It's Tasty Being Green
August 21, 2023 11:10 PM   Subscribe

While hunger may be the best sauce in the world, most prefer something with a bit more taste. And since it's summer and beautiful herbs abound, let's look at many ways of bringing a "green" zip to the plate. (Plus it's Hatch Chile season!) As with all things culinary, this will be woefully incomplete, short sighted, lacking the complete picture and not the way your nana made it and that's great - more green sauces!

My personal green sauce of summer has been a mix of cilantro, parsley, mint, jalapeno, serrano, orange, lime, lemon, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic and olive oil blitzed into a fine smooth sauce.
posted by drewbage1847 (40 comments total) 97 users marked this as a favorite
 
This is lovely, thank you! (We currently have an embarrassment of basil, so if anyone has a recipe they love for basil anything, I'm all ears! We've done a lot of Caprese salads and pesto.)

Btw, for people who have the tastes-soapy cilantro gene, whenever I encounter it in a recipe, I usually use arugula instead ... not that they taste in any respect similar, but it usually seems to complement the dish nicely in its own way.
posted by taz at 11:55 PM on August 21, 2023 [4 favorites]


I sometimes do this thing where I mince up a bunch of dill, parsley, capers, green olives, and garlic and let it mingle in a bunch of really nice olive oil and lemon juice plus zest. Does this have a name? It’s super good with any kind of fish or on chewy toasted bread. I don’t know when I started making it or where I got the idea, but I feel like it’s somewhat tapenade-adjacent?

My favorite green sauce for enchiladas is very mild, with just equal amounts of hatch, Anaheim, and poblano peppers, as well as red onion, garlic, and tomatillos, all roasted in olive oil until a little browned. Then I blend them all up, add a bunch of cilantro, chicken stock, cumin, and some salt pepper and sugar, and simmer it down until it coats the back of a spoon quite thickly. When cooking for my vegetarian friends I’ll do some extra browned onions and use water instead of chicken stock. The trick is, at the very end, blend up some fresh cilantro with a bit of water and pour the incredibly bright green slurry into your now dull green sauce. It adds a bunch of freshness and is a huge color improvement. Again, I’m unsure where I got this style of green sauce or when I started making it that way. I did spend my youngest years in south Texas though so I suspect texmex origins.

Next week I’m off to visit my parents. I typically like to cook dinner for them a couple times when I visit and they are in semi rural Maine with a bevy of harvest time local produce. I love this list of ideas! Pesto di fave and chermoula looks like ones for me to try for sure.
posted by Mizu at 11:56 PM on August 21, 2023 [5 favorites]


Mizu, I don't know if it has a name, but it's not that far from the Sauce Verte.

And I'll also admit, I usually cheat my enchilada sauces with a spruced up can of El Pato (which - that's a thing deserving of an FPP when I can add more to it)
posted by drewbage1847 at 12:09 AM on August 22, 2023


For those out there who do not have access to tomatillos, Andong has developed a pretty clever alternative for a fairly close facsimile of salsa verde made with much more readily available ingredients.
posted by DoctorFedora at 12:43 AM on August 22, 2023 [7 favorites]


Portuguese salsa verde
posted by chavenet at 12:45 AM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]


Wow, DoctorFedora! 🤯 I'll definitely be trying that!
posted by taz at 1:09 AM on August 22, 2023


For those out there who do not have access to tomatillos, Andong has developed a pretty clever alternative for a fairly close facsimile of salsa verde made with much more readily available ingredients.

This looks super intriguing, and I will have to try this.
posted by Dysk at 1:11 AM on August 22, 2023


Plus it's Hatch Chile season!

Yep! I roasted 40lbs of the green beauties a couple of weeks ago. My freezer is stocked for another year now.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:48 AM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]


Oh fun! I've really grown to enjoy "green" as a flavor more and more as I've gotten older, and I'm very appreciative of the expansion in my palate. I now have dishes that just taste wrong to me if the green bell peppers are missing (or red/yellow are subbed), which my 30-year-old self could not possibly imagine.
posted by obfuscation at 5:21 AM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]


Cilantro sauce--which is cilantro blended up with whatever other substrates or herbs I might have available--is a constant in our fridge. It works with tacos and curries and empanadas so it's more useful than many more single-purpose condiments that we have.
posted by tofu_crouton at 5:33 AM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


I love both green sauces and this post!

