Italian green sauce (Salsa verde)

1. Hard-boil the egg for 9 minutes, cool, peel and use only the yolk.

2. Cut the crust off the slice of bread, soak the crumb in the white wine vinegar, then squeeze it out lightly.

3. Pick the parsley leaves off the stalks and chop them very finely with a sharp knife together with the capers, anchovy fillets and garlic (or pulse briefly in a food processor).

4. Crumble in the bread and egg yolk and mix.

5. Gradually stir in the extra virgin olive oil until you have a thick sauce that just drips off a spoon; season with salt and a little more vinegar if needed.

6. Leave to stand for at least 30 minutes so the flavours blend, and serve with boiled meats (bollito misto), grilled fish or grilled vegetables.

Tip: This is the Piedmontese "bagnet verd" version; chopped by hand it has a nicer texture than blended, and covered with oil it keeps for 3 days in the fridge.