Not Your Traditional Salsa Verde

I say this not your traditional Italian salsa verde because I didn't use a bit of parsley. Why you ask? Because I didn't have any. But I did have cilantro, mint and a bit of dill. So why not make salsa verde? But if you wanted to make a more traditional version, just use all parsley.

One of my pet peeves is having to buy fresh herbs in the winter time when I need them for a specific recipe. It's not even so much the cost (although, that does piss me off a bit) as it is that I always end up throwing away a lot of it because it doesn't always end up being used. How many recipes can I make with dill in a week? Or basil? Or cilantro? You get the picture.

I have to say this week, it all worked out and I didn't waste anything because I decided to make this salsa verde for the roasted chicken that we had for lunch on Sunday.

Salsa verde is essentially a green sauce that uses parsley as the main ingredient along with capers, garlic, anchovies and mustard. It is traditionally served with bollito mist. (boiled meat). You can use it for steamed or boiled vegetables, potatoes, roasted or grilled meats or boiled eggs. You can even marinate with it. Anything, really.

I used a mortar and pestle to mash the garlic, anchovies and capers and then added the herbs that I chopped by hand. But you can definitely blend everything in a food processor and then stir in the herbs, mustard and olive oil.

Salsa Verde

1-2 cloves of garlic
2 anchiove filets
1 tablespoon capers
1 cup (packed) combination of fresh herbs, i.e., cilantro, mint, dill, parsley
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Finely chop the herbs. Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, mash or blend the garlic, anchovies and capers. Stir in the herbs, mustard, vinegar and olive oil until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made ahead of time. If longer than a could of hours, chill and bring to room temperature before serving.

m xo