In Porto Ercole there is a hole-in-the-wall pizzeria called Grano, where they sell long trays of fresh-out-of-the-oven pizza, cut into squares and sold by the slice. This particular topping is inspired by one of my favourites from Grano: anchovies and salsa verde, a zingy, bright sauce of parsley and capers. It packs quite the punch and you won’t even miss the cheese.
The salsa verde recipe is adapted from a recipe from Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (1891). It makes about 200 g of salsa, so it’s much more than you’ll need for this pizza – but it is so good, you’ll want to have extra. It keeps well in a glass jar in the fridge and is a great sauce to have on hand for topping anything from simple grilled fish or meat to boiled eggs and boiled new potatoes. It’s even good on toast.
While the parsley lends this sauce its bright colour, its name and its volume, it is really the capers that give it its distinct, punchy flavour. Go for capers packed in salt (rather than brine) for superior flavour. The same goes for the anchovies. Salt-packed anchovies are my preference, even if anchovies preserved in oil are more convenient. Just don’t skimp on soaking these ingredients properly before using – and taste for seasoning before adding any extra salt.
If you’re making these for a snack, this amount will serve six. As a meal, it serves two hungry people who want their own whole pizza.