In this time of crisis, we are all unmoored, searching for answers, looking for one thing: condiments.
Please tell me about a sauce or a salad dressing you make at home and what you put it on. Here is one of mine:
A TAHINI SITUATION: One part tahini, one part olive oil, two parts lemon juice, a grated garlic clove (or garlic powder), salt and pepper, maybe a little dijon mustard if u feel fancy??? Or paprika?? Mix together vigorously, adjust until it’s the consistency you want and you have a nice little saucy situation for roasted veg and meat. Thin it out with a bit of water for salad dressing.
Green Goddess - blanche 2 tomatillos until the skin comes off easily, whiz in a nutri bullet or food processor with a whole or half avocado (doesn't matter), juice of at least a whole lime, half to whole jalepeño depending on your taste, some cilantro, salt, pepper, a few tablespoons of olive oil. It's good on everything.
Also a tahini situation: yuzu juice, tahini, soy sauce, oil (parts unknown), grated ginger or/and garlic and/or chopped scallions, honey (or sugar or agave) sweeten to taste. Whisk it, add some water to thin it out. Cover soba or other noodles.
while making dinner last night, my SO tried very hard to make pesto with only things stocked in my kitchen (no pine nuts, no parmesan), and got cilantro and basil confused. THAT BEING SAID, a couple fistfulls of cilantro, a couple cloves of garlic, half a lemon squeezed, olive oil, red chili flakes and salt and pepper make a something that is Very Good and also decidedly not (traditional) pesto lol
From Vedge cookbook: this super easy sauce is for their pan fried Brussel sprouts. I use it on those but also as a dressing for lots of other veggies. 1/4 cup mayo (they call for mayo substitute), juice of half a lemon, tsp Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
Years ago I vowed that if I wanted to eat mayonnaise, then I would have to make it myself. It's actually super easy and keeps really well! You just put a separated egg yolk in a bowl with about a tsp of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and paprika. Then, you start whisking and VERY gradually drip in your oil of choice drop by drop until it begins to emulsify and then you can begin adding the oil in a little bit more.
I'm also a monster and use hot sauce as a salad dressing. I love it.
Everyday Vinaigrette - one crushed and chopped garlic clove, pinch crushed red pepper, maybe some dried oregano, sea salt + cracked black pepper (enough!), one part balsamic vinegar (red wine vin works too), 2 parts olive oil. Whisked aggressively!!! Soak red onions and mediocre tomatoes in this for a while before composing the rest of your salad for mad flavor.
a buttery thing to cover pasta: diced garlic in a some EVOO, a lil red pepp in a pan on mediumish heat. Add in a knob of good butter, some salty pasta water, let it all get to know each other, taste to season. add in the pasta (spaghett preferably) directly to the pan from the pot it cooked in, toss until the pasta is glossy, salty and buttery. consume hot and feel güd
OH also totally forgot, this is the one sauce I would take w me on a desert island: plain yogurt thinned out with evoo, add salt, pepper, grated garlic, and lemon zest. you can put this on anything and it is OUTSTANDING!
cut up tomatoes, any kind, doesn't matter if they're out of season. cook them 15-20 min in a saucepan w evoo, anchovies, grated garlic, salt, pepp, sometimes just a touch of MSG. quick, bright, umami tomato sauce. great with pasta/grains or chicken, fish, etc.
My favorite sauce is def my homemade variation on the Halal Guys white sauce that I eventually made through a lot of testing and tribulation (I found the Serious Eats one underwhelming).
Olive Oil (2 tbsp)
Garlic Minced (4-5 cloves)
Mayonnaise (1 cup)
Greek Yogurt (1 cup)
Sugar (3 tbsp)
White Vinegar (1 tbsp)
Lemon juice (1tbsp)
Chopped Dill (2 tsp)
Salt/pepper to taste
Cumin (1 tsp).
Goes well obviously on gyros but also any salad or as a dip for fries etc.
This is my favorite sauce ever: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/green-sauce-no-4. It is good with any herb (read: whatever is currently wilting in my crisper drawer) in place of the 2 c. cilantro and you can sub more of any of the acids if you don't have lemon/lime or ACV. Sub silan (date syrup) for the honey if you want to make it paleo or vegan (which, at a certain point in my life, I did). I almost always make it with green onion in place of the chives. As is, it is quite thick and works as a dip for roasted sweet potatoes or crudite. If I want to use as salad dressing, I thin it out with a bit of water.
i like using german mustard or dijon mustard as a base and mixing it with stuff - like for salads i'll mix it with olive oil and either balsamic or red wine vinegar and maybe throw in some oregano and garlic powder and pepper. i also like to mix a dijon-type mustard with olive oil, maple syrup and dill and put it on salmon.
