Salsa verde recipe

Home cook and author Julia Busuttil Nishimura knows a thing or two about cooking simple and delicious food that everybody loves.

“This delicious, zingy herb sauce will go with any main dish you choose. Whether it be vegetables, beautiful seafood like crayfish or scallops, or even roast pork or ham. It's a really versatile addition to your Christmas table and can be made the day before,” says Julia.

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove
• Small bunch of parsley, leaves picked
• Small bunch mint, leaves picked
• 2 anchovy fillets (optional)
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ cup (125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Finely chop the garlic, then add the herbs and continue to chop, adding the capers and anchovies (optional).
2. Continue chopping until everything is roughly incorporated. Alternatively, blitz all of the ingredients together in a food processor.
3. Transfer to a small bowl, squeeze in the vinegar and mix in enough olive oil so that sauce is drizzling consistency.
4. Season to taste.

Main Wine Match

Wine Merchant Mark Law from Dan Murphy’s Top Ryde walks us through his versatile wine favourites for a main course. “You’re expecting the food to be quite rich and you're expecting quite a spread. You want something that's going to appeal to a lot of guests but also match lots of different foods.”

Recommended wine match: Te Kairanga Estate Pinot Noir 750mL. “People classically think of white wine for fish, however there are some red wines that can go quite nicely too. This pinot noir is one of them, but it can also go dark for something gamey like venison or even kangaroo,” says Mark.

Discover more recipes, drink matches, and entertaining tips in our The Less Work, More Joy Guide to Holiday Entertaining.