ITALIAN SALSA VERDE

Since the Middle Ages, this Italian “green sauce” has been a favorite condiment for meats, fish, poultry, soups, and charcuterie offerings, along with chunky pieces of freshly baked bread. In other words, you can use it on anything-and we certainly do!

There is something special that happens when more unctuous foods like roasted or grilled meats are finished with a touch of something fresh and a little acidic. The contrast adds another dimension while simultaneously highlighting each flavor profile of a dish. Clay knows all to well that if I don’t have this salsa verde on-hand, I will be using a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or a sprinkle of vinegar as a finishing touch to my entree to add that acid component I require.

Please feel free to use this recipe as an inspiration for your own variations, taking license to substitute. The main combination here is parsley, garlic, vinegar, mustard, and olive oil. If that’s all you have, use that. If you don’t have mint, basil, or the pickles, leave them out or swap them for other herbs like cilantro, dill, or a pinch of tarragon, and a bit of sweet relish for the gherkins. A great way to extend the life of any combination of herbs is to create a new use for them in this salsa.

Italian Salsa Verde

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Condiment

Cuisine French, Italian, Mediterranean

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 Garlic Clove pressed through a garlic press or shaved through a micro plane
• 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 3 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil Extra Virgin, Cold Pressed. This should be a good quality oil.
• 2 Tbsp Capers
• 5 Gherkin, small sweet pickles
• 2 Large Handfuls of Fresh Flat-Leaf/ Italian Parsley about 2 cups
• 1 Bunch of Basil Leaves Just Leaves, taken off stalk
• 1 Handful of Fresh Mint Leaves Just Leaves, taken off stalk
• Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper To Taste

Instructions

 

• In a medium-large bowl, combine the Pressed Garlic, Dijon Mustard, Red Wine Vinegar, and Olive Oil.
• Finely chop the Capers and Gherkin pickles and add to the mixture
• Finely Chop Parsley, Basil Leaves, and Mint Leaves, and add to the mixture. Stir everything together so that it becomes a sauce-like consistency. You may need to add a little more oil.

  Add Salt and Pepper, and any additional vinegar, according to your taste preference. *If you like things a bit more tangy, you might want to add more vinegar or mustard.

Notes

1. This is a very versatile recipe for any herb combination.

• This recipe uses typical summer herbs, but we’ve also used numerous other combinations. 
• We always use a base of Fresh Parsley or Cilantro, and then add combinations of the following:  Dill, Tarragon, Chervil, Oregano, Basil, Mint, etc.
• Even the recipe above can be flexible. If you don’t have one of the herbs on hand, just don’t include it, or add more of something else. If you delete an herb, just add 1/2 of the vinegar until it’s all mixed, and adjust to your preference. It’s very flexible.

2. Another great use for this recipe is more frugal in nature. We use it to save any combination of herbs we might not be using before their expiration. The combination of oil, vinegar, and herbs adds another 1-2 weeks to your herbs. It also gives you an additional condiment that compliments almost anything!  

3. FISH, MEATS, & POULTRY: We use this on any fish, spooning it over as it just comes off the grill or out of the oven. It’s excellent on chicken, pork, steak, and hamburgers. 

4. VEGGIES: This is great spooned over just-cooked asparagus, green beans, zucchini, squash, eggplant, etc. It also makes a good base for a salad dressing-just add more oil to get it to a vinaigrette consistency. 

5. BREAD, CRACKERS, CHEESE: we can eat this stuff by the spoonfuls! We spread it on  baguette slices or crackers as an appetizer, often adding a slice of Manchego, Pecorino, a dollop of Goat Cheese, or another favorite cheese to make the ultimate bite! 

Keyword condiments, salsa, Sauce

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