Magic Sauce

I got this recipe off of 101 Cookbooks, another one of my favorite food blogs. It’s technique-free; you’re just mincing herbs and marrying them with garlic and olive oil. But it’s the paprika that brings that serious dose of seduction to the pan. It’s so red and cruel. (In a good way.) What’s so magical about this sauce is how versatile it is - it can be added to anything and everything - making whatever you’re eating that much more delicious. A few weekends ago I used it as a dressing for a dish of broccoli, kidney beans, radish, avocado, and feta. A weird dressing for a weird dish, I know, but trust me, it ruled. I’ve got shrimp marinating in the magic right now…

This is the magic right here.

OK, get your herbs out.

Finely chop some rosemary; this is what fresh rosemary looks like.

Finely chop some thyme; this is what fresh thyme looks like.

Finely chop some oregano; this is what fresh oregano looks like.

Pound these herbs together with a mortar and pestle if ya got one.

Now, take 1/2 cup of extra virgin oo.

And gently warm it over medium-low heat until it’s - ouch - just hot.  

At that point, flame off! The rest just gets stirred in…

Add 2 tsp paprika.

2 cloves of garlique, smashed to a paste.

(I used 4 because I was feeling adventurous.)

1 (count one!) (count not the whole container!) bay leaf. crushed.

Plus a pinch or two of crushed red (depending on your spice palette).

+ 1/4 tsp salt.

Aaaaaand a tbsp fresh lemon.

Look how gorgeous; it’s just asking for a pinky taste.

You can essentially use this now, but I have a feeling it just gets better over time… 

My advice? Refrigerate.

Bonus points for not having much of a mess to clean up afterwards.