Italian Green Sauce for Fish or Meat

　　An Italian edition of sauce verte, salsa verde goes with bollito misto, a northern Italian extravaganza of simmered veal, chicken, sausage, tongue, and more; but it's even better with plain poached, steam-poached, grilled, or oven-baked fish. Make it in a processor, following these directions; or, for a finer texture, make it with a mortar and pestle, as directed in the preceding sauce verte recipe. In essence, this is another version of pesto.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 2 cups; enough for 12 servings

　　6 ounces shelled walnuts, about 1 1/2 cups

　　1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

　　1 tablespoon coarsely chopped basil

　　2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

　　2 small cornichons

　　yolk of 1 hard-boiled egg

　　1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar or fresh lemon juice

　　sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

First toast the walnuts. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a sheet pan. When the oven is hot, transfer the pan to the oven and toast the walnuts for 5 to 10 minutes, being careful not to burn the nuts. Remove from the oven and toss the walnuts in a clean dry kitchen towel, rubbing the nuts to release as much of their bitter tannic skins as you can. (The skins won't disappear entirely, and you don't want them to do so because a little of that bitter tannin is good in the sauce.)

　　

Step 2

Transfer the nuts to a food processor.

　　

Step 3

Add the parsley, basil, garlic, and cornichons. Turn the machine on and add the egg yolk. Continue processing, adding the olive oil in a slow stream, until the sauce is very smooth. Add the vinegar and process to mix well. Taste for seasoning, adding salt, pepper, and more vinegar if necessary.

　　Reprinted with permission from The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Healthy by Nancy Harmon Jenkins. Copyright © 1994, 2009 by Nancy Harmon Jenkins. Published by Bantam Dell, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisherNancy Harmon Jenkins is a food writer with a passionate interest in Mediterranean cultures and cuisines, sustainable agriculture, and farm-to-market connections. Author of half a dozen highly acclaimed cookbooks, she writes for the New York Times, Saveur, and Food & Wine, and divides her time between her farmhouse outside of Cortona, Italy, and the coast of Maine.