I remade the basil dressing from Pizza 4Ps when I was going insane with longing for it–two anchovy fillets, some grated garlic, grated parm, a shitton of basil, white balsamic, and extra virgin olive oil blitzed in my immersion blender. It's sooooo good on mesclun or chicories.
Remake of a dressing from a place I worked at ages ago who refused to give out their recipe
1 cup nutritional yeast
About 1/4 cup water
3-5 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp agave
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Blend all ingredients up until oil, then add oil until emulsified. These are all approximate measurements I usually mess with mine as I go! I use this to dress regular salads and often for a simple chickpea, red onion, whatever crunchy veg I have on hand mix!
a truly fucked up salad dressing attempt turned into a delicious chutney-ish sauce: 1 cup packed herbs, i like 1/3 mint and 2/3 cilantro, 1 tbsp full-fat greek yogurt, juice from 1 lime, 2 tbsp golden raisins, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt. throw it in a blender and you've got a very yummy sauce. i drizzle it over skillet-fried chickpeas and rice. (recipe is included in my Meal Plan of Action newsletter!)
A couple weeks ago I was trying to think up what kind of sauce I could make up to have on hand to spice up veg bowls or just put on literally anything to make it more exciting. Spent forever going through things online to figure it out. Finally came to the conclusion that what I wanted most was just.... gravy.
There is a garlic & paprika aioli that I make, generally for potatoes, but it goes well on many sandwiches, too.
You can start with pre-made mayonnaise, or make it yourself, which serves as the base. To this, you add tomato paste, crushed garlic, salt, white & apple cider vinegar, cayenne, and a HEFTY dose of smoked Spanish paprika. No amount for any ingredients, because they are all to taste.
i don't make it at home (obviously) so going off the rails, but this is a perfectly weird condiment for fries, sandwiches, tacos, spicing up other sauces...basically any & everything https://bobbiesboatsauce.com/
Green Goddess - blanche 2 tomatillos until the skin comes off easily, whiz in a nutri bullet or food processor with a whole or half avocado (doesn't matter), juice of at least a whole lime, half to whole jalepeño depending on your taste, some cilantro, salt, pepper, a few tablespoons of olive oil. It's good on everything.
Sunshine Sauce! Been a long time since I did Whole30, but this has become a staple: http://meljoulwan.com/2009/07/21/sunshine-sauce/
Also a tahini situation: yuzu juice, tahini, soy sauce, oil (parts unknown), grated ginger or/and garlic and/or chopped scallions, honey (or sugar or agave) sweeten to taste. Whisk it, add some water to thin it out. Cover soba or other noodles.
while making dinner last night, my SO tried very hard to make pesto with only things stocked in my kitchen (no pine nuts, no parmesan), and got cilantro and basil confused. THAT BEING SAID, a couple fistfulls of cilantro, a couple cloves of garlic, half a lemon squeezed, olive oil, red chili flakes and salt and pepper make a something that is Very Good and also decidedly not (traditional) pesto lol
From Vedge cookbook: this super easy sauce is for their pan fried Brussel sprouts. I use it on those but also as a dressing for lots of other veggies. 1/4 cup mayo (they call for mayo substitute), juice of half a lemon, tsp Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
Years ago I vowed that if I wanted to eat mayonnaise, then I would have to make it myself. It's actually super easy and keeps really well! You just put a separated egg yolk in a bowl with about a tsp of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and paprika. Then, you start whisking and VERY gradually drip in your oil of choice drop by drop until it begins to emulsify and then you can begin adding the oil in a little bit more.
I'm also a monster and use hot sauce as a salad dressing. I love it.
Everyday Vinaigrette - one crushed and chopped garlic clove, pinch crushed red pepper, maybe some dried oregano, sea salt + cracked black pepper (enough!), one part balsamic vinegar (red wine vin works too), 2 parts olive oil. Whisked aggressively!!! Soak red onions and mediocre tomatoes in this for a while before composing the rest of your salad for mad flavor.
