Little Green Dress Sauce

1. In a small food processor mince the shallots and garlic, then stir them together in a small bowl with the red wine vinegar. (We want the shallots to pickle a bit, so set mixture aside about 20 minutes.)

2. Meanwhile, mince the olives, capers, and anchovies in the food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl. Pick the leaves and small stems from the parsley and the leaves from the mint; mince in the food processor. (It may take a little while to get them all fully processed.) Transfer herbs to the bowl with the olive mixture.

3. Add the pickled shallot mixture, lemon zest, lemon juice, hot sauce, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to the bowl with everything else. Stir it all together and let the vinegary puddle of green sit for a minimum of 30 minutes before serving. Makes 2 cups.

Tips

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.

Tips

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.

Tips

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.