Characteristic: sauce/dressing

  I talk about vinaigrettes and suggestions for keeping salads interesting here but having a good, basic vinaigrette on hand merits its own post.     I keep my Dressing Jar in the fridge, ready for any lettuces, vegetables--raw or cooked--or grains or beans that might need enlivening. It literally is often the key to quickly turning something into a meal.   You can make this version or use a different vinegar, oil, herb(s), etc. I typically make a batch and then continue topping it off, as needed, for 2 weeks or so and then use it up, clean the jar and start over. Dressing ingredients (vinegars, oils) keep very well so you can do this less often too.   Add fresh tarragon or dill, chives, basil, parsley or most any tender herb to offer some variety when using it.  ... Read more »

This sauce is inspired by my friend Bryant Terry's Spicy Mustard Greens in his book Afro-Vegan. I've changed it quite a bit but the combination of flavors is mostly his and it's such a treat to find a jar of this in your fridge. I, as Bryant suggests, stir some into rice or couscous I'm cooking but I also love it on toast (with a little goat cheese if you'd like) or with beans or tossed with roasted vegetables or with eggs.   I started making this with radish and turnips tops I needed to use up--I was purchasing lots of radishes and turnips for a series of cooking classes and the greens weren't going to keep that long so I turned them into this sauce (which  keeps well for 4-5 days) and you could certainly use most any leafy green you can think of and in any combination.    ... Read more »

I made this sauce, which is not unlike others I make (salsa verde etc.), based on a one-line suggestion on a Facebook thread by my friend Charlene Murdock of Nana Cardoon. It's as variable as you need it to be. .. use whatever herbs and oils and vinegars you have. I particularly like this combination but continue to vary it depending on what I have. Use it with fish or meat, roasted vegetables, over grains or eggs or any way you see fit. ... Read more »

I used to buy harissa but eventually switched to making my own in large batches and freezing several jars. I tend to triple the below recipe. Harissa is a spicy paste/sauce common in Tunisia and Morocco and other countries of the Mahgreb. I also make a green version with green chilis and cilantro and mint.   The chilis: In true cook-with-what-you-have fashion I use whatever dried and/or fresh peppers I have on hand and no two batches I make are ever quite the same.   I've used: Dried Aci Sivri peppers (a milder type of cayenne) Dried New Mexico Chilies Sweet and semi-hot fresh peppers--red bell peppers or roasters, anaheim and poblano peppers and jalapeños even.   It's a flexible condiment/paste and will be delicious in many variations. Use roasted Anaheims or Poblanos and sweet peppers and no dried peppers at all if that's what you have. The freshly toasted cumin, coriander and caraway seeds are key though. Try to toast your own and grind in the moment if you can.   It's delicious with eggs, stirred into hummus, spread with goat cheese on little toasts, with fish, in a soup, in this delicious dish of bulgur and greens, cabbage with harissa and cilantro or cauliflower and mizuna, with beans, as a sandwich spread, by itself or mixed with  mayo (this is especially good with avocado and pickled onions on good, toasted bread) . . .... Read more »

  This is delicious and rich from the pumpkin seeds. It’s wonderful with fish, poached chicken, shrimp or simply over roasted or steamed vegetables with tortillas or rice. If using white fish fillets or shrimp you will add them to the sauce raw, if using chicken, have it poached or pre-cooked in some way and then add—see below.... Read more »

  I was supposed to bring coleslaw to a dinner party yet had little time to go to the store for cabbage. I discovered plenty of kale and sorrel in my own garden and made this slaw instead. It's a keeper and is, as are most things, easily adaptable to what you happen to have/like. You can also change the ratio of vegetables to suit your needs.... Read more »

This dressing is good on a variety of salads; simply with greens and toasted seeds or with a more robust version of cucumbers, fresh corn kernels, sweet peppers and even cooked potatoes or broccoli. You really can use most anything!  ... Read more »

I make aioli starting in the spring when asparagus and snap peas show up. I love dipping blanched vegetables in it and making egg salad with aioli or spreading it thickly on toast and topping with whatever else I have on hand, until the tomatoes arrive and then it's tomatoes and cucumbers . . . and then green beans and artichokes get dipped. I sometimes plenty of basil or chives or parsley and tarragon. I thin it out to make salad dressings, top halves of hard-boiled eggs with it for a fake deviled egg. It's also perfect on a simply cooked piece of fish, chicken or any meat.  ... Read more »

When you have a lot of garlic scapes and if you are sensitive to lots of raw garlic (as it is in garlic scape pesto) then this is a great way to prepare them . . . .or a good reason to buy a big bunch at the farmers' market! You can make a smaller batch of either of these, just scale down to suit your needs and taste as you go.   I made two versions, both with sautéed garlic scapes which sweetens and mellows them significantly. One version is more of a spread really that is perfect in a sandwich or as a part of bruschetta or stirred into deviled eggs or egg salad and one a bit saucier and great with meat, fish, simple boiled or roasted potatoes, beans, etc. [caption id="attachment_6049" align="alignleft" width="382"] I served the saucier version, below) with roasted potatoes and sausages and loved it.[/caption]... Read more »

