Green Sauce or “Going-out-of-Town” Sauce

If you love vegetables (and herbs) and/or you have a CSA or shop at the farmers’ market or have a vegetable garden, chances are you have pangs of guilt or sadness when you’re getting ready to leave town for the weekend and there’s beautiful produce in your fridge that may or may not last until you get back.

Over the last few years I’ve found myself making herb sauces, pestos and ratatouille before I leave town in late summer. Whether you’re going camping, staying with friends or booking a room somewhere, these things all travel well and improve anything they touch and are good at room temperature. They also are just delicious and need nothing but crackers to be consumed–as I recently did at a soccer tournament in a hotel lobby. Fellow soccer parents were thrilled with the spread!

I realize most folks are probably not in the habit of cooking right before leaving town but it may turn into something you do. Coming home to rotting vegetables/herbs is no fun and enjoying the fruits of that extra time spent before heading out may just be worth it.

I just made this sauce and it’s going to Walla Walla with us later today and it will grace the sandwich I pack for myself for the road.

P.S. If you’re tired of wasting produce and want more tips and tools like this subscribe to the Seasonal Recipe Collection and take control of that crisper:)!

Green Sauce

There are many variations for this herby sauce that improves anything it touches. It is a bit richer and more complex the than Italian-style salsa verde I make frequently. I particularly like this herb combination (parsley, tarragon, dill) but play around with different ratios and herb combinations including basil and mint, if you’d like. The above version employed cilantro, parsley and dill.

You can chop everything by hand (as I did above) or process in a food processor, it will be saucier/looser if you process and I kept the above version a bit drier (less oil) so I could use it as a sandwich spread as well. I usually use the processor but my knives had just been sharpened and it was a joy to chop all those herbs!

This makes a lot of sauce but I doubt you’ll have trouble finding ways to use it.  It is particularly good with poached, baked or roasted fish, boiled potatoes and/or carrots, turnips, summer and winter squash, etc.

1 good-sized bunch parsley, washed and stems cut off where the leaves begin

1/4 cup tarragon leaves

1 good-sized bunch dill, picked and tough stems discarded

2 green onions, chopped (or 2 tablespoons regular onion or shallot)

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

3 anchovy filets

2 hard-boiled eggs, yolks and whites divided

Juice of 1 1/2 – 2 lemons (to taste)

1/2 cup or more olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

In a small bowl crumble or mash up the eggs yolks a bit and finely chop the whites. Process (or chop by hand) the herbs, onions, capers, and anchovies and yolks in the food processor until finely chopped.  Add the lemon juice and start adding the oil through the feeding tube and process briefly.

Taste and add salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Add lemon juice or oil to taste and to create a fairly loose sauce. I like my sauce quite lemony. Finally put the sauce in a bowl and stir in the chopped, cooked egg whites.