[0 - 2] - Today, we're gonna talk about the wide, wonderful world
[4 - 5] that family of vibrant,
[5 - 7] incredibly versatile, herby condiments
[7 - 9] that exist in cuisines across the globe.
[9 - 10] But because this is me,
[10 - 12] we're actually gonna talk a lot about math and science.
[12 - 16] (bright upbeat music)
[18 - 19] Okay, so don't get scared.
[19 - 20] It's not really that mathy,
[20 - 23] and it's definitely gonna be very herby and delicious,
[23 - 25] but I wanna talk about ratios:
[25 - 26] the hidden framework behind so much
[27 - 28] of what we cook and drink.
[28 - 30] Yeah, we're gonna start with a cocktail.
[30 - 32] This includes classics like margaritas,
[32 - 34] daiquiris, and whiskey sours,
[34 - 36] all of which share a common formula.
[36 - 37] That would be two parts base spirit
[37 - 40] to one part sour component to one part sweet component:
[40 - 42] a two to one to one ratio.
[42 - 45] A margarita has tequila, lime, and orange liqueur.
[45 - 48] Daiquiris mix rum, lime, and sugar.
[48 - 50] And a whiskey sour combines whiskey, lemon, and sugar.
[50 - 53] Now, you can build on these with additional flavors,
[53 - 55] but the base foundation is the same.
[55 - 57] The beauty of knowing this ratio is that once you have it,
[57 - 59] you can make great tasting drinks
[59 - 60] without ever looking at a recipe.
[60 - 62] Ratios are everywhere in the kitchen.
[62 - 63] There's pie pastry.
[63 - 65] That's typically a three to two to one ratio
[65 - 67] of flour, fat, and water.
[67 - 69] Pound cake, a one to one to one mix
[69 - 71] of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour.
[71 - 73] The so-called 1, 2, 3 cookie dough is one part fat,
[73 - 75] two part sugar, and three parts flour.
[75 - 78] And a classic vinegarette is a three to one ratio
[78 - 79] of oil to vinegar.
[79 - 80] And then there are green sauces,
[80 - 83] like Argentine chimichurri, Peru's aji verde,
[83 - 85] and Yemeni zhug.
[85 - 86] They all taste wildly different,
[86 - 90] but the truth is each relies on the green sauce magic ratio
[90 - 91] of four to one.
[91 - 93] That would be four parts herby base
[93 - 94] and one part fat by volume.
[94 - 96] If I wanted to make a cup of sauce,
[96 - 97] that works out to two cups of herbs
[97 - 99] and a half a cup of fat,
[99 - 100] plus salt to taste.
[100 - 101] Let's see the magic ratio in action
[101 - 103] in some classic green sauces.
[103 - 106] This chimichurri has two cups worth of parsley and cilantro,
[106 - 109] half a cup of olive oil, and one teaspoon of salt.
[109 - 110] I love this sauce.
[110 - 112] And the zhug, which is an awesome finish
[112 - 113] for egg dishes like shakshuka,
[113 - 116] takes two cups of cilantro, half a cup of olive oil,
[116 - 117] and a half teaspoon of salt.
[117 - 119] Just like our cocktails,
[119 - 121] each one also contains other seasonings to make it distinct.
[121 - 124] We have dried oregano, garlic, and red wine vinegar
[124 - 125] in the chimichurri;
[125 - 127] and hot chilies, garlic, coriander,
[127 - 128] and cumin for the zhug.
[128 - 130] But fundamentally, they're the same formula.
[130 - 132] Now all these recipes are available in the link below
[132 - 134] or in the ATK app.
[134 - 136] Obviously, a big part of a green sauces appeal
[136 - 139] is that it's super easy to make and incredibly versatile.
[139 - 140] But what I find so cool about them
[140 - 142] is that they all deliver on that great balance
[142 - 144] of freshness, richness, and verve.
[144 - 146] Let's take a closer look at the sauce components
[146 - 148] and break down what each is bringing to the mix.
[148 - 150] First, the herbs.
[150 - 152] Now each variety carries its own characteristic scent,
[152 - 156] but all herbs have green leaf-smelling, volatile aldehydes,
[156 - 158] such as hexenol and hexanol.
