It’s grilling day! Chicken, burgers, steaks, ribs…whatever you’re throwing down on the flames today here’s the perfect condiment: cilantro mint pesto. This recipe, I am super proud to say, came from Melissa and her co-author’s (Marcus Pape) newest book – their fourth! – Eat & Drink In The Northwest. The series is a beautiful food and wine (specifically Pacific Northwestern wines) pairing cookbook that will inspire you with seasonal ingredients. Of course I have to tout it! Even if Melissa wasn’t part of the Foodista team (and my friend) I’d still be shouting praises from the roof tops for her books. Each one is filled with beautiful mouthwatering recipes with local ingredients that are artfully paired with a local wine.

The other day Melissa brought to the office some grilled lamb and a jar of her cilantro mint pesto. (Did I mention that I love my job?) If it wasn’t for the spoon she placed in the jar I would have shamelessly dipped in and scooped out a big, green, tasty finger full.

Last night we grilled up some beautiful bison steaks, which we coated with a bit of the pesto before grilling, and topped them off with more. Perhaps this should be called Green Goddess – it sure is divine! Grilling lamb? Marcus recommends pairing it with a Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Red Blend or a Zinfandel.

Try it on any grilled meat or fish, smear it on your burger, make some crostini topped with ripe tomato, or even mixed with pasta. It’s the perfect condiment.

Here’s the recipe, thanks to Mel.

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I know it’s Saint Patrick’s Day and I should be writing about corned beef and cabbage, but I’m behind schedule and just put my brisket in the slow cooker this morning. So you’ll have to make do with grilled flank steak, which I think is a perfectly fine substitute (even though a bit blasphemous on St. Paddy’s day). Hopefully the green of the chimichurri sauce will help make it more festive!

Chimichurri is a classic Argentine sauce, predominantly made with aji molido, a mild red chili. It’s wonderful on grilled meats, but also makes a lovely dipping sauce for bread. With garlic, olive oil, vinegar and freshly chopped parsley, this sauce is sure to make you rethink the traditional Saint Patrick’s Day dinner.

Ouch, I think a leprechaun just bit me!

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The sun has finally decided to show itself here in Seattle, which means the barbecue has once again been hauled out of the garage and has settled back into its usual spot on the patio. At last. What better way to wrap up a nice sunny afternoon than to throw something tasty down on the grill?

For tonight’s grilling pleasure I chose one of our favorite cuts of meat: flank steak. Flank steak (sometimes known as London broil) is cut from the belly of the cow, is long and flat, and relatively tough – but very flavorful! Since it tends to be on the chewier side most preparations call for marinating or braising in order to break it down.

Another foolproof method is to simply sear it on high heat until medium rare and slice it thinly. The results are tender, tasty and succulent pieces of steak. Here’s one of my favorite crowd-pleasing preparations:

3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely minced
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
Juice of half a lemon and the zest
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Baby arugula
Parmigiano reggiano cheese
Truffle oil (optional)

Rub the garlic and salt on one side of the steak then spread the chopped parsley, creating a paste. Drizzle with olive oil, and add fresh ground black pepper and the juice of half a lemon. Grill on high for 4-6 minutes on each side, turning 90 degrees to get those nice grill marks. Let your meat rest about 10 minutes before slicing.

Thinly slice the meat against the grain and at an angle. On a platter, make a bed of fresh baby arugula and lay your slices of meat on top. Shave slices of parmigiano reggiano on top, add some lemon zest, give it a little drizzle of truffle oil and you’re good to go!

We served this al fresco along with a simple Caprese salad and rosemary roasted red potatoes.

Note: How can you tell if your steak is medium-rare? Poke the steak with either your finger or fork. If it feels squishy then it’s rare. The tip of your nose feels like a well-done steak. If you want a visual guide check out The Finger Test For Doneness from the Science of Cooking.

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