Green Sauce from Val Bormida

Salsa Verde della Val Bormida

Savory and creamy green sauce, with anchovies, egg yolks, herbs and citrus notes, ideal to accompany boiled meats.

6 servings

Easy

Liguria

EasyLiguria

The green sauce of Val Bormida is a pan sauce A flavorful sauce designed to accompany boiled meats, offering a creamy texture and an intense, fresh, and slightly acidic flavor. The aromatic component comes from the combination of parsley, garlic, onion, celery, and carrot, while salted anchovies add depth and a pronounced flavor. soft bread crumb firm dough contributes to the structure, together with the hard-boiled egg yolks, which make the mixture more uniform and velvety. Vinegar and lemon juice introduce a bright note, balanced by the extra virgin olive oil from Riviera olives. The preparation does not require prolonged cooking: the technique is based on soffritto The sweetness of the vegetables and the careful blending of the ingredients until you obtain a smooth, thick, and easily spreadable sauce. This recipe is considered a traditional Ligurian preparation.

Instructions

Voice reading

7 steps · natural Italian voice

Chop celery and carrot

Trim and clean the celery and carrot, then chop them finely and evenly. Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a skillet and add the vegetables. Do them gently sauté gently, without darkening them: they will be ready when they are soft, slightly translucent and fragrant, with a still light color.

Prepare the aromas

Finely chop the small clove of garlic, the heart of the white onion, the parsley, and the well-boned anchovy fillets. Chop everything into a fine paste, so the flavors will distribute throughout the sauce without leaving any large pieces. Make sure the anchovies are completely boneless before adding them to the sauce.

Soak it up soft bread crumb

Crumble the soft bread crumb of the caravan in a bowl and wet it with vinegar. Let it absorb the liquid until it becomes soft, then squeeze it carefully to remove the excess. soft bread crumb It must be moist but not dripping, ready to contribute to the density of thepan sauce.

Harden and separate the eggs

Hard boil the eggs, let them cool and separate the yolks from the egg whitesCrumble or mash the egg yolks until you get a smooth paste, without any noticeable lumps. This base will help make the sauce smoother and creamier when combined with the soft bread crumb.

Mix the base

Join the soft bread crumb squeezed and the egg yolks hardened, then work the mixture until smooth. Add the chopped garlic, onion, parsley, and anchovies, mixing thoroughly. The base is ready when it appears smooth, with no dry patches or lumps of yolk.

Adjust the sauce

Add the juice of half a lemon and gradually pour in the extra virgin olive oil, stirring constantly to bind the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper, taking into account the saltiness of the anchovies. Stop adding the sauce when it is creamy, smooth, and fluid enough to garnish boiled meats without dripping too much.

Complete with the soffritto

Add the sautéed celery and carrot to the sauce, stirring until evenly distributed. Let it simmer. the mixture It reaches a firm yet spreadable consistency and controls the final balance between saltiness, acidity, and aromatic fragrance. Serve the Val Bormida green sauce as an accompaniment to boiled meats.

Chef's Tips

Add the oil little by little after mixing. soft bread crumb and egg yolks, so the sauce binds together and reaches a creamy consistency without separating.

Ingredients

Ingredients for 6 people
1 celery stalk, 1 carrot
2 well-cleaned salted anchovies
1 bunch of parsley
1 small clove of garlic
the heart of a small white onion
there soft bread crumb (no crust) of a “caravanino” (firm dough bread) 2 hard-boiled egg yolks
extra virgin olive oil from Riviera olives, vinegar, juice of ½ lemon
salt and pepper