Simple Raw Green Sauce

This is about as primitive as it gets. Take some garlic, capers, anchovy, and parsley, and smash it up in a molcajete, or other mortar and pestle type grinding device. Add a little oil and vinegar, possibly a pinch of salt and pepper, and you have maybe the world's greatest grilled meat condiment.

The sharpness of the sauce, and the brightness of the flavors makes for a perfect marriage with the smoky meat and its subtly bitter grill marks. As I say in the video, the secret here isn't the ingredients, as you can really use any kind of green herbs you want, but it's the grinding and smashing.

Certain things happen to hand-ground food that just don't occur in a food processor. You can check a site like Cooking for Engineers for the scientific reason, but tasting is believing.

By the way, these little molcajetes make for a great gift. I should know – I was given this one at the Hotel Valencia on my recent trip with the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau.

So remember, it's a long grilling season, and you're going to need to switch things up now and again. When you do, this simple, raw, green sauce will not disappoint. Enjoy!




Ingredients: (warning: I guessed at these amounts, as this is not a recipe that requires precise measurements – do everything "to taste")
2 large cloves garlic
pinch of salt
2 teaspoon capers
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/4 cup packed Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or any vinegar or lemon juice)
2 tablespoon olive oil

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