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Salsa verde is a sauce made by grinding parsley, capers, anchovies, lemon juice and olive oil into a smooth purée. While its flavor - umami-rich and savory - is something to be touted, its versatility is our favorite aspect: This sauce can be served with grilled or roasted meat, fish or poultry, poached fish, boiled or steamed new potatoes, sliced tomatoes, sandwiches and countless other dishes.

We find that a slice of sandwich bread (dried out slightly in a toaster) is the key to creating a sauce that doesn’t separate. The bread also mellows out the potent flavors and helps create balance. And be sure to use a high quality olive oil, as the flavor is an essential component.

When it comes to parsley, you’ll find two types in your grocery store - curly-leaf and flat-leaf (also called Italian). Curly-leaf parsley is the most popular but, in our test kitchen, flat-leaf is by far the favorite. We find flat-leaf to have a sweet, bright flavor that's much preferable to the bitter, grassy tones of curly-leaf (flat-leaf is also much more fragrant than its curly cousin).

Once you master this recipe, you can use the same basic technique to make countless puréed sauces, including pestos, vegetable-based spreads and hummus.

Salsa Verde
(Yield: Generous 3/4 cup)

Ingredients
1 slice white sandwich bread
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon
2 cups fresh Italian parsley leaves, lightly packed
2 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 small garlic clove
1/8 teaspoon table salt

For mise en place:
1. Juice 1 lemon to obtain 2 tablespoons liquid.
2. Wash and dry 2 cups parsley.
3. Drain 2 tablespoons capers to remove all liquid.
4. Peel and mince 1 small garlic clove (about 1/2 teaspoon).
To prepare the bread:
5. Toast 1 slice white sandwich bread in toaster at low setting until surface is dry but not browned, about 15 seconds.
6. Remove crust.
7. Cut bread into rough 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup).
To make the salsa:
8. Process bread pieces, 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice in food processor until smooth, about 10 seconds.
9. Add parsley, 2 anchovy fillets, capers, garlic and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
10. Pulse until mixture is finely chopped (mixture should not be smooth), about five 1-second pulses.
11. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula after 3 pulses.
12. Transfer mixture to small bowl and serve.

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