The Gremolata

Thanks to Michael Ruhlman, I have discovered the magic of gremolata. What's that? It's basically a chimichurri without oil or vinegar. What's a chimichurri ? It's like pesto without pine nuts or parmesan.

In other words, a gremolata is an herb (typically parsley), lemon zest and raw garlic (in a 3:2:1 ratio), all finely chopped, then mixed. You can put it on hearty beef/veal/lamb dishes - Ruhlman used it with braised short ribs, I put it on a grilled sirloin last night. It works on fish, too. It's strong stuff - raw garlic and lemon zest have a lot to say - so you need something rich and flavorful to put it on. But it's tasty. And dead-simple to make.

All hail the gremolata !