Green sauces are almost forgotten but are some of the tastiest, healthiest, and quickest to make.
You’ve just got to start making green sauce. Almost no one knows about it. No one I know makes it. Some people buy pesto and that’s usually where it ends. Making your own is so much better. You can choose the freshest herbs, fruits and vegetables, freshly crushed garlic and most important good fresh healthy oil. Flax Farm Flaxseed Oil gives you that important omga-3 and a helping of sauce gives you a good daily helping of omega-3. By all means add olive oil too if you have a super flavoursome one it mixes well with the Flaxseed Oil. If you don’t make green sauce you are missing out on one of the easiest tastiest foods there is and one of the healthiest. As sauces go it’s one of the easiest to make.
Delicious and Versatile
Most foods are improved by the addition of oil, herbs, garlic, and spices. Green sauce bursts with flavour and is great to accompany lighter summer meals, barbecues, fish, chicken, pasta and bean dishes but goes with almost anything and is great just on bread or crackers. Make it however you like – add the ingredients your taste buds want, it doesn’t have to be any “authentic” combination of herbs because even the most traditiona sauces are made a little differently from place to place. You can swap ingredients of traditional green sauce for what you like and have available.
Very quick and easy to make
In previous centuries making Green Sauce involved much scraping and pounding in mortar and pestle. Today all you need to do is remove any woody or tough stems from herbs, remove pips or stones from fruit and put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender – most compact processors and hand blenders usually work fine – and blend until it’s the consistency you want. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve. Lasts a few days in the fridge.
Amazingly nutritious
FLAXSEED OIL FOR OMGA-3
Making Flax Farm Flaxseed Oil the starting point for your green sauce is the easiest way to make a super healthy sauce full of wonderful omega-3, ALA.
GREEN HERBS FOR VITAMINS, MINERALS AND PHYTONUTRIENTS
The different green sauce ingredients is a concentrated source of vital nutrients. Green leaves provide vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin E, vitamin C, beta-carotene, folate, vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5 and, B6, phytonutrients, fibre, and soluble fibre, Nuts and seeds provide protein, omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids and vitamin E.
GARLIC
Garlic, almost universal in green sauce, has a great reputation for its health benefits. Some of its health giving properties comes from allicin, a sulphur compound with powerful antimicrobial, antioxidant and many therapeutic properties.
NUTRITIONAL YEAST FOR VITAMIN B
Adding nutritional yeast means you add loads of B vitamins but no saturated fats and as a bonus important trace elements including, selenium, manganese and molybdenum.
NUTS AND FRUTS FOR GOOD FATS, VITAMIN C AND VITAMIN E
Fruits such as avocado, lemon and lime which also have a place in some green sauces and add other good fats, vitamin C and phytonutrients.
Suitable for most special diets
Flax Farm Green Sauce with Flaxseed Oil is ideal for most restricted diets including Paleo, Keto, OMS and the Budwig diet and gives a welcome boost of flavour and goodness.
Having done my research into green sauce I can say variations are found almost everywhere in the world but green sauce is a catch-all name. There is no definitive green sauce, it varies by country, region, household, what’s available and what the cook fancies that day.
In the UK our green sauce heritage is almost forgotten. The UK hasn’t traditionally made “oils” for eating but we’ve always had butter and herb butters were commonly used especially with fish but recent times they too have been rather forgotten. Mint sauce is the only commonly used green sauce at British tables.
Benefits of Flax
Flax Farm Flaxseed Oil is cold-pressed and full of omega-3. It’s a lovely light, creamy flavoured oil that compliments the herbs and other ingredients. It is an unfiltered oil which helps make it less “oily” and emulsifies the sauce better. A little Ground Flaxseed, 1 -2 tablespoons can make the sauce a little thicker and more substantial, nutritionally beneficial for the digestion and adding the magic fibre of flaxseed helps control your blood sugar spikes which is useful if a meal contain, pasta, potatoes, bread or other carbs. Ground flaxseed also helps keep you feeling fuller for longer and helps fend off the temptation to snack.
For flavoursome healthy meals bring back Green Sauce now!!
We need more flavour and more nutrients in our food and this is an easy way to do it.
Common Green Sauces from around the World
Flax Farm Flaxseed Oil can be used as the oil in any of these green sauces.
