Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde

“In My Kitchen” – March
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“In My Kitchen” – March

This post is part of a regular monthly gathering of food loving bloggers. “In My Kitchen” is hosted by the lovely Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. It’s a wonderful welcoming community and a facinating look at what is happening in kitchens around the world. Come join us and tell us what is happening in your kitchen.

Here is what’s new in my kitchen this month.

Sourdough starter from Celia, who has gifted the blogging community with little packages of promise. Her starter has gone around the world and I am a bit intimidated by the loaves the children of Priscilla (the name of Celia’s starter) have birthed.

Son of Priscilla

Son of Priscilla

Meet Sam, named after Sam Spade (of “Maltese Falcon” fame) and the gifted writer who created him, Samuel Dashiell Hammett. He lived in San Francisco from 1921 to 1929 and used city locations for his novels. My Sam has returned home, as one of Celia’s original starters came from San Francisco. Sam is also one of those names which can be either male or female, appropriate for yeast.

Here is Sam after the first feeding, bubbling away and ready to go.

Meet Sam

Meet Sam

Also new in my kitchen is a Falcon enamel baker, recommended by Celia for baking crusty sourdough. It came all the way from the U.K., I’ll be using it for the first time today.

Falcon enamel baker

Falcon enamel baker

My first two efforts were rated a C to C+ by the resident critics. I’m hopeful that the enamel pot will increase my score.

This loaf just came out of the oven, it’s 11 pm (well past my usual bedtime). Sam definitely has my number and is in control. But, I think this loaf will get an A from the in-house critics. It smells divine and the falcon baker has made all the difference. Thank you Celia.

Sam - son of Priscilla

Sam – son of Priscilla

Also new in my kitchen is an Emile Henry clay baker. I’ve been reading a lot about cooking in clay lately and am excited to try it.

Clay Baker

Clay Baker

New in my kitchen are two bottles of wine. These were made by my friend Barry Snyder from Crawlspace Cellars. I helped pick and crush the grapes for the rose and we bottled them both this past Saturday. The labels are not ready yet, the two bottles were a reward for an entertaining afternoon of work with the winemakers.

Mouvedre Rose and Zinfandel

Mouvedre Rose and Zinfandel

From my kitchen I can see my orchids blooming, the white one has been in bloom since early December and is still gorgeous. The pink orchid came into bloom the end of last month.

Amazon just delivered the March/April cookbook selection for the Cookbook Guru, an online cookbook bookclub. “The Food of Morocco” is by Paula Wolfert, one of my favorite cookbook writers. I’ve already settled on chicken tagine with prunes and almonds in the style of the Rif mountains as my first dish. Doesn’t that sound delicious? The bookclub is open to everyone if you would like to join in.

The Food of Morocco

The Food of Morocco

Lastly in my kitchen are two sauces, spicy lemon salsa verde and avocado sauce, ready to give instant pizazz to dishes of simple roast meat or vegetables.

Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde
Salsa Verde
Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde
Avocado Sauce
Avocado sauce

Thank you for visiting my kitchen, what is new in your own?

March in the Kitchen – Cod Cheeks with Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde
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March in the Kitchen – Cod Cheeks with Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde

Have you ever seen cod cheeks at the fish store? I don’t often see them but grab them whenever they appear. They look like large scallops (and I think are sometimes used as a cheat for them). The meat is near the bone and makes a flavorful dish.

Cod Cheeks

Cod Cheeks

I find they are best simply sautéed in a combination of butter and olive oil, a little finely chopped garlic added at the end, then a splash of white wine to finish. I served them with spicy lemon salsa verde. You could use chopped parsley and it would be good as well.

  • 1 lb of fresh cod cheeks
  • 2 tablespoons of butter, divided
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 finely chopped garlic clove
  • ¼ cup of dry white wine
  • Salt to taste
  • Optional chopped parsley or spicy lemon salsa verde

 

Cod Cheeks

Cod Cheeks

  1. Pick over the cod cheeks, cutting out any hard bits.
  2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with the olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat.
  3. When the butter has melted and the foaming has stopped, add the cod cheeks to the skillet.
  4. Brown on one side; then turn and brown the other. Continue to cook until they are opaque and white into the center.
  5. Remove the cod to a warm bowl and add the chopped garlic to the skillet, turning the heat down to medium. Cook until softened, do not let the garlic brown or it will be bitter.
  6. Add the white wine to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce until beginning to look syrupy, and then add the last tablespoon of butter. Stir until it melts into a smooth sauce.
  7. Briefly return the cod cheeks to the sauce to coat and serve warm with a chopped parsley garnish or salsa verde.
Cod Cheeks with Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde

Cod Cheeks with Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde

I’m going to share this with the gang at Angie’s on Fiesta Friday #58.

Fiesta Friday

Fiesta Friday

March in the Kitchen – Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde
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March in the Kitchen – Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde

Salsa verde is a green herb sauce with an olive oil base. It is amazingly adaptable to what you have on hand and at its simplest consists of only parsley, garlic, olive oil and salt. In the book “Twelve Recipes” by Cal Peternell, he lists an amazing number of variations. Replace the parsley with basil (a simple version of pesto), cilantro, or chervil; or add a bit of rosemary, sage, and savory (finely chopped) along with the parsley; or add a chopped hard-boiled egg; anchovies are good; capers, chopped pickles…I think you get the picture.

This is a basic sauce that will last a week in the fridge. It has endless uses and will dress up everything from scrambled eggs to roast cauliflower. I used the last drops in a pasta dish (look for a future post) and it was delicious.

This is simple to make, you could hand chop everything but I simply put everything in my food processor and chopped them until it was a lovely green mess. The chili adds a punch; add a whole one if you like more spice. I wanted the lemon to shine through and kept the heat in control. A pinch of red pepper flakes would work if you don’t have a chili handy.

The sauce is a spring day in the middle of winter.

Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde

  • 1 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 lemons – zest and juice
  • 1 large shallot, skinned and roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, skinned and roughly chopped
  • ½ Serrano chili, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1/3 cup of olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde

Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde

  1. Dump all the ingredients except the olive oil into the bowl of your food processor and process until finely chopped.
  2. Add the olive oil and continue to process until it becomes a smooth sauce.
  3. Taste for salt, mine needed the entire teaspoon.
Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde

Done!

Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde

Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde

It was wonderful on a simple vegetable side dish of roast cauliflower steaks and elevated a somewhat bland (but amazingly adaptable) vegetable to new heights.

Roast Cauliflower Steaks

Roast Cauliflower Steaks

Roast Cauliflower with Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde

Roast Cauliflower with Spicy Lemon Salsa Verde