Carrot Wasabi?!

Technically, carrot wasabi can't exist. That's so because wasabi is a special variety of horseradish that only grows by some mountain streams in Japan. On the other hand, if you know wasabi as the blazing spicy green horseradish side dressing that you get at your favorite Japanese sushi place, then it's only a small stretch of the culinary imagination to envision a carrot-horseradish preparation that will do nicely as a wasabi stand-in, albeit orange. This recipe is very simply made and will clear your sinuses as you make it, if your horseradish is adequately potent. The recipe is simplicity itself, one I came up with to enhance the originality of my dishes in the Iron Chef Oakton: Battle Carrot competition and I think it was a success.  Since the horseradish, garlic and mustard "bring the punch to the party", there is no reason a similar dish couldn't be prepared using winter squash, beets or any other pulpy vegetable instead of carrots. Let me know how you like it!

Ingredients

  2 Large steamed carrots
  3 Tbs dry mustard
  2 cloves garlic, minced
  2 Tbs prepared white horseradish, drained
  2 teaspoons salt                                                                   

Combine all ingredients in food processor or with a stick blender. Process mixture until smooth, about 2 minutes. For a superior presentation, put a heaping spoonful on a thick carrot round that has part of the heart removed, then place one on the side of each dinner plate. Goes particularly well with stir-fry, savory pastries, and spring rolls and provides a serious sinus tingle with any dish. A little dab'll do ya.

Tasty and versatile chimichurri

Basic Chimichurri 

Chimichurri is a South American traditional marinade and/or dipping sauce typically used to baste grilled meats but fantastic as well when used as a baste for roasted vegetables or a dip for tortilla chips. The name appears to be an indiginent's mispronunciation of a British person's name, possibly Jimmy McCurry, Jimmy Curry, or James C. Hurray, or of an English speaker in Patagonia overheard to say "give me the curry". I like the Jimmy McCurry version; he was a cook marching in one of the many armies involved with establishing Argentinian Independence.  He made a sauce like this for all grilled meats he prepared. It now turns up everywhere, from roadside barbecue stalls to pricey steak palaces, as far north as Nicaragua, as far south as Chile, and in just about every Spanish-speaking country in between. No two chimichurri recipes are exactly alike, although a basic recipe contains just four ingredients: parsley, garlic, olive oil, and salt. You may find a similar preparation containing cilantro mistakenly labeled chimichurri, but that is actually a similar sauce from Chile called pebre.   This recipe is modified from one from Marono Fraga, owner of the Estancia del Puerto in Montevideo’s colorful Mercado del Puerto (Port Market).  I used it to coat our Easter 2008 boneless leg of lamb and it came out fantastic!

Ingredients (Makes about 2 cups)

   1 bunch fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, stemmed
   Peeled cloves from 1 head garlic or more (8 to 10 cloves in all)
   1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
   1 small onion, minced
   1 cup extra virgin olive oil
   1/3 cup vinegar (wine, distilled or balsamic) or more to taste
   1/4 cup water
   1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
   1 teaspoon oregano, dried
   1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, hot, or more to taste
   1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

1. Combine the parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse to chop as fine as possible.

2. Add the carrot, onion, oil, vinegar, water,  salt, oregano, hot pepper flakes, and  black pepper. Process to mix. Taste for seasoning, adding vinegar, salt, or pepper flakes as necessary; the sauce should be highly seasoned.

This chimichurri will keep for several days in the refrigerator (you may need to re-season it just before serving), but it tastes best served within a few hours of preparation.  For longer storage, freeze it in an ice-cube tray but be prepared to blend it again after is thaws out.

Chimichurri Variations: Some cooks leave onion out of their chimichurris, while others add 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper or fresh hot chilies. I have no aversion to including all three!