Chermoula
| garlic, cumin, coriander, oil, lemon juice, and salt. Regional variations may also include preserved lemons, onion, ground chili peppers, black pepper, saffron, and other herbs. | |
Chimichurri
| chopped flat leaf parsley, other seasonings vary, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, black pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, and sunflower or olive oil is typical (plus a shot of hot water). Some recipes add shallot or onion, and lemon juice. | |
Pipián | is a sauce from Mexican cuisine made with puréed greens and thickened with ground pumpkin seeds. tomatillos poblano, serrano and jalapeño. ancho chile, peanuts and spices such as cinnamon, cumin and garlic. | The sauce is said to have origins in the ancient Aztec, Purepecha and Mayan cuisines |
Green saucesauce verte, salsa verde | Dates back at least to Middle Ages, one of the most common sauces of medieval cookery, 18th century. The German variant uses a different mix of herbs, since Mediterranean herbs were not available, Apicius (5th century CE) mentions a Ius viride in avibus (‘Green sauce for fowl’) consisting of pepper, caraway, spikenard, cumin, bay leaves, a variety of green herbs, dates, honey, vinegar, wine, broth, and oil. Spain, salsa verde usually refers to a fish sauce. The sauce is prepared using a base made of garlic and onion sofrito the final steps, parsley is added, giving the sauce its characteristic green colour, Depending on the fish and on the region, other green herbs may be employed as well, including spinach, fresh savory, watercress, or tarragon Italy parsley, vinegar, capers, garlic, onion, anchovies, olive oil, and possibly mustard. French sauce verte au pain was already known in the Renaissance, and was originally a bread sauce, modern variation mayonnaise flavoured with tarragon, and sometimes parsley and sage. Lemon juice is often used instead of vinegar. Grüne Soße is a specialty from the German state of Hesse. Made with sour cream, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and added hard boiled eggs namely parsley, chives, chervil, borage, sorrel, garden cress, and salad burnet. Ingredient variations by local areas and by season include dill, shallots, lovage, lemon balm and even spinach. In more frugal times, daisy leaves, broad plantain leaves and dandelion have been used. Buttermilk, quark, or yogurt can be instead of sour cream. UK, herbs, especially sorrel, mixed with vinegar and sugar. 12th century in the writings of Alexander Neckham. His recipe included sage, parsley, dittany, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and a spice which is little-known nowadays, costus.. Sorrel was so heavily used in green sauce that sorrel itself was sometimes called “greensauce”. The UK’s most famous green sauce is mint sauce, just mint, vinegar, and salt, commonly a pinch of sugar is added.
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Herb Butter | Herb butters have been popular in the UK. The UK seldom grew oil seeds fot human consumption but where butter has been readily available, Just like green sauce it is made from finely chopped herbs, parsley, spinach, mint, chives and sage being common with a bit of acidity added from either sorrel leaves or lemon juice. | |
Gremolata
| Gremolata is a green sauce in Milanese cuisine based on parsley, lemon peel, citrus fruits (lime, orange, grapefruit, etc.) may be used. and garlic, variations, such as leaving out the herbs (parsley, cilantro/coriander, mint, sage) or the feature (garlic, finely grated fresh horseradish, minced shallot), or adding another item (pecorino romano cheese, anchovy, toasted pine nuts, grated bottarga).
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Pesto
| Is made from crushed garlic, European pine nuts, salt, basil leaves and hard cheese such as Parmesan or pecorino. In other countries Coconut, avocado, parsley, carrots, coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, perilla leaf, spirulina and walnuts may be used. | |
Green CorianderChutney | Madhur Jaffrey’s ingredients 60g (2oz)coriander leaves, finely chopped 2 tbsp roughly chopped hot green chillies 5-6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 7.5cm (3 inch) peeled root ginger, chopped ½ tsp salt Blend the above Heat 1 tbsp olive oil, heat ¼ tsp mustard seeds and ¼ tsp cumin seeds, 4 fresh curry leaves, shredded and a pinch of ground asafoetida until the seeds start to pop, add to the green ingredients with 2 tbsp lemon juice and extra (flaxseed)oil to taste. | |
Pesto alla trapanese
| Garlic, basil, almonds, grated pecorino siciliano, tomatoes, salt, and black pepper, and bound with extra virgin olive oil. | |
Zhug/ Zhoug | Yemen. fresh red or green hot peppers (like bird’s eye chillies or, less traditionally, jalapeños seasoned with coriander, garlic, salt, black cumin (optional) and parsley, and then mixed with olive oil Some also add lemon juice, caraway seed, cardamom, and black pepper.