[158 - 159] Yeah, those are different things,
[159 - 161] which provide sort of a baseline herbiness and freshness.
[161 - 164] There are two general classifications of herbs:
[164 - 167] delicate, leafy ones like parsley, cilantro, and basil;
[167 - 170] and hardy ones like rosemary, thyme, and oregano.
[170 - 171] When I say delicate and hardy,
[171 - 173] I'm talking not only about whether their leaves
[173 - 175] and stems are tender versus sturdy,
[175 - 176] but also about the strength
[176 - 179] or volatility of their flavor compounds.
[179 - 181] In general, volatile flavor compounds in delicate herbs
[181 - 184] are somewhat less heat stable than those in hardy herbs.
[184 - 187] Green sauces are typically made with delicate herbs
[187 - 190] and they're uncooked to preserve those volatile flavors.
[190 - 193] Okay, I wanna do a quick little sidebar on herb prep.
[193 - 195] Now, fresh herbs are obviously incredible,
[195 - 196] but there's one thing
[196 - 198] that can ruin the experience of eating them,
[198 - 200] and that is sandiness and grit.
[200 - 202] Some herbs are super clean when you buy them at the store,
[202 - 204] but others come home pretty dirty.
[204 - 206] There's one key step to washing herbs
[206 - 208] that I wanna make sure everyone knows.
[208 - 209] Check it out.
[209 - 210] After swishing your herbs in water,
[210 - 212] the dense sand and grit will fall to the bottom.
[212 - 214] Whether you do this in a large bowl
[214 - 215] or a salad spinner,
[215 - 218] the key move is to lift the herbs out of the water
[218 - 219] rather than pour the water out.
[219 - 221] Lifting means you leave the grit behind.
[221 - 224] Pouring just introduces the grit right back to the herbs.
[224 - 225] It's simple. You may already know it.
[225 - 227] If not, this one's for you.
[227 - 228] Okay, let's talk fats.
[228 - 231] Fats are basically the pleasure center of a sauce,
[231 - 233] adding richness and flavors of their own.
[233 - 234] They also help to dissolve
[234 - 236] and carry the flavors of the herbs,
[236 - 239] making the whole ensemble taste fuller and more impactful.
[239 - 241] Fats can be oils like olive oil,
[241 - 243] but can also be creamy things like mayo.
[243 - 245] As in any application, salt is critical.
[245 - 246] It makes other flavors pop
[246 - 248] and enhances umami and sweetness
[248 - 249] while suppressing bitterness.
[249 - 251] And then there are a whole slew of seasonings
[251 - 253] that add big picture character
[253 - 254] and make each sauce taste distinct.
[254 - 256] For example, acids like citrus juice
[256 - 259] or vinegar are great for adding brightness and tang.
[259 - 261] Then there are bold, aromatic vegetables
[261 - 263] like garlic, ginger, and chilies.
[263 - 264] And what's so cool about these
[264 - 266] is that they don't just light up your palate,
[266 - 268] they actually make you feel your food
[268 - 271] in a totally unique and well kind of painful way.
[271 - 272] The taste experience I'm talking about
[272 - 273] is called chemesthesis:
[273 - 276] the chemical stimulation of tactile nerves.
[276 - 277] Here's what I'm talking about.
[277 - 279] The burn you feel when you're eating spicy chilies
[279 - 281] or raw garlic or ginger
[281 - 283] is due to the chemicals in these foods
[283 - 287] triggering a special receptor on your tongue called TRPV1.
[287 - 290] Now, the primary TRPV1-triggering chemical compound
[290 - 292] in chilies is called capsaicin.
[292 - 294] Relatively mild chilies like poblanos
[294 - 297] contain much less capsaicin than fireballs like habaneros.
[297 - 298] In raw garlic,
[298 - 301] it's the compound called allicin that stings like mad.
[301 - 304] And in fresh ginger, that warm, fuzzy feeling is gingerol.
[304 - 307] Okay, so the point here is that there are so many ways
[307 - 308] to build on our magic ratio.
[308 - 310] Let's play the swap game.
