Kasseler Grüne Soße

Kasseler Grüne Soße is North Hessian spring food, strongest around Kassel, and it belongs on the table from Gründonnerstag through Easter and then as long as the herbs are good. After winter's potatoes, eggs, dairy, and the smoked and pickled larder, a bowl of green herbs is not decoration. It is the season arriving in a spoon.

Frankfurt guards its seven-herb packet: borage, chervil, cress, parsley, salad burnet, sorrel, and chives. Kassel argues differently. Here I use dill and lemon balm, no chervil and no cress, and I leave the herbs visibly chopped in a Schmand sauce. Im Norden anders, im Süden anders. Here 'Kasseler' means the city, not the smoked pork. Keep up.

The technique that decides it is simple: chop by hand and salt at the end. A blender bruises the herbs and turns the sauce wet and bitter, while early salt drags water out of every cut edge. Dry herbs, sharp knife, cold Schmand, short rest. Erst verstehen, dann kochen.

Serve it with boiled potatoes and eggs for the cleanest plate, or with cold cooked beef if Sunday left you some. Nicht aus dem Glas. The jar has no season in it.