MAKES: About 21/2 cups TIME: 20 minutes Grilled fruit makes a fabulous base for salsa; its caramelized sweetness is offset perfectly by the tang of the lime juice and the crisp heat from the chiles. Use this sauce to dress a green salad, as a dip for tacos, or...
MAKES: 11/2 cups TIME: 15 minutes, plus a day or two to soak the seeds If you're a mustard enthusiast, you'll be amazed by how easy and cheap it is to make your own and how good it is. You can customize the flavor in many ways with minor adjustments; see the list at...
MAKES: About 1 cup TIME: 15 minutes The fresh, bright combination of ginger and scallions is the traditional and perfect accompaniment to Steamed Dumplings, Asian Style. It's also a fabulous addition to soups and, with a bit more oil, a convenient way to start a...
Salsa Fresca MAKES: About 2 cups TIME: 15 minutes Salsa fresca (or pico de gallo) is easy, fast, really tasty, and extremely useful. The basic ingredients are simple enough: ripe tomatoes, onions, citrus juice or vinegar, fresh chiles, and fresh herbs. Of course, it's...
Pico de Verde MAKES: About 2 cups TIME: 10 minutes Super-fresh and perfect in summer. Tomatillos are more readily available these days than in years before (you may even find them in unusual colors, like purple). They're most often sold with the papery husks still on;...
MAKES: 1/2 cup TIME: 20 minutes, plus time to cool Itв's almost impossible to use too much of the flavoring ingredients in this preparation, but if you do if your oil becomes too strong simply dilute it with a little fresh oil. You can certainly mix or match among the...
MAKES: About 1/2 cup TIME: 15 minutes Based on the classic fish sauces of Southeast Asia Thai nam pla is the best known but without the fish. The sea green (dulse) helps maintains the salty pungency of the real thing, but if you don't have any handy, you won't go far...
MAKES: About 2 cups TIME: 20 minutes I'm a ketchup fan, so one of my standard barbecue sauces simply builds on its well-balanced, tomatoey sweetness. If you want to use this sauce for basting during grilling or roasting, make sure you add it toward the end of the...
Salsa Verde MAKES: About 2 cups TIME: 30 minutes Salsa Verde is a good all-purpose salsa that keeps in the fridge for at least a week. Spoon it onto scrambled eggs and roll in a flour tortilla with a little cheese or serve a bowlful with Naked Tamales or any of the...
MAKES: About 1 cup TIME: 10 minutes This fresh, chewy chutney goes well with just about any Indian-inspired rice dish and is not only exotic but could barely be any easier. In a pinch, you can make it with ingredients from the pantry, and if you don't have coconut,...
