Gremolata is an Italian chopped herb condiment classically made of lemon zest, garlic and parsley. The most common use of gremolata is to sprinkle it over braised meats (especially the traditional Milanese braised veal shank Osso Buco) but don’t limit yourself to just that! You can sprinkle it over roasted veggies, pasta dishes, lamb, grilled fish, meatballs or even as a marinade or salad dressing. Part condiment and part garnish, Italian gremolata is used for a final flourish of flavour to add a fresh note to the rich dish.

You hardly need a recipe for gremolata but nonetheless we decided to give you some directions to start with. You can always experiment and add or replace some of the ingredients, for example swap the lemon zest with lime or orange zest, use a shallot instead of garlic, add chopped mint leaves (or use other herbs), toasted pine nuts or grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese.

Ingredients for 4 Gremolata portions:

• 20 g Parmesan cheese
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• ½ sprig of parsley
• ¼ sprig of thyme
• Optional: 2 tbsp. olive oil

Preparation:

1. Wash the lemon and grate the zest.
2. Grate the Parmesan.
3. Chop the garlic cloves.
4. Finely chop the herbs.
5. Mix everything together in a bowl.

Tip: Two more ideas to serve gremolata

а) After you have cooked the meat, you can serve it with a little bowl of gremolata.

б) Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to the condiment. 2-3 minutes before the dinner is ready, take the meat out of the oven, brush with gremolata and finish cooking.

Bon appetit!