I also learned this week that some plain greek 'gurt, the vegan chickenless TJs seasoning and a lil lem juice makes a great dip
a buttery thing to cover pasta: diced garlic in a some EVOO, a lil red pepp in a pan on mediumish heat. Add in a knob of good butter, some salty pasta water, let it all get to know each other, taste to season. add in the pasta (spaghett preferably) directly to the pan from the pot it cooked in, toss until the pasta is glossy, salty and buttery. consume hot and feel güd
OH also totally forgot, this is the one sauce I would take w me on a desert island: plain yogurt thinned out with evoo, add salt, pepper, grated garlic, and lemon zest. you can put this on anything and it is OUTSTANDING!
cut up tomatoes, any kind, doesn't matter if they're out of season. cook them 15-20 min in a saucepan w evoo, anchovies, grated garlic, salt, pepp, sometimes just a touch of MSG. quick, bright, umami tomato sauce. great with pasta/grains or chicken, fish, etc.
I make a homemade mole sauce. Chicken, enchiladas, tacos... goes on everything. My local Mexican restaurant turned me on to it.
My favorite sauce is def my homemade variation on the Halal Guys white sauce that I eventually made through a lot of testing and tribulation (I found the Serious Eats one underwhelming).
Olive Oil (2 tbsp)
Garlic Minced (4-5 cloves)
Mayonnaise (1 cup)
Greek Yogurt (1 cup)
Sugar (3 tbsp)
White Vinegar (1 tbsp)
Lemon juice (1tbsp)
Chopped Dill (2 tsp)
Salt/pepper to taste
Cumin (1 tsp).
Goes well obviously on gyros but also any salad or as a dip for fries etc.
This is my favorite sauce ever: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/green-sauce-no-4. It is good with any herb (read: whatever is currently wilting in my crisper drawer) in place of the 2 c. cilantro and you can sub more of any of the acids if you don't have lemon/lime or ACV. Sub silan (date syrup) for the honey if you want to make it paleo or vegan (which, at a certain point in my life, I did). I almost always make it with green onion in place of the chives. As is, it is quite thick and works as a dip for roasted sweet potatoes or crudite. If I want to use as salad dressing, I thin it out with a bit of water.
i like using german mustard or dijon mustard as a base and mixing it with stuff - like for salads i'll mix it with olive oil and either balsamic or red wine vinegar and maybe throw in some oregano and garlic powder and pepper. i also like to mix a dijon-type mustard with olive oil, maple syrup and dill and put it on salmon.
I remade the basil dressing from Pizza 4Ps when I was going insane with longing for it–two anchovy fillets, some grated garlic, grated parm, a shitton of basil, white balsamic, and extra virgin olive oil blitzed in my immersion blender. It's sooooo good on mesclun or chicories.
Well I am a hopeless cook, but all these sauces are making me very hungry! (and maybe even a little more ready to check the pantry!)
Melt one stick of butter. The sauce is now made!
Remake of a dressing from a place I worked at ages ago who refused to give out their recipe
1 cup nutritional yeast
About 1/4 cup water
3-5 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp agave
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Blend all ingredients up until oil, then add oil until emulsified. These are all approximate measurements I usually mess with mine as I go! I use this to dress regular salads and often for a simple chickpea, red onion, whatever crunchy veg I have on hand mix!
a truly fucked up salad dressing attempt turned into a delicious chutney-ish sauce: 1 cup packed herbs, i like 1/3 mint and 2/3 cilantro, 1 tbsp full-fat greek yogurt, juice from 1 lime, 2 tbsp golden raisins, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt. throw it in a blender and you've got a very yummy sauce. i drizzle it over skillet-fried chickpeas and rice. (recipe is included in my Meal Plan of Action newsletter!)
A couple weeks ago I was trying to think up what kind of sauce I could make up to have on hand to spice up veg bowls or just put on literally anything to make it more exciting. Spent forever going through things online to figure it out. Finally came to the conclusion that what I wanted most was just.... gravy.
Red wine vinegar, minced garlic, lemon, lemon *zest*, salt, pepper, olive oil, and greek yogurt. Can add red pepper too if you're feeling fresh.
There is a garlic & paprika aioli that I make, generally for potatoes, but it goes well on many sandwiches, too.
You can start with pre-made mayonnaise, or make it yourself, which serves as the base. To this, you add tomato paste, crushed garlic, salt, white & apple cider vinegar, cayenne, and a HEFTY dose of smoked Spanish paprika. No amount for any ingredients, because they are all to taste.
Fattoush salad dressing:
Olive oil-1/4 cup
Red wine vinegar- 3 splashes
Lemon vest and juice of 1 lemon
Garlic clove grated or crushed-1
Sumac-1/2 tsp
i don't make it at home (obviously) so going off the rails, but this is a perfectly weird condiment for fries, sandwiches, tacos, spicing up other sauces...basically any & everything https://bobbiesboatsauce.com/
Random but we can all agree. Making aioli from scratch is dumb. Just start with mayonnaise and add from there.