Salsa Verde

Above: This Lompoc artichoke traveled many miles to the Santa Monica Farmer's Market and to our backyard; the ingredients for this salsa before being whirled together
Father's Day at our house was a fiesta- I made seafood fajitas with a mango-avocado salsa and spicy sour cream. It was also my first time working with scallops and I am a convert! They taste so sinfully buttery even if you haven't added a drop to the recipe and they are super quick and easy to cook. Anyways, the recipe today is actually the appetizer to the Mexican feast above. I made a salsa verde as a dip for artichoke leaves, published in Bon Appetít's April 2007 issue. The sauce is wonderfully tangy and the toasted fennel seeds and capers add levels of complexity to the dip. My family usually just pair our artichokes in humble butter, olive oil or mayo but the stakes have been raised by this recipe. We almost polished off the whole bowl. Fortunately there was some leftover, because my mom had inspiration to try it on some crackly cheesy flatbread and it was amazing! My dad also tried some on a taco and confirmed its versatility with rave reviews. This is my new fav appetizer and I can't wait to try it out at a BBQ or pool party soon! Unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures of the completed appetizer, but trust me, this is a good one to try!

Recipe: Salsa Verde
Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves
2 tbsp. drained and rinsed capers
3 tbsp. chopped shallot
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves
1 anchovy fillet
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. whipping cream
2 tsp. Sherry wine vinegar

Procedure:
Heat small skillet over medium heat. Add fennel seeds and toast until aromatic and beginning to darken, about 2 minutes. Transfer seeds to food processor. Add parsley, capers, shallot, garlic, tarragon, anchovy, and crushed red pepper to processor. Puree untill coarse paste forms, scraping down sides occasionally. Transfer to medium bowl. Whiskin in oil, cream, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

From Bon Appetit April 2007, pg. 120