Herbs, garlic, EVOO - what's not to love?

I've been on a huge kick lately making different salsa's, pesto's and chimichurri type sauces and pairing them with grilled steak, fish, pork, pasta and chicken.

These sauces add so much flavor and are so easy to make in the food processor. They take minimal ingredients, and are pretty much risk free - which I really love. You really can't go wrong with fresh herbs, garlic and good olive oil, right?

So I found this recipe in a new brochure promoting the fall wine releases from Duckhorn Vineyards in St. Helena - and I can't wait to try it. Have you ever had their wine? OMG it is good. Smooth, rich, delish. It's kind of on the expensive side. I've been lucky enough to taste quite a few of these wines at BevMo! events. The merlot they pair with this recipe is $85. Gulp.

So here's the recipe.

Ribeye with Salsa Verde  

Salsa Verde
3 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of Italian Parsley, stems removed
Zest of 1 lemon
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 t. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 t. kosher salt

In a food processor combine garlic and parsley. Pulse to a thick paste. Add the capers, lemon zest, red wine vinegar and 1/4 t. of kosher salt. Continue combining ingredients and slowly drizzle in 2/3 cup of good, extra virgin olive oil.

Serve with a Ribeye, steak of your choice, or fish
The actual recipe cooks the steak on a pan on the stove. I think it's much better on the grill. We used filet mignon instead of Ribeye. The sauce would also taste really good on fish, like Halibut - which we made the second night!  Season the meat with salt and pepper. Grill. Place a pat of butter on top, cover with foil. Let rest 5 minutes.

Wine
Serve with a nice Merlot.  Like the Duckhorn Vineyards Three Palms vineyard Napa Valley Merlot. Or another Merlot of your choice. I'm also a huge fan of Twomey Merlot (which is related to Silver Oak) or Cakebread Merlot.

We drank a really delicious Merlot from Chateau St. Jean and some Cab from Pine Ridge. These are two of our favorite wineries in Napa and Sonoma. Ch. St. Jean has the best patio and overlooks the most beautiful lawn and Pine Ridge is just plain yummy. Plus they were in the cellar, aka, hall closet.

Little tidbit.....I checked the Duckhorn website and learned that they served this dish in the White House in 2008. How cool is that?

*photo from Duckhorn website