The best green sauce

This bright green sauce, a recipe from our friend Margi, takes about 15 minutes to make and adds plenty of colour and a hit of iron to your plate. It’s great to have in the fridge for quick nutritious meals - such as green eggs - and is a wonderful way to use up a bunch of forgotten greens.

Credit: Murdoch Books / Cath Muscat

• makes

  200

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

You can also it in sauces and marinades. 

Ingredients

• 1 bunch English spinach (stems and all) or ½ bunch silverbeet leaves (remove the stems)
• 1 glove garlic, chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp plain flour
• ¼ tsp each salt and black pepper.
• Milk or cream, as needed

Instructions

1. Steam spinach (stems and all) or silverbeet leaves  in a large saucepan, covered, over low heat. Once soft, turn off the heat and allow to cool.

2. Transfer to a food processor with garlic, olive oil, flour, salt and black pepper. Whiz until blended, then add a slurp of milk or cream and whiz again until smooth. If it doesn’t look smooth enough, add some more oil and whiz some more. Taste, adjust the seasoning and store in the fridge for 3–4 days.

To make green eggs: Add 2 tablespoons green sauce to 2 eggs and whisk with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook in a saucepan with a knob of butter over a low heat until scrambled. Serve on toast.

Source: Undefined / Murdoch Books / Cath Muscat

Recipe and image from Use It All by Alex Elliott-Howery and Jaimee Edwards, photography by Cath Muscat. (Murdoch Books, $39.99)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

You can also it in sauces and marinades.