Oil & Vinegar

Or. . .the best way to cook a steak!

Oils and fats give foods a richness and body that your palate craves. However, fat alone can block the palate from experiencing the other tastes and aromas of a dish. Vinegar and other acidic ingredients "cut through" the richness of fatty ingredients and allow the other flavors and dimensions of a food to shine through. They give food a "pop" that is literally mouth watering. Fat and acidity complement each other when balanced correctly and create a synergy on the palate whose sum is greater than its parts. It's the difference between something that tastes pretty good and WOW! THATS DELICIOUS!

This concept can be employed in many other areas of cooking than just salads. Take a rich and fatty grilled ribeye steak that you would be happy to eat on its own. If you pair it with an herb filled chimichurri sauce it becomes a restaurant quality meal with many layers of fragrant herbs and salty smoky umami.

Make this an hour ahead and let the flavours meld then top your grilled sliced ribeye with a tablespoon of the sauce just before serving.

½ c chopped parsley

2 sprigs oregano destemmed and rough chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste

¼ t smoked paprika

¼ t kosher salt

⅓ c EV olive oil

2-3 T red wine vinegar

Add everything to a food processor and pulse until you have a rough and chunky sauce.​