The weather's fine...

Grilled Strip Steak with Fresh Chimichurri, 

Steamed Asparagus, and Cucumber Salad

I love spring time (and summer, and fall), and I love easy meals made on the grill, and we have had a lot of those lately.  Last week we had some lovely strip steaks topped with a fresh chimichurri, an Argentinaian sauce that I adore.  There is a chimichurri sauce by Badia that we really like, but at four and change for a small jar, it can be pricey to use in quantity.  The ingredients are few and easily found, so I decided to make my own, and I'm glad I did-  it was fresh, tangy, and garlicky, just as I wanted.

Last night we had Ina Garten's Tuscan Lemon Chicken again, but this time I also used her recipe for garlic bread and I think it was the best I have ever had.  I did not have the fresh herbs on hand, so I used dried at 1/3 the quantity, and I used ciabatta rolls instead of the loaf, but it was wonderful.  I wrapped the rolls up in foil and Ben threw them on the grill with the chicken, and even foil wrapped, they managed to crisp up, um, um, um.  Give both of these recipes a try, but probably not at the same time (unless you are suffering from a vampire infestation).

Chimichurri

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1 bunch fresh parsley

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

3 tbs. lemon juice

8 to 10 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 tsp. crushed red papper flakes

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

Rinse and dry the fresh herbs, tear or cut off the leaves and put them into a food processor with the rest of the ingredients (don't worry about small stems).  Pulse until fairly fine and spoon into a bowl, adding more olive oil if a thinner consistency is desired.  Make a least a few hours ahead of time so that the flavors can meld. 

This is good with all kinds of meats, as a sauce or a marinade.  It is also delicious spooned onto thin slices of a crispy baguette (this is probably how we eat it the most).

Best Garlic Bread

adapted from Ina Garten

6 large garlic cloves, minced (2 tbs.)

2 tbs. dried parsley

2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

butter, softened

1 ciabatta loaf, or 4 to 6 ciabatta rolls, split horizontally

In a small saucepan, simmer the first 6 ingredients for three minutes.  Spread the oil mixture on the bottom half (halves) and butter the top(s).  Put the pieces back together and wrap in foil.  Grill for 10 minutes, or bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Unwrap, eat, enjoy.