[310 - 312] First up, I've got parsley, olive oil,
[312 - 313] lemon juice, and salt.
[313 - 316] Buzz that up, and you've got this lovely bright green,
[316 - 318] super fresh-tasting sauce.
[318 - 320] Now, swap the parsley for cilantro
[320 - 322] and the lemon juice for lime juice,
[322 - 324] and I'm gonna throw in a little jalapeno for kick.
[324 - 326] Yum! That is so good too.
[326 - 329] Now, let's swap the cilantro for basil and sorrel,
[329 - 330] the olive oil for mayo,
[330 - 332] and lime juice for lemon juice.
[332 - 333] Let's toss a little garlic in there too.
[333 - 335] This would be amazing on a BLT.
[335 - 336] Okay, one more.
[336 - 338] Let's swap back to parsley and add in a shallot,
[338 - 340] trade the mayo back for olive oil,
[340 - 342] and the lemon juice for sherry vinegar.
[342 - 344] Maybe I'll even add a dash of smoked paprika.
[344 - 346] This is a winner.
[346 - 347] Boom, boom, boom, boom!
[347 - 349] These combos are endless
[349 - 351] and you can riff based on the flavors you like
[351 - 353] or whatever's kicking around in the produce drawer.
[353 - 354] Now I want to talk a little bit
[354 - 356] about the role that green sauces play in cooking
[356 - 358] and how you can think about using them.
[358 - 360] In a lot of cuisines, foods are thoroughly cooked
[360 - 362] to concentrate their flavors and develop depth.
[362 - 364] Think of the rich sear on a steak,
[364 - 367] the intense savoriness of a long-cooked tomato sauce,
[367 - 368] or the sweetness and complexity you get
[368 - 370] when you slowly cook aromatics
[370 - 371] for the base of a soup or stew.
[371 - 373] Those flavors are fantastic,
[373 - 375] but we appreciate them even more
[375 - 376] when there's something to offset that depth.
[376 - 378] That's where green sauces come in.
[378 - 380] They swoop in with this bright blast of flavor
[380 - 382] that just wakes up the whole dish.
[382 - 384] Let's try it with the classic Argentine combo
[384 - 386] of steak and chimichurri.
[386 - 388] The steak is deeply browned. It's super meaty.
[388 - 389] And it's balanced perfectly
[389 - 392] by the vibrant tangy flavors of the chimichurri.
[392 - 393] Wow, this is so good.
[393 - 395] Okay, you have to try this one.
[395 - 397] Another classic pairing I mentioned earlier
[397 - 399] is shakshuka with zhug.
[399 - 402] Shakshuka is full of sweet, smoky flavors from tomatoes,
[402 - 404] roasted peppers, and earthy spices,
[404 - 405] and of course, loads of richness
[405 - 407] from the runny poached egg and feta.
[407 - 409] A dollop of fiery aromatic zhug
[409 - 411] is exactly the contrast you want here.
[411 - 412] Okay, okay. One more.
[412 - 414] I gotta do one more.
[414 - 415] And I think this might be one
[415 - 416] of the most impressive examples
[416 - 418] of what a green sauce can do in everyday cooking.
[418 - 420] Here, I've got soupe au pistou,
[420 - 423] which is a humble vegetable soup that hails from Provence.
[423 - 425] This version is made with a simple aromatic broth,
[425 - 427] some fresh veggies,
[427 - 428] and white beans and pasta.
[428 - 429] It's lovely and clean tasting,
[429 - 432] but on its own, it tastes a little bit lean and sleepy.
[432 - 435] Now I'm gonna stir in the pistou, and boom!
[435 - 437] The whole thing just springs to life.
[437 - 438] It adds bright green color.
[438 - 439] The basil is so aromatic,
[439 - 440] and the olive oil, cheese,
[440 - 443] and anchovies add tons of richness.
[443 - 445] The sauce is truly the heart of the dish, hence the name.
[445 - 447] You can find all these recipes
[447 - 449] in the America's Test Kitchen app or at the links below.
[449 - 452] So if you ask me, and I'm a little bit biased,
[452 - 456] this is without a doubt how to eat green sauces.
[456 - 459] (bright upbeat music)