This is a versatile, bright Italian herb sauce. I often just make it with parsley, garlic, lemon juice or vinegar, oil and salt but the addition of capers and little onion makes it a little richer. Some versions include a couple of anchovies. And some include a hard boiled egg, the yolk mashed and combined with the other ingredients and the white, finely chopped and stirred in at the end. You don’t need to use a food processor and sometimes I prefer the slightly rougher texture of it when all is chopped by hand but I often use the processor.... Read more »

This takes minutes to stir together and uses those beautiful fennel fronds that are often still attached to the fennel bulbs in your CSA share or at the market. And garlic scapes, the sometimes straight, sometimes curly shoots from hard neck garlic plants are juicy and tender and pack a nice garlicky punch in this sauce. You might serve this sauce with grilled fennel and garlic scapes and grilled salmon. Makes about 2/3 cup sauce.... Read more »

Garlic scape pesto is spicy and fresh and creamy and delicious in a variety of dishes. I make it with either a handful or two of parsley or basil tossed in and a good squeeze of lemon juice. ... Read more »

  Over the years I've come to use scallions/green onions and spring onions (above) regularly. These lovely, long elegant onions that show up at the markets and CSA shares in late spring deserve to be made the center of a dish like in these very quick to make pancakes. And market/CSA scallions and spring onions tend to come with all the tops and please use them all. Spring onions vary in size. I like to use quite small ones (about 1-inch thick and 2-3 inches long) but just be sure you have a good mix of onion bulb and green stalk.  ... Read more »

  I have many versions of homemade mayonnaise and aioli on this site. This one came about one spring to use up a half bunch of dill that was about to go south. I used it as a dip for fat spears of steamed asparagus one day and spread it on sandwiches the next and dressed arugula with it the third. It's delicious with tarragon, parsley, basil or other tender herbs.... Read more »

-inspired by smittenkitchen.com   Good for a crowd, good at room temperature and just robust and beautiful and tasty! You can scale this however you want but it's worth making a good amount and the potatoes can always be warmed up the next day if you have any leftover, and you could use leftover potatoes to make a hash or add to a scramble and top with more romesco.... Read more »

--inspired by Cooking in the Moment by Andrea Reusing (this book is a great investment!)   There are many variations for this herby sauce that improves anything it touches. It is a bit richer and more complex than the Italian-style salsa verde I frequently make. I particularly like this herb combination (parsley, tarragon, dill) but play around with different ratios and herb combinations including basil and mint, if you'd like.   You can chop everything by hand (as I did above) or process in a food processor, it will be saucier/looser if you process. I kept the above version a bit drier (less oil) so I could use it as a sandwich spread as well. I usually use the processor but my knives had just been sharpened and it was a joy to chop all those herbs!   This makes a lot of sauce but I doubt you'll have trouble finding ways to use it.  It is particularly good with poached, baked or roasted fish, boiled potatoes and/or carrots, turnips, summer and winter squash, etc.... Read more »

Raita is a cool yogurt and cucumber dish that’s used as a dip, topping, or sauce in Middle Eastern and Indian foods. It’s versatile, delicious and easy to make. ... Read more »

Italians make mostardas out of all kinds of fruit. It is a sweet-spicy fruit mustard condiment. They use it as an accompaniment to meats and cheeses and bread. I like to put it on good bread with goat cheese and arugula. It is very easy to make and keeps for quite some time refrigerated, or can be canned using the water bath canning method.  Yields about two cups  ... Read more »

There are so many versions of this incredibly flavorful sauce. It’s delicious with many things and often served with roasted potatoes or with fish. The best version I've ever had was at Navarre restaurant in Portland. The chef and proprietor John Taboada kindly wrote out his version on the back of a menu. I have adapted this recipe a bit over the years. This sauce is quite forgiving. The important thing is that it has a good bite from vinegar, the texture from the grilled bread and the sweetness of the slowly fried garlic and ground almonds. Many combinations of peppers will work. The sauce will be thinner if you use a fresh tomato and you can thin it out with a little more olive oil if you want a saucier consistency.... Read more »

This is so delicious and you can use the either or parsley or cilantro or both--maybe my favorite version. Just make sure you toast the pumpkin seeds first. It doesn't have any cheese in it but is rich from the large amount of pumpkin seeds.   I use a food processor for this but if you don’t have one you can make a slightly less uniform version by finely mincing/chopping everything by hand.   You can use this pesto as a spread on crostini or sandwiches or stir it into scrambled eggs. It's delicious mixed with either plain yogurt and/or mayonnaise for a dip or sauce for roasted vegetables, meats or fish. You can dilute it with water, cream, more oil and/or lemon juice) for a dressing for grain or bean salads. …And of course you can serve it with pasta like basil pesto. Be sure to thin it with a bit of hot, starchy pasta cooking water in that case.  ... Read more »