The Best ‘Knock Their Socks Off’ Salsa Verde (AIP Reintroduction)

I won’t eat anything green. (Kurt Cobain)

This post is not for Kurt Cobain.

You know how sometimes you hit the jack-pot and find a recipe that just works? One that you keep going back to, because every time you make it, someone asks you to write the recipe down for them? THIS is one of those recipes.

The Italian Salsa Verde, a.k.a ‘green sauce’, is actually the name of several different sauces containing mainly herbs. The French call it sauce verte, the Spanish salsa verde and the German Grüne Soße or Frankfurter Grie Soß.

Whatever you choose to call it, this recipe totally rocks. And, its versatile. Serve it over grilled beef? – check. Lamb? – yep. Chicken? – definitely. Tuna – duh. Eggs? – yum. Potatoes? – how very German of you! Roasted veggies? – sublime. Almost anything, really. Well – maybe not ice cream!

The real beauty of this recipe is that you throw everything together – herbs and all. It’s not an exact science. If you don’t have quite enough basil, sub in a bit more mint…

And, one other thing. Full disclosure – this recipe has anchovies. Me, I love anchovies. But, my sister is the anti-anchovy girl. She can smell an anchovy at 60 paces. And, even she has given this salsa verde her tick of approval*.

So, what’s in it?

[recipe title=”Knock Their Socks Off Salsa Verde” time=”20 minutes” difficulty=”easy”]

Ingredients

2 cloves of garlic, peeled
a handful of capers
a handful of cornichons
6 x anchovy fillets
1 x large bunch (about a couple of big handfuls) flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
1 x medium bunch (about a decent handful) of fresh basil, leaves picked
1/2 a bunch (about a handful) of fresh mint, leaves picked
1 x tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 x tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 – 7 x tablespoons best quality extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method

First up, unless the herbs are picked fresh from your pesticide-free garden, wash the them thoroughly to get rid of any nasties. I find my salad spinner works well to dry them. Alternatively, gently dry between a couple of sheets of paper towels.

Finely chop the herbs and place them into a bowl. Chop the garlic, capers, gherkins, anchovies and add them to the herbs. Add the mustard and vinegar, stir and then a few tablespoons of olive oil and check the taste. Add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, a pinch of good salt and a little more vinegar, if needed.[/recipe]
* to be fair, I should let you know that when I made this for my sister, I used the Grace Kelly of anchovies. Ortiz anchovies. Not exactly the cheapest anchovy option.