Italian Salsa Verde

In terms of preparation, think pesto sans the basil and cheese.  It’s very easy and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.

According to Marcella Hazan in Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, this is typically prepared as an accompaniment to bolito misto (boiled meats), but in the few years that I’ve been acquainted with this versatile sauce, I have also enjoyed it with steak, fish (as seen in my previous post), roast potatoes and best of all, as a salad dressing (in this case, I “loosen” the sauce by adding more lemon juice and olive oil).

I’ll post the recipe as published in the book, but I think it’s very flexible.  Allow your personal taste to dictate the proportions in the short ingredient list as I have learned to do.  I will advise, however, that you double the recipe because it keeps very well in the fridge.

Salsa Verde

• 2/3 cup parsley leaves
• 2 1/2 Tbsp capers
• Optional:  6 flat anchovy fillets (Not optional in my book)
• 1/2 tsp garlic chopped very fine (I use more and just dump in whole cloves)
• 1/2 tsp strong mustard
• 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar for meat or 1 Tbsp lemon juice for fish (Always lemon for me)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste

Just throw all the ingredients in the food processor and blitz.   I usually add the olive oil a little at a time–it’s what works for me.

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