In the mood for ‘Italian Salsa Verde’

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My family has been craving greenery. We spent the last week in the beautiful Var valley in France and whilst we had some wonderful dishes we felt that perhaps, without sounding too rude, French food is slightly stuck in a 1970’s time warp and is due a food revival. Meticulously prepared and presented, the food still remains pretty rich and creamy with lots of unpasteurized cheese not much veg and basically not ideal if you happen to be under 10, pregnant or health conscious. Before you ask, no I am not pregnant, but one of the friends we went with is, and she found it slightly restrictive on what she could actually eat. A favourite dish that one of our party devoured was scallops in a creamy curried sauce, similar to coronation chicken in taste – the sauce that is; surprisingly delicious but a little 70’s kitsch you have to agree. If only I’d taken a photo as evidence.

So back in Blighty we gathered some fresh herbs to make an Italian Salsa Verde to detox our bodies from all the cheese and cream laced food we had eaten across the waters.

Italian Salsa Verde 

Not to be mistaken with French sauce verte, German green sauce, Mexican salsa verde and Argentinian chimichurri

1 large handful of fresh mint

1 large handful of fresh basil

2 large handfuls of fresh flat leaf parsley

3 pieces of chopped garlic

6 anchovies chopped

1 large handful of chopped cornichons or gherkins

1 large handful of capers

2 tbsp of olive oil

3 tbsp of red wine vinegar

1 dsp (dessert spoon) of dijon mustard

pepper

salt

1. Finely chop the garlic, cornichons, anchoives. If you are doing it all by hand then you will also need to finely chop the fresh flat leaf parsley, mint and basil, if however you are like me and you want to save time, use a blender. Also add the capers and olive oil at this stage.

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2. After an initial quick blend – so that it is NOT smooth in consistency, add the red wine vinegar and dijon mustard. Season to taste although you will probably find that the saltiness of the anchovies suffice.

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The girls loved it so much they even ended up licking out the remainder from the blender with a spoon. How sweet !


3. Salsa Verde is so versatile that it can be eaten with meat, fish, poultry or vegetables. I decided to serve mine with grilled chicken, vine tomatoes and borlotti beans on the side, and hunks of crusty bread to mop up the salsa. Delicious and not too 70’s !

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Want to join the ‘obscure vegetable movement’?

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Have you ever been just a little bit curious about what all those rather unusual looking vegetables might actually taste like, when browsing around an Asian food market. Well I certainly have. I’ve been thinking…..we’ve had the ‘slow food movement’, ‘organic food movement’, perhaps now’s the time of the ‘obscure vegetable movement’. Maybe they need a voice, just like the potato did when we all gave them a chance when Sir Walter Raleigh returned with them after his voyage to the Americas, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Perhaps carrots, broccoli, peas, onions, leeks and potatoes need to be knocked off their pedestal of most well loved and consumed vegetables.

One such vegetable, which I discovered not too long ago, is karela, also known as bitter melon/gourd. It’s completely ubiquitous in the tropics mind you, just a little bit unusual over here in your average food market – unless it’s an Asian one.  Its not a pretty vegetable in the slightest. Warty, green and up to eight inches long it looks slightly like a cucumber, but less appealing.

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It has a really bitter taste, but it is so different from anything I have ever eaten that I actually like the vegetable. It has the same divided opinion as marmite does in the UK. You either love it or hate, nothing in between.

Karela is actually very versatile, but I like to cut it width ways into thin slices and then slowly fry them in a pan until they begin to brown and then turn them over until they brown that side as well. After patting them with kitchen paper I then sprinkle some salt over them and eat them as a snack, or with rice and dahl.

As an alternative you can sprinkle the raw slices with salt and turmeric and then fry them. You can then stop there and eat them or if you feel the need for spice with a kick follow the next step………..

Put a tbsp of oil in a pan and when hot add a pinch of  asafoetida, which is also known as ‘Devils Dung Stinking Gum’ – how cool is that? 1-2 dried red chilli and 1 tsp of mustard powder. Stir for a minute and pour over the karela. Delicious and definitely packs a punch.

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High in iron, it also has a wide range of medicinal qualities and is purported to be the best herbal medicine for liver problems, aid people with psoriasis and diabetes. Curious…………go on give them a try, but be open minded! They are easy to find at any Asian food store, you just won’t be finding them at Tesco quite yet.

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