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Guacamole | Mexico. made by mashing peeled, ripe avocados and salt. Other ingredients can include lime juice, cilantro, onions, and jalapeños. Some non-traditional recipes may call for sour cream, tomatoes, basil, or peas | |
Guacamole falso | Substitute ingredients are sometimes used in place of avocados to produce a thick green sauce called guacamole falso (fake guacamole). Common substitutes include summer squash, green tomatoes and oil-fried jalapeños
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Wasakaka/ guasacaca | Venezuela the sauce is made from avocados, olive oil, salt, pepper, lime juice or vinegar, cilantro, parsley, green bell peppers, onions, Worcestershire, garlic, and chili peppers. Dominican Republic the sauce is made with lime or sour orange juice, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and olive oil. | |
Mojo | Blend of olive oil, local pepper varieties (called pimienta in the Spain), garlic, paprika (called pimentón in Spain), cumin or coriander, and other spices. Mojo originated in the Canary Islands, where the main varieties are green mojo (mojo verde), red mojo (mojo rojo), and spicy red mojo (mojo picón). red peppers, chili, garlic, cumin, red wine vinegar, salt, and olive oil. [1] Other countries have recipes similar to mojo, where acidic ingredients such as vinegar, lemon, orange, or lime juice, green pepper) but also coriander mojo (mojo de cilantro) and parsley | |
Salmoriglio | A southern Italian condiment made of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and herbs (such as oregano and parsley). It is common in Sicily and Calabria as an accompaniment to seafoods or meats, especially swordfish. Salmoriglio shares the same etymology as Spanish salmorejo (from Latin salimuria meaning “brine”). | The salt is an aid to keeping it from going off. |
Persillade | French in origin. A sauce or seasoning mixture of parsley chopped together with seasonings including garlic, herbs, oil, and vinegar. | |
Green Tahini | Tahini, garlic, lemon, coriander (or parsley or dill) lemon juice, salt, water | |
Flax Farm Green sauce | You can follow any traditional green sauce recipes and just use Flax Farm Flaxseed Oil for omega-3 instead of the more usual oil. But experimenting with Cold-pressed Flaxseed oil and any of the above mentioned ingredients can make magical sauces. Garlic is fairly standard ingredient but you can leave it out if you don’t like it, shallots or red or brown onion also work. Plenty of green herbs, one variety you really like or mix, select what works with the rest of the meal, what’s available or what you fancy. Great way to use foraged ingredients such as wild garlic, three-cornered-leek, (any foraged herbs make sure they are easy to ID and you are certain about them). Tasty cruciferous veg, rocket, kale, watercress, garden cress. For flavour and thickening nutritional yeast, parmesan cheese, beans, sweet peppers, celery, avocado, cooked pulses, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seed , nuts, carrots. A little vinegar, lemon or lime juice, salt, black pepper or other spices to taste. Olives, anchovies, chillies, capers and Dijon, Moutarde de Meaux or other seedy mustard are all tasty additions or even the basis of some sauces. Decide what to use based on what you will be eating it with. When is it a green sauce or just a green dip? You can’t really draw a line, but made with Flax Farm Flaxseed Oil and handfuls of fresh green herbs, garlic, veggies etc it’s going to be really tasty and super healthy. | |
Green Sauce with Flax Farm Flaxseed Oil
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 150 ml Flax Farm Flaxseed Oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic peeled optional
- Fresh parsley, coriander, basil or other green herbs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 Tbsp good wine or sherry vinegar, lemon or lime juice
- Other herbs, spices, vegetables, fruits and seasoning as required
- 1-2Tbsp Flax Farm Ground Flaxseed Optional.
- 1-3 Tbsp Nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese or similar Optional
Instructions
- Remove the woody or coarser stems, remove any pips or stones
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, and blend.
- Season to taste and serve. Store in fridge for up to four days but best eaten the day you make it.
