A green sauce, tapenade, salsa verde – just like hummus – can be made from any ingredients. This is a great opportunity to step outside the box and traditional recipe mentality. I tend to move from “template cooking” methods so I’m never locked into using the same ingredients and same flavors. That way you can use the dish for similar things but have a whole new exploratory experience. So essentially – I’m trying to deviate from Einstein’s definition of insanity of doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result – I’m actually doing the same thing (in nature) AND getting a different result. No crazy business in this kitchen – it’s like maintaining order but being wild and sexy.
Often a green sauce comes to mind when I want some strong flavors, a poweful punch, and a twist to a dish without having to do much else. Hence – this sauce is great if you’re steaming a pot of rice or sweet potatoes, or if you’re making sandwiches and want a nice spread or a simple dip for crudite.
I just took a stroll to the back of my garden and picked Parsley – both flat and curly leaf – and a fuzzy looking plant called Za’atar – or Persian Oregano. Za’atar spice blend is typical in middle eastern cooking and uses dried herbs, sesame seeds, salt and sometimes lemon zest. Then the mixture is used on pita or other forms of bread. Folks use it like Americans use Peanut Butter, slathered on anything and everything, the exception here is probably chocolate.
So I combined the two – a Lebanese twist to a Spanish sauce. Voila, I mean…Velado!
Method: in your Cuisinart add:
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2-3 cloves of garlic
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a combination of herbs – parsley, oregano, thyme, mint (anything)
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2 Tbsp capers
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PULSE for 30 seconds then add:
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sea salt
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a sprinkling of sesame seeds
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a drizzle of olive oil, enough to bring it all together in a saucy like way
Use as you like – repeat.