At a cooking class this weekend at San Diego cookware shop Great News, I made a couple of delicious discoveries.
The first was the big flavor that a small bottle of American-made chutney can bring to a very simple lamb stew.
Cooking teacher Katherine Emmenegger’s stew consisted of lamb shoulder, chopped onion and white wine. It would have been perfectly nice like that. But Stonewall Kitchen’s Old Farmhouse Chutney added multiple layers of fruity, spicy notes that made it a memorable dish.
I’m now thinking of mixing the fruit-onion-spice condiment with pulled pork for sandwiches; livening up cooked beans with it; and using it as a “sauce” for grilled chicken kebabs.
The second revelation at the class entitled “The Foods and Wines of Argentina” was a glorious sweet potato gratin that cut the traditional heavy cream quantity in half (and used vegetable broth for the remainder), and was seasoned with fresh sage, garlic and freshly grated nutmeg. It’s impressive how much more the potato flavor and seasonings shine when not covered up with a ton of heavy cream. This is a slam dunk for our Thanksgiving table this year.
Last, but not least, was a recipe for chimichurri sauce, which Emmenegger calls Argentina’s answer to ketchup….meaning that Argentinians plop it on just about every type of food.
I tasted five versions of chimichurri in as many days in Buenos Aires a couple years ago.
But the Great News version was even better ---remarkably bright and savory, with an appealing texture (not too runny, not too greasy). Emmenegger gave credit for the success to her favorite sherry vinegar – Columela Vinagre de Jerez. It's available on-line at Sur La Table and Amazon.com.
CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
1 bunch Italian parsley, washed, patted dry, with leaves removed from stems
4 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
2 large shallots, peeled
¾ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt, cayenne and black pepper, to taste
In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients using the pulse method. Chop well but do not puree. Makes a generous cup.
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