Green Sauce.
Frankfurt prescribes seven herbs. What becomes of them, a star chef taught us.
Borage, chervil, cress, parsley, salad burnet, sorrel, chives: that's been fixed since the herb blend became a protected name. How we turn it into sauce is Alfred Friedrich's recipe from our former Michelin-starred kitchen on the Freßgass, and it stays where it belongs: in the kitchen. What we do reveal are the herbs, where they come from, and what joins them on the plate.
Cold, green, and all of Frankfurt.
Green sauce is the one dish all of Frankfurt agrees on. Cold, made from fresh herbs, served with potatoes and egg. On Maundy Thursday it's on every table in the city, and for the rest of the year families argue about how it should be done.
The herbs grow in Oberrad, the Frankfurt district that has lived from them for generations. Seven it must be, no more, no fewer; that's what the protected blend requires. What you make of them is the kitchen's call: the base, the acidity, the balance of the herbs. In our kitchen, a recipe we never write down makes that call.
On the plate come hard-boiled organic farm eggs, a quail egg, fresh sprouts and peeled boiled potatoes. That's how Frankfurters eat it, and that's how they order it here: as a main course, vegetarian, or as a small portion alongside almost anything else.
Four steps,
no shortcuts.
The recipe comes from Alfred Friedrich, from our former Michelin-starred kitchen. What he left us we don't pass on, but we'll show you what matters.
The HerbsSeven, from Oberrad
The herbs come from the market gardens of Oberrad, a few kilometres up the river, fresh and never from a packet. How they're then prepared is part of the recipe. Freshness is the difference you can taste.
The MakingThe recipe stays in the kitchen
How the herbs become sauce is the secret Friedrich left behind: the base, the acidity, the order of things. We'll say only this much: none of it arrives ready-made.
The EggsFarm egg and quail egg
Hard-boiled organic farm eggs are a must. The quail egg is our addition: for the eye, and because it tastes different from a hen's egg, finer and richer at once.
The PlatePotatoes, boiled and peeled, and sprouts
The potatoes are boiled in their skins and served peeled, so they soak up the sauce. Fresh sprouts add bite and green. Nothing more is needed.
What guests ask.
Can I have the sauce with other dishes?
Yes. As a small portion with any main course and with the sausages. Just say so when you order.
Can I take it away?
Yes, like everything here. Best eaten the same day, the herbs don't like to wait.
What Gino drinks with it.
Dry, from the Rheingau
Herbs and acidity need a wine that can stand up to both. A dry Riesling lifts the herbs instead of covering them.
Höhl from the barrel, in the Bembel
Frankfurt with Frankfurt. The acidity of the apple wine and the acidity of the sauce have belonged together for as long as both have existed.