Barbecue Sauce of A Different Kind

Emerald 'Barbecue' Sauce, originally uploaded by miss.mallory.

Okay. Dubbing this sauce 'barbecue' is a bit misleading. It's certainly not your mamma's traditional tomato, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar barbecue sauce. However, it is incredible on barbecued meats and veggies alike. So I ask you, why not call it barbecue sauce? When I placed the little white bowl full of this emerald green sauce on the table it was gone in mere seconds. Everyone was slathering it all over, quite literally, everything. . . their potato salad, green salad, and of course grilled meat. It was the raving of harmonious 'mmmmm's' heard round the backyard. This simple sauce is comprised of a few easy to acquire ingredients; italian parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and a pinch of red pepper flakes. So incredibly easy, ridiculously addicting. Of all the delecacies on the table last Sunday, I would say this was by far the unanimous favorite.

If you're looking for something a bit different to serve your guests this summer then I would highly suggest giving this recipe a try. Not only is it tasty it's quite beautiful too, once blended it becomes a gorgeous shade of green. Essentially it's a simpler version of chimichurri sauce, which is a popular dressing for meats in Argentina. However, many chimichurri's rely on heavier spices for flavor like cumin and herbs like cilantro. This sauce is just a bit 'cleaner' in flavor and complexity. It's incredibly fresh, healthy, easy and delicious, what's not to love?

Recipe: Emerald 'Barbecue' Sauce
* Recipe adapted from Giada at Home

Ingredients:

3 cups italian (flat leaf) parsley stems removed roughly chopped
1-3 cloves of fresh garlic peeled (each clove will add more 'spice'. I used two)
2 tablespoons of merlot vinegar (any wine vinegar will do, I had merlot on hand, champagne might be really nice too)
pinch of red chilli pepper flakes
two pinches of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. In a food processor (I have a large kitchenaid, so I used the smaller bowl/blade attachment for this one, if you have the same setup I suggest using the smaller bowl as well) place first six ingredients and blend together.
2. While the mixture blends, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the processor (as you would to make a dressing) until everything has incorporated and the sauce takes on a saucy/creamy appearance.
3. Place in a small bowl and refrigerate or serve immediately at room temp.