Spring is here! Break out that grill

Oh boy, it’s that time of year again. Birds are chirping bright and early, you’re sneezing nonstop, it rains on your day off and your grill is your ‘go to’ for dinner about every chance you get.

If you’re like me and love to grill, the next six months are the best time of the year to get your grill on. I know there are some of you out there who will agree with me when I say; there is always time for grilling. (My family even grilled our Christmas dinner this past year, go figure?) Grilling and eating outside seems to be the highlight of most of my summers. I know it’s not quite summer yet (a girl can dream can’t she?) but the grill is not covered in snow which means it’s time to become a grilling machine.

Grilling can seem intimidating for some and effortless for others. I always try to grill most meats ‘low and slow’. Keep that heat at a good low and steady temp, being sure to cook your meats to the perfect temperature but also keeping those juices inside. It’s also a good way to prevent charred burgers or burnt steaks that are raw on the inside.

I’ll take anything cooked on the grill, steaks, chops, shrimp, fish, kebabs, vegetables, chicken and everything in between. Heck, ill even put fruit on the grill.

I know what you’re asking yourself, what am I going to top all of these delicious grilled meats and vegetables with? No worries, I’ve got the perfect condiment to go with all of this grilled deliciousness. Chimichurri sauce.

Chimichurri is a green sauce that originated from Argentina, South America and is used for grilled meats. It consists of parsley, olive oil, garlic, oregano and red or white wine vinegar. Chimichurri sauce can compliment anything cooked up on the grill and more. I personally could eat it on anything; I even enjoy dipping a piece of good bread in some every now and then.

If you have ever had or heard of Chimichurri sauce then perhaps you know that it can be prepared in many different ways. I personally prefer mine to be more “runny” like a vinaigrette, while others like it to be “thick” or more like a pesto. Also some make it with parsley and oregano while others use parsley and cilantro. I am more of an oregano kind of girl.

I am providing you with my version of a Chimichurri sauce but please, as always, feel free to switch things up or experiment. I like to keep mine in a mason jar, it makes serving it up easy. Remove from fridge; let it come to room temperature, give it a good shake and you’re ready to enjoy. Oh and did I forget to mention that Chimichurri sauce makes for a perfect marinade?

Chimichurri Sauce
By Kayleigh Baig

Ingredients
1 large bunch of curly parsley, de-stemmed, washed and roughly chopped
6 gloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 ½ cups Olive oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup oregano, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
• Place the garlic and shallot in the food processor. Pulse until the garlic begins to breakdown. Add the parsley, oregano, vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Pulse until ingredients begin to combine.
• Turn the food processor on and drizzle in the oil. Stop when preferred consistency is reached. There might be oil remaining. Adjust seasoning.

Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig was born and raised in Riverhead, where she lives with her husband Tahir.

Kayleigh has been in the culinary industry for the last 12 years, working in kitchens on the East End. She also is a personal chef.

Got questions? Recipes? Ideas?

Write to Kayleigh- Click here. 

Look for In the Kitchen with Kayleigh every Saturday on RiverheadLOCAL.com.