There’s nothing like a big bowl of herbs, mixed with tangy gherkins and salty capers, to make you feel like summer is here. G has made this salsa verde for me for years, an old-school Jamie Oliver stand-by from The Naked Chef (Jamie’s first cookbook and G’s favorite). You really can’t go wrong with this salsa, whether you’re serving it with steak, chicken, fish, or veggies — it makes anything and everything on your dinner plate pop with fantastic flavor.
This is an Italian-style salsa verde, or green sauce, a cousin of Argentinian chimichurri. I made a little herb/butter/oil bed for my seared steak to rest in, so it would soak up all the flavor. Mmm. . .
The measurements for this salsa are all approximations (this isn’t like baking a cake, obviously). It’s Jamie Oliver-style, at his best, meaning a few handfuls of this and that, and it’s good every time. Just be sure to give it a taste before serving, so you can make any adjustments.
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 8 pickled gherkins (small pickles)
- 2 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley
- 1 bunch of fresh basil
- 1 handful of fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 3 anchovy fillets (optional)
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Put all ingredients except the oil and vinegar into the food processor an pulse until roughly chopped. Add the olive oil and pulse a few more times. Give it a taste and add a little salt and pepper, and possibly some more vinegar if you like. Serve with steak, or any meat, fish or vegetable.
- You can also chop it all by hand, if you like, which Jamie Oliver recommends.