Gremolata v.2

A variation on classic gremolata, tweaked a little to match up with romanesco or cauliflower fried until crisp.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves (no stems), around ½ large bunch

1-2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or mint

Zest from 2 Meyer lemons

1 large clove garlic, peeled, de-germed, minced

1 heaping teaspoon shallot, minced

Salt- a small pinch

Olive oil as needed

METHOD:

Ensure you have removed the pith from the zest, and chop very finely. If you have a zester, use that and then chop.

Put the garlic on a cutting board on top of the zest. Smack the garlic with the flat of the knife, and crush well. Cover the garlic and zest with the parsley and marjoram or mint. Using your sharpest thin-bladed knife, mince the herbs very fine, turning over and regrouping the parsley and chopping, until the mélange is finely chopped, aromatic, and well mixed.

Add the shallot and a small pinch of salt, and stir into the mélange.

Add olive oil, a little at a time, until you have a rough bright green slurry.

Transfer to a small bowl or jar. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. If you use oil, let come to room temperature before using.

Chef’s Notes: * For zesting, you have several options; you can use a zester, which is an inexpensive but handy tool designed to do this, you can use a peeler, and then use a thin knife to remove any of the white pith from the inside of the skin, or you can use a fine hole Microplane© for the zesting. You could even use it for grating the garlic as it will do a fabulous job on that. Whatever you use, just try to avoid having any quantity of the very bitter pith in the dish.

Yield: Around 1/3^rd cup

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen