Rest the sauce: Let it sit on the countertop for at least 30 minutes to develop its flavour. Add any leftovers to a jar or airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

TIPS 

Since you’re using fresh herbs in the carrot top chimichurri sauce, they may need some time to break down and develop their flavors. This chimichurri tastes best when it’s had some time to rest.

You can use a food processor to mix up the sauce, but only to pulse the dry ingredients. Chimichurri is meant to have small roughly chopped minced pieces.

Save the stems to use in a broth or soup. Don’t waste your carrot peelings either! Use them in this Carrot Peeling Cake.

Sausage tray bake with potatoes, tinned tomatoes and herbs

September 3, 2020 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments

SERVES 4-6

Ingredients
6 small (approximately 600g) waxy potatoes – Nicola or Desiree
1 lemon
4 cloves of garlic
1 small or 1/2 large red capsicum, thinly sliced
Handful of hard herbs such as rosemary, bay, thyme, marjoram and oregano, plus extra to garnish
2 x 400g tins whole peeled tomatoes
60ml (1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
6 thick pork sausages
Salt and pepper

1.  Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2.  Place the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Season the water with a little salt and bring to the boil over a high heat. Parboil the potatoes for 15 minutes or until a knife inserts into them easily. Remove and drain and slice into 1cm rounds.

3.  Using a peeler, shave strips of rind from the lemon and arrange in the bottom of a large oven tray. I used an enamel rectangular 24x18cm tray but use anything you have on hand, as long as everything can fit snuggly in a single layer and the tray has a slightly deeper edge to keep in all of the juices. Bash the garlic with the palm of your hand or the side of your kitchen knife, peel them and add to the tray, along with the capsicum and herbs. Arrange the potato slices onto the tray.

4.  Drain the tinned tomato from their juices (reserve for another use, see tips above) and squeeze the whole tomatoes on and around the potatoes. Drizzle with most of the olive oil and all of the red wine vinegar and season well with salt and pepper. Nestle the sausages into the potatoes and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

5.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn the sausages over and rotate the tray. Cook for a further 15-20 minutes until the sausages are golden and the potatoes beginning to colour.

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