A good salsa

If there’s one recipe I come back to again and again, it’s this. It was the first time, for me, that I understood that home cooked food could feel ‘cheffy’. And it’s a combination you can rift off, whether that be adding beans and tomatoes to serve it as a substantial side or tossing it warm through steamed green beans. Although, it’s best enjoyed as it is to go alongside a barbecued meat or fish (ideally steak or mackerel).

It is of course, the ultimate salsa, the Italian’s Salsa Verde.

Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic

Big bunches of parsley, garlic and mint

Small handful of capers

Small handful of gherkins

4 x anchovy fillets

Tbs of Dijon

Glug of red wine vinegar (to taste)

Olive oil

Pepper

Method:

• Step into the kitchen!

• Get out your mini blender. Whizz the garlic till finely chopped. Add everything else except the Dijon, oil and vinegar. Whizz again till finely chopped.

• Stir through the Dijon. Still in the olive oil till a smooth consistency. Add the vinegar till it’s sharp and tangy enough (normally a few tablespoons). Enjoy !