(If you like ají verde, but want a vegan version, the Colombian style typically omits the mayonnaise/queso component.)
posted by box at 5:59 AM on August 22, 2023 [3 favorites]


I typed up a comment about that really tasty green sauce that is used on rice in West Africa but then saw the link above to the recipe for Senegalese rof. I've eaten different versions but never knew exactly what was in each type.

That's different from the spicy green pepper sauce you get sometimes (example recipe from Ghana).
posted by Dip Flash at 6:11 AM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]


I'm in the process of cutting back the herb pots: parsley, leaf celery, mint, basil, rosemary, tarragon, chives, thyme, sages, and maybe the bay laurel. So this list is an inspiration, several new to me, thanks!
posted by winesong at 7:37 AM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]


Inspiring! Made basil/mint/olive oil/pepper flake/onion/salt to zip up some pitas
posted by joeyh at 7:55 AM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


This is great. Thank you.
posted by doctornemo at 8:08 AM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


Btw, for people who have the tastes-soapy cilantro gene, whenever I encounter it in a recipe, I usually use arugula instead ... not that they taste in any respect similar, but it usually seems to complement the dish nicely in its own way.

What's odd for me is that I have that gene, but like salsa verde. I was surprised to see here that it's typically made with cilantro. Maybe the other ingredients balance things out.

(Also, I love arugula, so wonderful tip, thanks!)
posted by May Kasahara at 8:12 AM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


Great list, thank you!

For those who want to use an abundance of basil or other leafy green herbs, try basil salt. It's also lovely with purple basil.
posted by wicked_sassy at 8:40 AM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]


Neither of these are sauces, but they have green leaves in them:

This shrimp, mint, and arugula salad is a particularly delicious favorite on hot summer nights. I've done it with basil, too.

And for another dish to use basil with, try making panzanella. From looking at a bunch of recipes, it seems like one of those throw-in-what-you've-got-on-hand recipes, so get a feel for the range of ingredients from different recipe sources and make something you like. I'm no mustard fan, so always skip the dijon if it's listed. Sometimes there's cucumbers, sometimes not, etc.
posted by msbrauer at 9:18 AM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


Pistachios make a fantastic pesto, if you're feeling like switching out the pine nuts. I fell into this via one of my favorite restaurants in Rome and when the budget ($ or shelling time) allows, this is a summertime staple.

Also now feels like the time to mention that I made zero friends in elementary school due to my preference for pesto sandwiches (with tomatoes and cream cheese salt and pepper), but I there are still one of my favorite things, especially when the basil is fresh on the porch and the tomatoes are ripe. When I was a kid I made these on English muffins, but as an adult I tend to go with something with a little more crisp (like a baguette), also sometimes sub out the cream cheese for ricotta or marscapone, but really the sky's the limit here. Want to add olive? Anchovies? Go nuts.
posted by thivaia at 9:37 AM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


For those out there who do not have access to tomatillos, Andong has developed a pretty clever alternative for a fairly close facsimile of salsa verde made with much more readily available ingredients.
It's sad to me that unripe kiwis are more readily available than tomatillos.
posted by 3j0hn at 9:42 AM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


The Hatch Chile Festival in Hatch New Mexico has been going on for over 50 years, attracts over 30,000 annual visitors, has a parade, craft vendors, music, dancing, chile eating competition, chile recipe competitions, the Hatch Chile Hat Competition and starts next week, September 1-3 over Labor Day weekend.

Gustavo Arellano: The Chile Pepper Rivalry Heats Up Between New Mexico's Hatch And Colorado's Pueblo


The Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival is September 22-24.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 10:05 AM on August 22, 2023


It's sad to me that unripe kiwis are more readily available than tomatillos.
I've lived in LA for so long that I forget that tomatillos aren't common globally. I'd be curious to give the kiwi option a taste, but I have a hard time believing that it will work.
posted by drewbage1847 at 10:05 AM on August 22, 2023


recao / culantro (Eryngium foetidum) is a lovely green flavour. My local Guyanese takeout puts a culantro sauce on its doubles and it is a delight
posted by scruss at 10:17 AM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


I just wanna plug the vegan tahini-based green goddess recipe, which is basically tahini instead of mayo/sour cream, plus lemon, parsley, cilantro, other green herbs you have on hand, garlic, salt and pepper, and usually needs to be thinned with water.
posted by kensington314 at 10:21 AM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


I've always been a red sauce guy. Though I do eat a lot of Jalapenos, Hatch Chilies are awesome, and green bell peppers beat the reds and yellows by a mile.

