Gremolata

Raw lemon zest, parsley and garlic chopped together and added at the end.

Beef, Veal, Fish. Not vegetarian — contains beef, fish, veal.

Ingredients

• zest of 2 lemons, pared and finely chopped
• a large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 anchovy fillet, if the dish is beef or veal

Method

1. Pare the zest with a knife rather than grating it, taking no white pith, then chop it finely.
2. Chop the parsley and garlic, and the anchovy if using, then chop all of it together on the board so the oils mix.
3. NOTHING IS COOKED AND NOTHING IS WETTED. There is no oil in it and it is not a dressing — it is a dry mixture whose job is to be raw.
4. ADD IT IN THE LAST FIVE MINUTES, or scatter it at the table. Stirred in early, the zest turns bitter and the parsley goes khaki, and the lift it exists to give a long-braised dish is gone.
5. Make it the same day. It dulls within hours.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes