MANGIA FIRENZE'S
Salsa Verde

This sauce from the Mangia Firenze kitchen may be simple, but captures the essence of Tuscan cuisine. Based on pickled caper flowers and parsley, it is similar to pesto but much more flavorful.

Traditionally, salsa verde accompanies boiled meats, together with mustard (senape, in Italian) or mostarda, a chutney-like mixture of fruit stewed with ground mustard seeds and other spices. Other ways to enjoy salsa verde? Stir it into canned tuna for a great tuna salad. Blend it with the yolks of hard boiled eggs for a variation on deviled eggs. Add it to mayonnaise for topping on a hamburger or grilled fish. Or, and this is our favorite, mix it into a bowl of boiled string beans and potatoes. Squisito!

• A handful of parsley
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 anchovy filet
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 slice white bread
• Red wine vinegar

Using a sharp knife or mezzaluna (the Italian "food processor"), finely chop together the parsley, capers, garlic, anchovy and pine nuts. Remove the crusts from the bread and dip it into the wine vinegar. Squeeze out the excess liquid and crumble it into the parsley mixture. Add the olive oil and blend. Season to taste with extra vinegar, oil and salt.

Everyone should try being Italian at least once a year! MANGIA FIRENZE offers exciting custom culinary adventures combining Florentine food, art and culture. Try the online recipes of our website at home tonight, sit back and enjoy a vintage postcard tour of Florence, learn about the city's hidden restaurants and bars...and much more. Taste the Tuscany of the Tuscans online, and come experience it in person!