Going Green
For this past week’s column, a condiment composed of pistachios and flat-leaf parsley, when I went to convert my notes (both scribbled on paper and in a document on my computer) into a print-worthy recipe, I realized I had neglected to write down how much the recipe yields. So I quickly whipped up another batch that my husband and I happily enjoyed with dinner over a few nights. The lemon zest and juice in this sauce keeps it bright and vibrant over several days!
GIVE IT THE GREEN LIGHT
by Elizabeth Baer
With apologies to Kermit the Frog, it’s easy being green in the kitchen! So much wonderful produce graces our tables in every shade of green under the sun! Once, when I was visiting my sister and her family in Cambridge, we stopped at Yafa, a Palestinian bakery near them, and the array of pastries with pistachios glimmered like jewels. (I’m old enough to remember when pistachios in their shells were dyed red, also a vibrant jewel tone, and sitting down for a treat of these nuts would stain your fingertips pink!)
One of my husband’s favorite flavors is pistachio, and so I brought home from Yafa a sampling of probably 10-12 different items. From there, I was inspired to do more with this delicious nut, and I turned my attention to the savory.
Across the globe there are green sauces, mostly uncooked, to add flavor and tastiness to the menu. Whether it’s chimichurri from Argentina, zhoug from Yemen, salsa verde (one kind from Mexico, the other from Italy), pesto from Liguria traditionally, but with boundless riffs using any number of green leafy ingredients, or countless other recipes from every corner of the world, all these green sauces bring bright freshness to the table.
With shelled pistachios in the freezer, pondering the dinner menu one evening, I decided to make a sauce, more the consistency of a relish perhaps, to go with roast chicken pieces. I combined some flat-leaf parsley with some green olives I dug out from the back of the fridge, and it was just what we needed to elevate the ordinary into something more. I used lemon to add acid and brightness, and golden raisins for a touch of sweet. We particularly like the bit of heat when made with the spicy tangerine green olives from Guido’s, but really any green olives work fine. (Probably black olives would be fine, too, although it does depart from the green theme!) Remembering that some people have an aversion to olives, I also tested a version with capers that is equally tasty.
After that first successful attempt with roast chicken, I’ve served it with any number of roasted or grilled proteins, including salmon and swordfish, and it’s delicious with grilled vegetables, such as zucchini and eggplant. I’ve even tossed it into pasta with tremendous success. When describing it to a friend, I said, “It’s like a little black dress – it goes with everything.” And he replied, “You should call it ‘A little green dress-ing!’”
PISTACHIO & PARSLEY SAUCE
Makes about 1½ cups
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup golden raisins
⅓ cup unsalted shelled pistachios
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, gently packed
⅓ cup pitted green olives (about 10-12) OR ¼ cup capers, drained
One lemon
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
DIRECTIONS:
Place raisins in small bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit to plump up while you proceed with the recipe.
Toast pistachios in oven or toaster oven or dry pan. Keep a close eye because they can burn quickly. Once you smell them getting toasty, remove to a clean dish towel or a small bowl covered with plastic wrap. This will help loosen the skins. If the nuts are in a dish towel, rub remove some of the skin, or, if they have been in a bowl, rub between your palms. Pistachio skins can be tenacious, so do as much as you want to rid the nuts of the papery covering, but there is no need to be fastidious about it. Chop fine and place into bowl.
Chop the parsley and the olives (or capers) and add to the bowl with the pistachios. Drain raisins, chop, and add to the bowl as well.
Zest lemon with a fine-toothed grater, such as a Microplane, directly over the bowl. Juice the lemon through a sieve to catch the seeds. Add the olive oil and stir everything together. The consistency will be more of a chopped relish than a liquid sauce.
Allow to sit for a while, at least an hour, for the flavors to meld and develop. Taste and add salt if needed. (This will depend on the saltiness of your olives or capers.) Taste again and adjust as needed with more olive oil or lemon (or a splash of vinegar). If it needs more sweetness, add a bit of honey or maple syrup.
It keeps in the refrigerator if you need to make it ahead, or if you have any leftovers, but bring to room temperature before serving with chicken, fish, grilled vegetables, or pasta.