Green or parsley sauce
( Salsa verde )

Soak the anchovy fillets in cold water for 10 minutes and then drain very well.
Soak the capers in cold water.
Peel the garlic clove.
Remove the leaves from the parsley sprig.
Wash them and pat dry with absorbent kitchen paper to remove the excess of water.
Chop the parsley leaves together with garlic, anchovies and capers very finely.
Add some soft part of bread or the boiled potato according to your own taste.
Dilute the mixture with the olive oil, a little at a time, stirring continuously.
At the end add a little of vinegar according to your own taste.
Season to taste with salt.
Your green sauce is ready!

Note

• - Green sauce is also called parsley sauce but outside Italy is also known with its own name: salsa verde
• - For a quicker recipe we often use capers in vinegar and anchovy fillets in oil.
• - Prepare the green sauce in advance. If it rests for some hours in the refrigerator it is tastier! But remember to bring it at room temperature before serving.
• - You can add some freshly ground black pepper, if liked.
• - Now we show you some variants of green sauce or salsa verde in Italy.
  Some people add soft part of bread soaked in vinegar.
  Some people don't use capers and anchovies (a lot of people don't like them) and add hard-boiled-egg yolks crushed with the fork.
  Others use capers, anchovies and egg yolks all together.
  The same ingredients are used to prepare the green sauce that accompanies "gran bollito alla bolognese" (great boiled meat, Bolognaise-style). Generally some little onions in vinegar are added to the ingredients too.
• - Finally here are some green sauce recipes typical of different Italian regions!
  "Bagnet verd" or bagnetto verde is a Piedmontese typical recipe. This green sauce accompanies assorted boiled meat, Piedmontese-style together with "bagnet ross" or bagnetto rosso based on tomatoes. To make this kind of green sauce you have to chop finely: garlic, chilli pepper, anchovies, a lot of flat-leaf parsley, hard-boiled- egg yolks and some capers. Then some soft part of bread soaked in vinegar is added. At this time olive oil and vinegar are added, a little at a time. Some people use a little of tuna in oil too. If you want you can use it for cold poached fish too.
  Another version is salsa ad savur of Piacenza. These are the ingredients: parsley, garlic, hard-boiled-egg yolks, soft part of bread, vinegar, olive oil, salt, black pepper.
• - In conclusion you can accompany boiled beef, boiled veal tongue and anchovies with salsa verde

Healthy eating

• - I wasn't able to calculate nutrition facts of Italian green sauce. The ingredients are too different. Besides they are used in different amount according to the personal taste. Another great variable is the amount of olive oil, the main ingredient!
  I remember you every tablespoon olive oil has 90 calories and 10g in fat

Loretta