Name: Italian salsa verde Recipe
Total time: 20 min
Yield: Makes about 1/2 cup
Cuisine: ITALIAN
Ingredients: 1 clove garlic; Salt; 2 fileted anchovies (preferably salt-packed); 1 teaspoon minced green onion; 3/4 cup chopped parsley leaves; 2 tablespoons chopped herbs (basil, tarragon, arugula, mint); 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons capers in brine; 1/2 cup olive oil

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By Russ Parsons

July 3, 2002

Italian salsa verde is — typically — a joyous anarchy of a recipe. At its most basic, it is a paste of green herbs, garlic and olive oil. But from there, the variations spin out infinitely. Parsley usually predominates but adding basil, sorrel, tarragon, arugula or mint — or any combination of those — will result in subtly different flavors. Use the suggested herbs according to your taste and the type of meat with which it will be served.

Commonly, anchovies are added. Capers are good too.

You can increase the heft of the sauce by adding some toasted bread before you make the puree. This results in a thicker, more satisfying texture.

Rather than chopping the herbs in a blender or food processor, a mortar and pestle crushes and smears the herbs, which marries the flavors better and makes the sauce creamier and better amalgamated.

From the story: Don’t Mess With My Sauce

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1 clove garlic

Salt

2 fileted anchovies (preferably salt-packed)

1 teaspoon minced green onion

¾ cup chopped parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped herbs (basil, tarragon, arugula, mint)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons capers in brine

½ cup olive oil

Place the garlic in a mortar with a pinch of salt and pound it to a paste. Add the anchovies and repeat. Add the onion, parsley, herbs, vinegar, capers and 1 tablespoon of oil and pound and grind until the paste is smooth. Stirring and grinding with the pestle, add the olive oil in 2 or 3 pours, making sure the sauce is well blended before adding more. Taste for salt and serve.

Variations:

Food processor or blender: With the machine running, drop the garlic into the feed tube and run until it is finely chopped. Add the anchovies, onion, parsley, herbs, vinegar, capers and half the oil and pulse until pureed. With the machine running, add the remainder of the oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Scrape down the sides of the work bowl as needed. Taste for salt and serve.