Ingredients:
1/3 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup of fresh tarragon or fennel fronds
1/3 cup of fresh chopped chives or green onion
2 anchovy fillet or 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste
1 clove of chopped garlic
1 Cup of mayonnaise
1 cup of sour cream
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
To taste: Salt, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, or Paprika
Directions: Toss everything in the food processor. Blend. Enjoy. The End.
<<< Just kidding!!! >>>
Building onto May’s recipe, the Caprice salad, this month you will have the perfect accompaniment to much of your summertime dishes. I first learned about Green Goddess Dressing while working at Ivy Provisions on Ivy Road. GGD was the schmutz used on the K.I.S.S. Caprice sandwich, pictured in this article.
GGD’s origins date back to when France’s Louis XIII’s executive chef formulated a green sauce “sauce au vert” which was the accompaniment for the “green eel” entree. Centuries later, in 1923, the debut of a theatrical adaptation of the the silent film “The Green Goddess” starring English actor, George Arliss met critical acclaim. In effort to celebrate the play’s success and honor the cast, Chef Philip Roemer of San Francisco’s Palace Hotel adapted the French “sauce au vert” by incorporating anchovies and traditional garlic aioli, which then took on the name of the heralded stage play.
Now let’s address the giant anchovy in the room. I credit Green Goddess Dressing as my gateway drug to the mysterious anchovy underground. These days I lace everything with anchovy paste, especially my risotto. (My secret is out.) I’ve tried to make GGD without the anchovy and the result was an anemic and bland green mayo. The oils and salt in the anchovy define the flavor and add the much needed body to all those herbs. Worcestershire sauce is sometimes used as well which also contains anchovy.
Sure, you could just toss everything in the blender and hope for the best but I like to create the smoothest product possible. Nothing triggers food rage quite like when I engage my Kung-Fu-like grip to squeeze my favorite flavor of “liquid happiness” onto my food and that one defiant chunk of garlic gives way and suddenly I’m covered in a color that clashes with my otherwise sexy flannel.
So, to ‘chef things up’ a bit, simply use a clean pair of kitchen scissors to cut the three herbs into smaller pieces. Then crush, peel, and lay the garlic cloves onto a cutting board. Use something like an expired credit card on top of a clove and smash the card down with your fist. Keeping the tip of your chef’s knife on the board, use a rocking motion to chop all the herbs into a fine mince. Now blend all the listed ingredients, taste and adjust with salt and pepper, transfer this slimy mess into a container of your choice, and refrigerate for one hour. The flavors will combine and the sauce will become solid once again.
Bon Appétit!
– Tom Wilson
