How do you make your salsa verde?

[jpinmaryland]

Im not sure what origination this one is from but I found it in Joy of COoking book and I'd like to see what other variations people have; basic ingredients;

parsely, garlic, anchovy, capers, mustard, red wine vinegar or lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil.

What other variations do people have and is this an italian sauce?

No need to tell me that it depends on where your from, or what neighborhood or that there are 8,000 variations on google. Just if you have a favorite variation or you feel that there is something that is missing let's hear it...Thanks.

 

[GB]

jpinmaryland, you sure have been busy with the Joy Of Cooking

I don't have any recipes for this, but I know it is not Italian. I believe it is Mexican (help me out here Lugaru). Salsa means sauce and verde means green so this is a green sauce.

 

[ironchef]

JP, that might be a Spanish version, as in from Spain directly.

All of the Salsa Verde that I've had contained either Tomatillo (raw or roasted), or some sort of Roasted Pepper like Poblano or Anaheim, spiked with Serrano or Jalapeno for heat. These were all Mexican versions. I've also had a Cuban version but it was more like a mojo than a salsa.

The recipe that you gave sounds like a vinaigrette type sauce used at a Tapas bar for dipping grilled/roasted meats in.

 

[jpinmaryland]

yes GB lets just say I had a lot of time on my hands a few weeks ago. This was like one of the few books on the shelf that didnt bore me so I decided to take some notes.

Anyhow thanks for the comments, this is a start. I have a question what exactly do you think makes it distinct? I realize the parsley is what makes it green, and I wonder if there is some combination here that gives it its distinctness. More comments welcome. Or maybe that's what IC means by reference to tomatillo or peppers

 

[ironchef]

Verde is green. So basically it's any type of green salsa. There are probably as many versions or more as there are recipes for a basic pomodoro sauce.

 

[jpinmaryland]

so those versions you are familiar with would be more like salsa than a vinaigrette?

 

[ironchef]

I've had both, but being that I'm in Southern California with it's high Hispanic (Mexican) population, I've been exposed more to the type which is found in Southwestern/Mexican cuisine.

Remember also that "salsa" means sauce. Salsa Verde literally means "Green Sauce" and can refer to any type of sauce with a predominantly green color, be it a vinaigrette or not.

 

[Lugaru]

Having traveled to quite a few random destinations in Mexico I think it's been a tomatillo sauce almost everywhere I've had it. Basically here's the deal:

Salsa as with sauce can mean both the base of a meal or that thing you dab on for flavor... but an invisible wall separates both. When you hear for instance "en salsa verde" (in green sauce) you inmediatly imagine it's in a tangy tomatillo sauce, for example enchiladas or bits of pork or chicken with rice. But if some one just say's "salsa verde" one would often think "a green hot sauce" which will probably be heavy on jalapenos or serranos.

What Iron mentions using Poblanos or Anahein is a predominantly suthern thing (from california, texas, arizona and new mexico I've had sauces like this) and It's something I really enjoy a lot but consider very different to the tomatillo sauce of Mexico. One is sweet and savory while the other is tart and tangy. Actually I just got a craving for the new mexico style stuff... mmm.

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Now for the italian stuff:


INGREDIENTS

½ cup Italian mixed pickled vegetables, rinsed and drained
2 salt anchovies, soaked, filleted, rinsed and dried
1 hard-boiled egg
¼ cup flaked cooked tuna
1 green pepper, halved, seeded and deribbed
3 cups fresh parsley leaves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (optional)

Put all the solid ingredients through a food grinder or chop them fine in a food processor. Add the lemon juice, oil and, if you wish, the mustard, and let the sauce stand for several hours before serving it.

Makes about 3 cups

This pungent sauce is suitable for boiled or steamed cauliflower or broccoli and for poached or grilled strong-flavored fish such as swordfish or mackerel.

 

[Ishbel]

The following recipe is from the Delia Smith Complete Cookery Course book. I suspect she calls it 'Italian' because of the anchovies! My husband likes this version, but I have anything with anchovies - so I make two lots: one with, one without!

Italian Green Sauce (Salsa Verde)
This is a strong-flavoured, quite garlicky sauce that does wonders for plain mackerel fillets or some grilled trout. This behaves rather like a very thick vinaigrette and, before each serving, always needs to have another mix.

4 anchovy fillets, drained
1 level tablespoon capers
1 level teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 level tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 level tablespoon fresh chopped basil
salt and freshly milled black pepper

To start with, chop the anchovy fillets as small as possible and crush them to a paste in a mortar (if you haven't got a mortar, a small bowl and the end of a rolling pin will do).


Put the capers in a small sieve and rinse them under cold, running water to remove the vinegar they were preserved in. Dry them on kitchen paper and chop them as minutely as you can and add them to the anchovies.


Next add the mustard, garlic, lemon juice and some freshly milled black paper and mix well. Now add the oil, mix again and check the taste to see how much salt to add.


Just before serving, sprinkle in the chopped herbs and again mix thoroughly so that all the ingredients are properly combined.

 

[jennyema]

Salsa verde can, indeed, be Italian.

The sauce jp gave the original recipe for is found as a very common condiment thruout Italy. I am completely hooked onit.

I am not sure about the mustard, though. I do not use that when I make mine. I suppose it can be used as an emulsifyier, but I dont think I like what it would do to the taste. Otherwise, it's pretty much how I make it. I always use very good oil.

GB, someday get over to Sweet Basil, a tiny restaurant in Needham. It's fantastic and their salsa verde is out of this world. I almost stole some! They serve it with bread while you are looking at the menu.

Edited to add that I remember about a year and a half ago discussing with Andy M. the stalls near the Mercato Centrale in Florence that offer tripe with salsa verde. Tripe really isn't my thing so I contemplated ordering one without the tripe. Sort of like Jack Nicholson ordering the tuna sandwich on toast and hold the tuna.

 

[GB]

Sweet Basil sounds familiar, of course that is probably a pretty popular name. I will check them out next time I am in the Needham area

 

[jpinmaryland]

thanks for those recipes especially the italian ones.