Italian Green Sauce
How to make salsa verde
If nouc cham is the ‘must have’ table sauce of the Vietnamese and HP the choice condiment for British truckers at breakfast then I suppose salsa verde is the Italians ‘ketchup’.
I love salsa verde and I especially love making it, there is something about making this addictive sauce that is both primitively simple and yet very individual as it allows the cook to tweak ingredients according to their particular likes and dislikes.
As with any Italian dish every cook and his or her mother will have the definitive recipe but I believe salsa verde is essentially a base of ingredients which allows one or two others to get a look in as long as the end result is an harmonious blend.
There are plenty of versions, some use egg yolks, some breadcrumbs, others wine vinegar. All should include at least anchovy, parsley, garlic and olive oil. Amounts vary and should be made according to taste, I am not a fan of following recipes to the letter, cooking should be a natural process and, at the end of the day it’s your hard work so do as you like!
I have a general all purpose salsa verde which is indispensable in my kitchen. Traditionally the sauce was served with boiled meats but I use it in soups, fish dishes, on vegetables, with roast lamb, boiled beef and poached chicken or, simply smeared over warm bruschetta. Heaven.
Get that heavy pestle and mortar that you bought after reading my post on Asian dressing and smash a clove of garlic with five or six anchovy fillets. Throw in some picked fresh parsley and mint leaves followed by a teaspoon or so of rinsed salted capers. Everything should be looking green and healthy so stir in enough extra-virgin olive oil to make a thick sauce. Some add a squeeze of lemon and a spoon of dijon mustard, others don’t, if you like a citrus kick then add the lemon, if mustard isn’t your thing then don’t bother. Do as you like, I add mint because I want something fresh tasting to help the parsley counter the bite of the raw garlic and the salty tang of the anchovies and capers.
Try a spoon of it on your next pasta dish in place of the pesto, I am sure you will love it.
Miles,
Since the last post I have located an old mill stone and a boulder as my mortar and pestle … I must say the garlic clove looks a little lost in the centre but I am loathed to part with it and the troop of men required to operate it!
Cid - taking a fresh look at marketing stoneage tools for middleaged women
September 27, 2007 @ 9:46 am
Cid,
You could be on to something, a Lincolnshire Stoneware to take on Lakeland Plastics perhaps? Think a home delivery service might be called for though!
Miles
September 27, 2007 @ 9:06 pm
Miles,
I’ve got to admit something … I can’t go past any kitchenware shop whichever part of the world I’m in. Like a magnet it draws me in, lowers blood pressure and generally brings about a feeling of wellbeing. Very much like this blog really!
I took time out to read through some of Karen’s articles - inspirational stuff and well worth a visit.
Cid
September 27, 2007 @ 11:12 pm
Cid,
Know what you mean about lowering blood pressure, I write all of my posts after dinner service, it’s that or therapy!
Glad you like Karen’s work, she has relocated to the States and will divide her time between there and Asia which can only make for quality posts.
Miles
September 28, 2007 @ 8:11 am