Green Sauce as a Way of Life, Part 2

Salsa Verde, Chimichurri, Mojo Verde, Green Tahini

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x Thank you always, Jess

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Chimichurri with grilled flank steak, part of our neighborhood Memorial Day feast!

I have been chasing my tail a bit the past couple of weeks- cooking more than I have for quite some time but unable to sit down and write about any of it. So here we go, I am hoping to get a couple of newsletters out this week to clear the backlog of notes in my brain!

First up this week, the next installation of ‘green sauce as a way of life’, something I feel very passionate about, especially when the weather is warm, the grill in on and you can just grab a handful of herbs from the garden (or market) and chop them up to make something magical. I love Salsa Verde because it doesn’t really matter too much what goes into it, it changes every time I make it depending on what I have on hand, and you can eat it with almost anything: a good piece of steak, grilled chicken or fish, a ball of fresh mozzarella, grilled veg such as fennel or zucchini, a plain boiled potato or a piece of toast!

Chimichurri I love with steak and because oregano seems to be the only herb in my garden to actually flourish so I have a very abundant source for this particular sauce. Both salsa verde and chimmichurri I make without a food processor so I tend to make them pretty frequently because, well, less fuss. When I chop by herbs I prefer to run though them only once with my knife, as finely as I can, rather than chopping back and forth all over them, which just bruises the life out of them and, in my opinion, leaves them feeling limp and lifeless.

The mojo verde recipe I am including is from Stephanie Alexander from her food bible The Cook’s Companion. There is so much great stuff in this enormous volume that sometimes little things can easily be overlooked. I think this sauce is worth highlighting- every time I make it I think I should make it all the time because it is so simple but different and delicious. When we first opened Ochre Bakery we served it on a sandwich with pork meatballs and aioli. You could do the same at home but it’s quite an ordeal to prep everything for one sandwich. At home I keep it simple and use it as I would salsa verde- it goes with everything in the same way- chicken, fish, grilled meat, grilled vegetables, topping soft cheese or toast.

Lastly, green tahini is one of my favourite hearty green sauces. It is more a thick sauce that can double as a dip- I like to spread it on the plate and pile things on top. It is so good with vegetables- think roasted carrots or beets, squash or sweet potato- as well as grilled firm whitefish or chicken. I would be an excellent accompaniment for the carrot and quinoa fritters or a base spread for a vegan sandwich.

All these recipes are in approximate amounts- feel free to change anything and as always TASTE taste taste to get it right.

I should note, and I can’t believe that I haven’t before, but I always use flat leaf or Italian parsley. In a pinch, you can use curly parsley of course. Here I always use the stems also, unless they are very woody.

Toast with grilled zucchini, fresh ricotta and salsa verde

Salsa Verde

I think of this as my mother sauce, I use this base all the time, adjusting the herbs or acid or salty/briney ingredients depending upon what I have. If garlic scapes are in season, as they are here in Michigan now, I sometimes swap the cloves of garlic for very finely chopped scapes- they are much milder than a garlic clove so taste and decide how much you want to add. If I don’t have capers, I use good olives (I usually have castelvetrano on hand) or anchovies (anchovies are very good if you are pairing with steak). I choose the acid depending what I am pairing it with but always a wine vinegar and sometimes also a squeeze of lemon juice. A tiny dollop of dijon is nice for a little body, but not essential. As for herbs, the key is to think of them as you might any composition: parsley forms the base, this is the herb you have the most of, and then you add little highlights depending on the strength and personality of each herb. Soft herbs- such as basil, mint, tarragon, dill, chervil, oregano- form the high notes- you can have a ‘medium’ amount of these, their flavour and texture is more gentle than resinous herbs, and it is nice to have a little mix. Resinous herbs are for those deep notes. They are rich and less palatable in their uncooked state than soft herbs so we add them with care- a little goes a long way, but they add something essential to the overall character of a salsa verde.

1 large handful of parsley

1 smallish handful of mixed soft herbs such as mint, basil, dill, tarragon, chervil, oregano

a small pinch of resinous herbs, such as sage, thyme or rosemary, any hard stems removed

2 cloves garlic

1 T capers

2 T wine vinegar

1 squeeze lemon juice (optional, you may need a splash more vinegar if not using)

1 scant tsp dijon mustard

about 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

• Very finely chop all the herbs and place in a non-reactive bowl. Crush the garlic with the side of your knife then finely chop it, adding it to the bowl. Run your knife though the capers to finely chop and add to the bowl. Add the vinegar, lemon if using mustard if using and a good pinch of salt to the bowl and stir. Stir through the olive oil and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before tasting and adjusting as needed- it may need a splash more vinegar, salt or olive oil to balance the flavors.

  

  Salsa verde prep; grilled chicken with hasselback potatoes and salsa verde

Chimichurri