SABZI HOME RECIPES
SAbzi’s SALSA VERDE
Sabzi’s Salsa Verde is a lovely way to inject some bright, zippy colour and flavour into simple dishes;
• Elevate your roast potatoes by dressing them while warm in this salsa; a crumbling of feta or goats’ cheese is delicious too
• Add a couple of spoonfuls into your salad dressing and shake well to add delicious interest to a simple green salad
• Cook your favourite pasta, throw in some green veg 2 minutes before the end of cooking, then drain and dress generously in some delicious olive oil, plenty of seasoning, a generous dollop of the salsa verde and a good handful of parmesan for a quick midweek supper that will leave you feeling nourished and energised.
• Spoon liberally over a slow roasted shoulder of lamb as soon as it comes out of the oven. The heat from the lamb will intensify the salsa and the scent will be glorious!Sabzi’s House Dressing is simple in principle – it’s our play on a delicious French vinaigrette; a Dijon mustard based dressing that we use in many ways.
Ingredients
Makes 500ml salsa
2 large bunches parsley (both flat leaf, and curly work well here)
2 heaped tbsp capers
1 whole head of gently roasted garlic (a method for how to confit garlic can be found on Sabzi’s online blog)
120ml your choice of oil (choose one whose flavour you love)
120ml lemon juice (I’d recommend a combination of fresh and bottled – maybe the juice of two fresh supplememted by bottled, along with the zest of your fresh lemons)
Chop by hand one medium jar of dill pickles. Reserve a slug of the pickle liquor to add to your salsa.
1 generous tbsp of mustard (we use Dijon, but wholegrain will work well too)
Lots of black pepper
Salt to taste
method
Place the parsley, capers, garlic, oil and lemon juice in a food processor and blitz until fairly smooth (or if you prefer a chunkier salsa, feel free to leave with more texture).
Stir the pickles, mustard, pepper and salt through your processed salsa base and taste. Some of you will like it more mustard-y, some of you might opt for a dash of agave nectar or maple syrup for a hint of sweetness.
Once you’ve mixed and tasted, I’d recommend adding approx. 30-50ml of the pickle liquor from your dill pickle jar, it adds a wonderful tang.
This salsa should be intense and savoury in its flavour and a real celebration of the crisp, clean flavour of parsley. Don’t be afraid to play with the seasoning to get it just how you like it.
CHEF’S NOTE
You can also play around with it by using different herbs:
• Substitute the parsley for coriander for a completely different salsa – throw a red chilli into the mix and enjoy a more aromatic sauce
• When chopping your dill pickles, chop a handful of black olives too
• Try adding a handful of dill to your salsa verde, and then serve with some roasted fish and potatoes for a wonderful take on Sunday lunch.
• Make a light lunch with some lovely Cornish salad potatoes, a tin of the incredible Cornish hake by SeaSisters (I’m so delighted to be offering this fish for sale at Sabzi) and some steamed Cornish broccoli. Mix gently together in a large bowl and stir through your salsa verde for a guest-worthy speedy lunch…delicious!