I love cooking my way through a new cookbook for a few weeks. It's the only real way to test out a chef - I mean, as opposed to one of them inviting me over for dinner. My favorite discovery this summer has been Yvette Van Boven. She's from Ireland, born to Dutch parents, and splits her time between Amsterdam and Paris. In short, her food is a blend of those cultural influences, plus Italian. It feels fresh and interesting, and takes the best from Old World ideas about food that are fascinating to a frozen-waffle eating American.
Van Boven's Home Made cookbook series is seasonal, and Home Made Summer feels like it was written at a beach house on the Mediterranean. A tiny beach house, with an overrun garden, a leaky roof, and a hot Dutch neighbor. Her garlic and herb marinade is the best I've ever used and it's crazy versatile. Great for the grill or in the oven when it's too rainy, and ideal on any of the proteins - beef, chicken, fish, pork. The flavor is huge from not many ingredients, and I love that its zazz comes from the herbs going bonkers in my backyard.
Garlic and Herb Marinade
(for appx. 20 oz. of meat, poultry, or fish)
10 cloves garlic, chopped
15 tbsp chopped fresh herbs: I used parsley, purple basil, chives, and tarragon
(YVB uses parsley, basil, oregano, and rosemary. You do your thing.)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tsp pepper (YVB recommends white, which I never have, so used black)
5 tbsp basalmic vinegar
Toss the garlic, herbs, and salt into a food processor and blitz until you have a paste, then add the oil, vinegar, and pepper and blend until smooth. Done. Marinade your meat in this for at least an hour. Then just toss on the grill or roast/broil as you normally would. Simple, simple, simple - but kapow delicious.
Yvette's recipe calls for dividing the marinade in half, using the second portion to baste during cooking. This thing has such a big personality, I don't think the extra step is necessary. Who wants to stand over the grill in the heat and baste while your face melts? Not me. Pass the Prosecco.
Van Boven's Home Made cookbook series is seasonal, and Home Made Summer feels like it was written at a beach house on the Mediterranean. A tiny beach house, with an overrun garden, a leaky roof, and a hot Dutch neighbor. Her garlic and herb marinade is the best I've ever used and it's crazy versatile. Great for the grill or in the oven when it's too rainy, and ideal on any of the proteins - beef, chicken, fish, pork. The flavor is huge from not many ingredients, and I love that its zazz comes from the herbs going bonkers in my backyard.
Garlic and Herb Marinade
(for appx. 20 oz. of meat, poultry, or fish)
10 cloves garlic, chopped
15 tbsp chopped fresh herbs: I used parsley, purple basil, chives, and tarragon
(YVB uses parsley, basil, oregano, and rosemary. You do your thing.)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt
2 tsp pepper (YVB recommends white, which I never have, so used black)
5 tbsp basalmic vinegar
Toss the garlic, herbs, and salt into a food processor and blitz until you have a paste, then add the oil, vinegar, and pepper and blend until smooth. Done. Marinade your meat in this for at least an hour. Then just toss on the grill or roast/broil as you normally would. Simple, simple, simple - but kapow delicious.
Yvette's recipe calls for dividing the marinade in half, using the second portion to baste during cooking. This thing has such a big personality, I don't think the extra step is necessary. Who wants to stand over the grill in the heat and baste while your face melts? Not me. Pass the Prosecco.