This sauce walks a fine line between charred and simply burnt. The flavor hits something primal-earthy, funky, yet sweet. Some people are taken aback or put off by the first taste, but feel compelled to try it again, and then they slather on whatever they are eating. The sauce seems to bring flavors out of whatever it is with-steak tastes more beefy, yet gains sweetness. Salmon tastes more of the sea. Used with roasted winter squash and you get more nutty and sweet characteristics, and a gorgeous plate. It keeps well and is great to have on hand for adding to sandwiches, eggs, or dipping carrots into.
INGREDIENTS:
1 large bunch scallions, rootlets and thin tips trimmed 3 large cloves garlic, in their skin 3 tablespoons white balsamic or white wine vinegar Salt and pepper Olive oil as neededMETHOD:
Use a towel or paper towel to slip the outside layer of the onions off if they seem slippery or slimy to the touch.
Heat the grill until quite hot. Put a dab of oil on your hands and gently rub the white parts of the onions-just enough to lightly film them.
Put the garlic cloves on a cooler section of the grill. Put the onions on, spreading them out a little, so the whites are over the hottest part of the grill and the greens are out of that area. Char the onions all over, allowing the greens to blacken, but try to keep them from turning ashen and gray. If need be, hang them off the edge of the grill. Allow the whites to char, turning black, but still retaining some juiciness inside. If they are cooking quickly, bunch them up so they steam a little. This will slow the charring and allow the onions to cook through rather than just burn. Don’t forget about the garlic! Be sure to turn them at least once. Cook the cloves of garlic so the skins blister and the flesh inside the jacket feels soft, but not so much that is dries out.
Remove the garlic when done, then the onions. Peel the garlic and drop bottom of a strong blender. Cut the scallions down to 2 inch lengths and add to the blender. Pack the ingredients down. Season with salt and a fair amount of pepper. Add the vinegar, put the lid on, and start the blender on low. Raise the speed a click at a time until the ingredients are spinning freely. If they are not wanting to move, add a tablespoon of water or two just to get things moving. Once everything is spinning, let it go on high for 1-2 minutes, then start to drizzle in the oil through the top. Add enough oil so the sauce resembles a thin mayonnaise. This will probably be around 1 cup of oil. It is up to you, you can use less and have more of a paste, or use more oil and have a thinner sauce. Remember, you can always thin it out with oil or water later.
Taste for balance and seasoning, and adjust if needed. Transfer to a jar and film the top of the sauce with oil and keep cold until needed. Will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator.
Chef’s Notes:
Each batch will be a little different regarding how much oil or vinegar you need due to the varying sizes of the scallions and each bunch. Once you have done this, it is easy to figure out what you need. You can vary the flavors a bit by adding different herbs if you wish, but this is a very basic sauce that really does define the expression “Less is more”.
Yield: 1 to 1½ cups
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
