Green Goddess Sauce

The rain and the lengthening days and a little warm weather, and all of a sudden everything in the garden has fresh green shoots.

And the very best way I know to use heaps of those soft green herbs is Green Goddess Sauce. There are a million versions of Green Goddess sauce or dressing on the internet. So this is my garden-based version. (And, like all my recipes, it’s all measured by rule of thumb and based on what you have in the garden or can forage).

You start with a lot of fresh, soft Spring herbs. I used something like two cups full. You can use a big variety – pick any herbs you like. (Because it isn’t cooked, the flavours get complex rather than muddy, so it’s not so important to think about combinations). I avoid the woody Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and sage but just about any soft, leafy green herbs can go in. For this batch I used parsley, English spinach, and rocket as the bulk, with mint, chives and fennel as the next layer, and a little bit of lemon thyme, tarragon and coriander as accents. There are lots of other options – dandelion, sorrel, dill, basil, nasturtium leaves, cress and chickweed all go well in it too. I like lots of rocket for the peppery-ness, but I go easy on the tarragon, because I don’t love licorice flavours, (but I find a little bit of it adds a layer I like).

Then it needs about a cupful, altogether, of creamy things. For this batch I used half an avocado, about half a cup of homemade mayonnaise, and a couple of big spoonfuls of plain yoghurt. Sour cream, cashew cream and tahini go well in it too. Use any one or any combination.

Then it needs something salty and unami. I used 2 anchovies, but capers, green olives, and pickled nasturtium seed “false capers” all go well.

Then a clove of garlic, a pinch of salt, and juice of quarter of a lemon, or more to taste, depending on how much was in your mayonnaise. Blend it all together – I used a stick blender, but a jug or bullet blender or food processor would work fine too. Taste and adjust. If in doubt, add lemon juice and/or salt. It needs a tang.

It will keep for a few days in the fridge, but it’s so easy to make, it’s best made fresh when you want it, as a salad dressing, a sauce, a dip, a spread. We had half of this batch drizzled over roast carrots, celeriac, parsnips, beets, sweet potato, red onions and cauliflower, for dinner, and the rest dollopped on poached eggs on sourdough toast the next morning, and it was divine.