Chopped fresh or incorporated into sauces or pesto, herbs make  magic happen. The magical properties of herbs elevate your kitchen creations from just so-so to so, so special.  They add character and dimension – a special you twist!

A simple bowl of salad greens is easily amped-up with the addition of freshly chopped herbs.  A grilled salmon filet is transported from average to excellent with a few sprigs of fresh dill. The sour notes of the dill offsets the fattiness of the salmon.  Toss a sprig of rosemary into the basting butter with your steak and move it from ordinary to extraordinary.

Adding freshly chopped herbs as a standalone ingredient is great. However, a dollop of a herb-laden sauce or pesto atop or along side your culinary creation is truly transformative adding tons of flavor.

Today, I’m offering you my versions of three sauces.  I’ve adapted two that were originally published in The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook (1994), and the third was recently published on Pinch of Yum.

I’ve modified the original version to suit my taste or available ingredients.  I encourage you to do the same and let your imagination guide you!  The permutations are virtually limitless.

The biggest difference between my version vs the original is less oil.  I prefer my sauces (and vinaigrette for that matter) tart with the flavors of vinegars and citrus juice versus thick and fatty with oil.  If I need more oil to pull a dish together it can be drizzled at the end.

We’re going global…

• a Sauce Verte – a French green sauce
• a Salsa Verde – an Italian green sauce
• an Avocado Sauce – a Mexican green sauce

In addition to their capacity to provide wonderful flavor boosts, herbs are literally nutritional powerhouses.  I encourage you to go to www.nutrition-and-you.com and search on different herbs to see for yourself the health benefits that these delicious, fragrant bits of green provide.

Shades of green… thanks for visiting Palatable Life.

Be inspired,
Diane

P.S. As I wrote this post, I struggled with calling these creations “sauce”.  Thinking that the word sauce conjures up an image of something that flows, so I consulted my pals at The American Heritage Dictionary… and my struggle ended 🙂

sauce (sôs)

• n.  A flavorful seasoning or relish served as an accompaniment to food, especially a liquid dressing or topping for food.
• n.  Stewed fruit, usually served with other foods.
• n.  Something that adds zest, flavor, or piquancy.