Not sure what it is, or why, but I can never seem to get enough green in my food.
I go through phases with ingredients (or entire cuisines) where I can’t come out of a grocery store without a certain thing. I’ve been through avocado, poblano, blueberry, mushroom, kale, cauliflower. There was the year or so I couldn’t stop cooking Indian-type flavors.
But the one thing I’m starting to think I’ll never grow out of is my yen — my need — for green things.
Red flavors? Meh. You can have your roasted red peppers, your cooked carrots, your marinara. It’s all too sweet. Gimme that green. Talmbout parsley, arugula, asparagus, chard, broccoli, scallion. If it’s got chlorophyll, I’m probably into it.
I spotted this beast of a sandwich on the delightful Lady and Pups, and I was super into it, even though I’d never peg myself for being into a Dagwood-type sandwich. But come on: avocado, green sauce, sage pork? It looks awesome, right?
We happened to be heading to a friend’s house for some cooking and Good Times (yay wine), and this looked promising. A little deconstruction to make it gluten-free-friendly, and we were set.
Overall, I was pleased, but that sauce! Man, that sauce is a keeper. It’s green from here to next week, but it’s also got enough anchovy in it to keep things interesting (yes it has a fair amount of anchovy and no you should not decrease it).
I made the sauce again a few days later, and tossed it with some roasted eggplant and sliced scallions. Served it over quinoa, because protein. The second time, I forgot to get capers, and please know that the capers are not optional. It needs ’em.
Adapted from Lady and Pups
This stuff is spicy, green, and deep. Don't muck about with the recipe too much. Yes, your herbs must all be fresh. Don't bring any of that dried stuff to the party.
No one's gonna tell on you if you don't weigh your ingredients, but how are you cooking without a gram scale?
Ingredients
- 30 grams parsley leaves (about 1 cup)
- 30 grams baby arugula (about 1 cup)
- 5 grams mint leaves (about 1/4 cup)
- 5 grams oregano leaves (about 3 tablespoons)
- 5 anchovy fillets, packed in oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped green chili of choice (I used Serrano)
- 2 teaspoons capers, drained (no need to rinse)
- A few healthy grinds of freshly ground black pepper
- A 4-second pour of nice extra virgin olive oil, more or less
Instructions
1. Pick the parsley, mint, and oregano from their stems (which are bitter and will only make you sad).
2. Cram all the herbs and the arugula into a li'l food processor (your big one is too big for this job, and will only make you sad).
3. Add the remaining ingredients, and give it all a whazz.
4. Scrape the sides as needed, and taste when it's all gotten pretty well mixed together. Does it need salt or maybe a squeeze of lemon? Add that. Want a thinner sauce? Add more olive oil.
5. Enjoy on darn near anything.
http://www.onehundredeggs.com/green-sauce-with-arugula-parsley/