Tess Lotta | Tess. Lotta Photography

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Kitchen Witch: Michelle Pauline’s Chimichurri Bitches!

Michelle’s veggie campfire tacos graced lovingly with Chimichurri Bitches!

Michelle Pauline’s Chimichurri Bitches!

Prep time: 30 minutes

Welcome to Kitchen Witch’s Food Alchemist, my new guest chef feature. For this inaugural post, I’m psyched to share Chimichurri Bitches! sauce.

Guest chef Michelle Pauline is the star behind this particular creation. A visual artist, sculptor, and art instructor, Michelle is also a top-notch culinarian. Her take on classic Argentinian chimichurri verde, Michelle’s recipe offers a variation that includes cilantro.

A mistress of grilling & cooking on an open campfire (or any dang fire she can tame with a metal grate, her fire resistant gloves, and a foil baking pan), Michelle debuted her Chimichurri Bitches! at our annual artist-girls camping trip this past June. And, my Goddesses, were we treated to the deliciousness of her foodie mastery. Super happy campers, indeed!

Chimichurri Bitches!

A spectacular condiment on anything (seriously, our morning scrambled eggs leapt at the chance to be so bathed), Chimichurri Bitches! was, simply put, the crowning statement of Michelle’s campfire tacos, a dinner offering that paired well with the incredible sunset descending on our campsite. As one of three vegetarians in our troop, I about wept after the first bite of toasted corn tortilla crammed full with a combo of perfectly roasted sweet potatoes, red and yellow bells, jalapeños, and tart tomatillos slathered in Chimichurri Bitches! perfection.

Yay! Campfire peppers a’ roasting!

While the parsley version is a superb homage to traditional chimichurri, I am a devotee of cilantro. This tangy goodness is perfectly tailored to leave a luscious bite of jalapeño and red pepper flake on the tongue, while the bold earthiness of the cilantro and parsley with the oregano enhances main dish players, such as caramelized roasted veggies and, per tradition, grilled meats (from the raves of the carnivorous campers, the chicken tacos were bomb diddy). It is the best chimichurri I’ve spooned over anything!

Nice grill marks! Michelle, Cheryl, and Avonel scooped coals from the campfire into a BBQ at the cabin to grill the chicken breasts…just a little S&P for seasoning.

Like its creator, this sauce is unpretentious, big-hearted, adventurous, unique, and just a bit mischievous. Cheers to Chimichurri Bitches!, campfires, sunsets, and super rad girlfriends. Thanks, Michelle, for the recipe that follows!

Chef Michelle prepping a plate o’ tacos for me!

Ingredients:

1 bunch flat leaf parsley (see option variation below)

8 cloves garlic

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Juice from a 1/4 lemon

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 roasted jalapeño

1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (this can be done to taste, but it needs at least a little bit)

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Option:

Add 1/2 bunch cilantro instead of parsley

Make:

Roast jalapeño by pre-heating a frying pan or seasoned cast iron skillet over high heat. Add jalapeño pepper, turning pepper to sear each side. You want them charred but not burnt, as they will get bitter. Continue until the entire skin of the pepper skin becomes blackened. The flesh should feel soft to the touch (be careful when you test—hot stuff!). Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them sweat a bit to cool and then peel and remove the stem (see note on the seeds below).

Peel garlic cloves and roughly chop using a food processor (or blender).

Add the fresh herb of choice (parsely or cilantro) to the processor and pulse to roughly chop.

Toss the rest of the ingredients into the processor and blend up, but not too much. You don’t want to make the herbs bitter with too much processing.

Transfer to a jar and let this baby marinate in its own juices for a day. This shit is good on anything! Even cardboard.

Note on jalapeño seeds & heat–they are hot: if you don’t want as much heat in your sauce, once the pepper has cooled, remove the seeds…..tee hee, I said, “heat in your sauce”!

Sorry not sorry :)…I just had to post the sunset!

The Crew! I love how the fog rolling in made us look like a doom metal band. I’m on the far right, looking like a thug in my Crocs – lol!

#RadWomenUnite: Courtney Cook

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Courtney as Debbie Harry

For the second installment of the Rebel Beauty Project, I am excited to share my photography collaborations with the talented actress, singer, and writer Courtney Cook. I met Courtney through a friend, and, instantly, I wanted to shoot her.

Cook’s charm is part sharp intelligence, a dash of girlish toughness, easy humor, and a good amount of earned confidence, qualities that speak to her life experience. After our first headshot shoot, I knew Cook was the perfect model for Debbie Harry, one of the women I pay tribute to in my female icons series.

A lifelong singer, Cook has lived and performed in New York and Los Angeles, but set aside singing to focus on acting, a move that netted her roles on shows that include “Parks & Recreation,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”

Pulled by the need to sing again, Cook recently performed her first solo show in LA. As a writer, Cook has not only written an award-winning romantic comedy, but also writes a food blog.

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Pursuing a creative passion in the entertainment industry is not for the weak-kneed. What draws you to singing and acting? Does it drill down to simply a career choice, or does the drive come from somewhere deeper?

The drive most definitely comes from somewhere deeper! I’ve tried doing other things, and I always come back to singing and acting. I think it’s programmed in my DNA! Performing feeds my soul, and it’s something I have to do no matter what.

With acting, how do you deal with the vulnerability of putting a piece of yourself into a character? Is there a cathartic moment that somehow makes it worth it?

There’s always part of me in the characters I play. I think playing a role gives you permission to be vulnerable; whereas, sometimes in life, we don’t always feel we have permission, and it doesn’t feel safe. It’s fun to let go in a role because it also feels like you’re working through something for yourself.

Shifting artistic focus can bring up a ton of things—fear, liberation, joy. Tell me about your recent choice to shift a chunk of your focus and energy into singing. What tough and/or good pieces have come up for you and how do you feel those are motivating you?

I quit singing for almost 10 years, and fear was one of the reasons. I was a perfectionist, always singing to get something: an agent, a job, a role, etc. I was fearful that I wouldn’t be perfect and get what I wanted from it. It got to where it wasn’t fun for me anymore.

When I started singing again last year, it filled me with such joy! I’m now singing for me and not for an end result, and it’s completely changed things for me! Perfectionism still rears its ugly head sometimes, but I’m trying to not let it take control. I force myself to sing in situations that take me outside of my comfort zone and it’s exhilarating! Usually. Ha!

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Click here for my artist statement on The Rebel Beauty Project. Like the Tess. Lotta Photography Facebook page for a heads up on the next Rebel Beauty post, as well as my photo projects. Thanks for supporting indie artists!

Dial In:

Courtney Cook:

Find her food blog at www.happybellywholeheart.com

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2422874/?ref_=nv_sr_1

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLZCjugQtH85MuimUFzqbWA

New Beginnings

Welcome the first blog post on my new website. I’ve managed a few blogs and websites over the years, and I am excited to bring together in one place my devotions to a lifelong rebellious art practice, esoteric mysticism, and the fearless pursuit of a self-defined beauty aesthetic. I look forward to sharing my art and journey!