2 medium shallots 2 garlic cloves 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar ⅔ cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted 1 ½ tablespoon capers, rinsed 2 oil-packed anchovy filets 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 1 cup packed) 2 1/2 ounce packages fresh mint (about 1/2 cup packed) ½ cup tasty extra-virgin olive oil Grated zest of one lemon ¼ cup fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon hot sauce ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Little Green Dress can be kept refrigerated in a sealed container up to 1 month. (Don’t relegate it to the freezer. Little Green Dress doesn’t respond to the lack of attention and cold environment.) Just make sure all the green stuff is submerged in a bit of olive oil to prevent browning.
Notes from Vivian Howard
This recipe is specific in call for a certain variety of olive, shallots instead of onion, and a particular hue of vinegar. But know that it is LGD’s equation that makes it heroic, not its details. To make your own variant of LGD, you need fresh, fragrant herbs; something onion-esque; the combined brine power of olives, capers, and anchovy; and the juxtaposed acid of both vinegar and citrus; and the fruity fat of a good-quality olive oil. Don’t get hung up on the variety of vinegar you don’t have or the fact that you’ve got onion and no shallot. Just follow the equation and taste what happens. This is not the place for dried herbs. The parsley and mint must be fresh and fragrant. And don’t even thin about lemon juice from the bottle. Don’t let some of the ingredients deter you; I’ve knowingly fed this to haters of olives and anchovies alike, and everybody wanted more. However, if you are a vegetarian, omit the anchovies and make LGD anyway.