Only problem with this list is that most of these have something Ms. Windo and I won't eat, (Cilantro for me, non-vegetarian items for her). But is has given me some tasty ideas.
posted by Windopaene at 10:21 AM on August 22, 2023


Never seen Pueblo peppers here in Seattle, but I am intrigued...

Big fan of Fresnos, for a hotter red Jalapenos type. But now I want to go to the store and score some Hatch. Tis the season.
posted by Windopaene at 10:32 AM on August 22, 2023


Adobo Verde, Rick Bayless' version. I like to use it as an add-on mixer to sour cream (or mexican crema, even better). Instant dip.

Thanks for this post drewbage1847 - lots of great ideas here!
posted by SoundInhabitant at 11:48 AM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


Looks like I’ll be bookmarking a bunch of food blogs.
posted by Eikonaut at 11:58 AM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


I just wanna plug the vegan tahini-based green goddess recipe, which is basically tahini instead of mayo/sour cream, plus lemon, parsley, cilantro, other green herbs you have on hand, garlic, salt and pepper, and usually needs to be thinned with water.

I am not a fan of regular green goddess dressing, but have had the tahini-based version a couple of times and liked it much better.
posted by Dip Flash at 11:59 AM on August 22, 2023


This is so beautiful, thank you.
posted by grandiloquiet at 1:58 PM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


I also have the cilantro soap gene and I’ve learned that it’s still an important ingredient in some things (pico de gallo without green chili and cilantro is just candy soup). The trick is to treat it like salt, where if I can actually taste it specifically, I know I’ve added too much.
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:23 PM on August 22, 2023 [2 favorites]


separately I am pretty sure that green kiwis aren’t “unripe” any more than green tomatillos are

there’s a zillion different kinds of Chinese gooseberries out there, and they come in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes
posted by DoctorFedora at 3:26 PM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


separately I am pretty sure that green kiwis aren’t “unripe” any more than green tomatillos are

I'm pretty sure most types of tomatillo are still green when ripe.
posted by kensington314 at 5:18 PM on August 22, 2023


yeah, that's exactly my point — we've grown tomatillos that turn yellowish when ripe, but a lot of them stay green
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:13 PM on August 22, 2023


DoctorFedora, I totally misread your comment and leapt to correct any misunderstanding of the noble tomatillo's nature. Sorry!
posted by kensington314 at 6:21 PM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]


Berkeley Cheeseboard’s Papi Chulo Sauce - amazing on pizza
posted by mbo at 1:00 AM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


@mbo - that’s almost exactly the green sauce I’ve been making. I got the recipe from a local place and it might be inspired by that same idea. Only difference in mind is a small amount of mint and red wine vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar
posted by drewbage1847 at 7:39 AM on August 23, 2023


Amazing. I have been trying a few sauces recently and wanted some fresh ideas. Went vegetarian almost 6 months back and I'm always looking for new and simple ways to color up my meals.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 9:00 AM on August 23, 2023


I recently bought one of those hydroponic Aerogardens to grow herbs at home. This is the first time I've had home grown herbs, and I'm quickly learning I need to find ways to use them more than I used to. In particular, so far, the dill and Thai basil. Once you've made a few of these kinds of green herb sauces, it gets easier to start improvising them. So a couple weeks ago I put two roasted Hatch chiles, some dill, Thai basil, and a lot of (store-bought) parsley in a blender with a clove of garlic, salt, and olive oil. It's lovely, and I've been spooning it onto various things like pork chops or scrambled eggs.
posted by dnash at 4:46 PM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


I gather the Haitian green sauce of choice is Epis, which looks lovely.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 4:57 PM on August 23, 2023 [1 favorite]


« Older @media screen and (min-width: 1024px)   |   How methane from food waste contributes to climate... Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments



Tags

Share