Grill/Barbecue

The Semi-German Green Sauce

by:
June 30, 2013
4
4 Ratings
The Semi-German Green Sauce
  • Makes 3 to 4 cups
Author Notes

Speaking of herbs, and the color green, I consider it one of the greatest oversights in the world of cooking that so many of us cherish Italian salsa verde, Argentinian chimicurri and French sauce verte, and yet so few know of the German green sauce (Grüne Soße), one of greatest green sauces ever. This oversight can be partially attributed to the fact that some of the herbs required (borage, sorrel, chervil, salad burnet, lovage, lemon balm, to name the few) are not easy to source, even in Germany. A devotee of the German green sauce, I occasionally grow the herbs on my windowsill. However, far more often I turn to what’s available at the market, and make this equally yummy green cousin. I serve it with steamed fish, boiled baby potatoes, grilled lamb chops, and hard boiled eggs. —QueenSashy

Test Kitchen Notes

A good condiment is invaluable, especially in the summer. A batch of grune sosse can see you through the week: swiped through with a slice of bread, folded through a bowl of steamed vegetables, or, as I used my first spoonful, swirled through soba noodles. Compared to other grune sosse recipes, this one is weighted toward herbs over dairy, which gives it the strength of a good pesto, but livelier. —MBobinski

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 cups packed sorrel
  • 1 1/2 cups packed chives
  • 1 cup packed parsley
  • 1/2 cup packed dill
  • 1/4 cup packed tarragon
  • 6 to 8 tablespoons Greek yogurt
  • 6 to 8 tablespoons crème fraîche (or European-style sour cream)
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons buttermilk
  • 4 hard boiled eggs
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower (or other neutral) oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
  1. Sieve or purée the egg yolks. (Keep the whites for another use.) Slowly add the oil and mix to form a smooth paste. Add the crème fraîche and mix well, until creamy.
  2. Chop all the herbs very finely. Add the yogurt and buttermilk and mix well. (Alternatively, you can mix the herbs, buttermilk, and yogurt, and then chop in a food processor. Make sure you do not over-process.) Add the creamy egg base, and mix well until fully combined. Season with salt and pepper, and if needed, adjust by adding more yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream, according to taste.
  3. Boil some veggies, fish, or eggs, or grill some lamb, and serve.
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QueenSashy
Aleksandra aka QueenSashy is a scientist by day, and cook, photographer and doodler by night. When she is not writing code and formulas, she blogs about food, life and everything in between on her blog, Three Little Halves. Three Little Halves was nominated for 2015 James Beard Awards and the finalist for 2014 Saveur Best Food Blog Awards. Aleksandra lives in New York City with her other two halves, Miss Pain and Dr. V.

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4 Reviews

taxidog
taxidog January 13, 2015
I fell in love with grunesosse a few years back during a trip to Germany and miss it more with each white potato I eat. This sounds like the best recipe yet. Can't wait for spring to get a bunch of fresh herbs.
 
Greenstuff
Greenstuff July 20, 2013
I usually make sauce gribiche to go with slow-roasted salmon, but Queen Sashy's recipe reminded me how much I love the green sauces of northern Europe. My salmon was already in the oven when I happened to spot it, and using her food processor option, it was ready in no time. Unlike many sorrel sauces, this one keeps its vibrant green and was so delicious my guests didn't leave me any to use on anything else. Like vvvanessa, I'll be making it again.
 
vvvanessa
vvvanessa July 20, 2013
I've made this twice in the past couple of weeks and am putting it on everything: in chicken salad and egg salad, on toast with tomatoes, on roasted veggie sandwiches. I have the good fortune of having access to a garden with a prolific patch of sorrel, so I'm making this as long as the herbs keep coming!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot July 3, 2013
This sounds great! As an Italian salsa verde lover, I can't wait to try your Grüne Soße.