Pestle Sauce

A bright green sauce, composed primarily of fresh herbs, garlic, and oil (often delivered through addition of oily nuts or small fish preserved in oil), combined and thoroughly crushed with a mortar and pestle, after which they are loosened into a sauce with a splash of white grape Wine or wine vinegar.

Pestle sauce is employed in a number of different ways: in many kitchens, it is prepared in the morning and kept at the ready. Added to soups or other dishes early in cooking softens the flavours, while a dollop at the end gives a punch of garlic and freshness. As a sauce in its own right, it is used broadly: in Eastern School Cuisine pestle sauce (heavy with Pine Nuts) is used to toss wheat noodles for the well-known Bed of Vines dish, while it also serves as a dip for sliced Beef or Dog Meat, or with the addition of citrus zest for Lamb or Horse meats. With the roe of Flounder added to it, a pestle sauce can also be used to dip Western School Cuisine sashimi, or as a topping for raw Oysters.