Skip to content

Condiments and Sauces

Homemade condiments and sauces can transform simple dishes into restaurant-quality meals. From quick marinara to complex flavor pastes, these versatile ingredients form the foundation of countless cuisines and cooking styles.

Basic Marinara Sauce

A simple marinara sauce requires minimal ingredients but delivers maximum impact. This recipe rivals expensive store-bought options like Rao's at a fraction of the cost (Make Your Own Marinara (Better Than Rao's), 0:18).

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 minced garlic cloves
  • 1/2 finely minced yellow onion (about 1 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning (optional)
  • 1 standard 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil, julienned or minced

Method

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and optional oregano. Cook for about five minutes until onions turn translucent (Make Your Own Marinara (Better Than Rao's), 0:27). The diced onions release enough water to prevent the garlic from burning.

For those uncomfortable with knife work, the onion can be processed using a cheese grater, food processor, mandolin, or chopper (Make Your Own Marinara (Better Than Rao's), 1:02).

Reduce heat to low and add the crushed tomatoes. Simmer for about fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Pre-crushed tomatoes are recommended for convenience, avoiding the mess of hand-crushing whole tomatoes (Make Your Own Marinara (Better Than Rao's), 1:28).

Season to taste with additional salt, then stir in fresh basil and remove from heat (Make Your Own Marinara (Better Than Rao's), 2:32).

Upgrades

The basic recipe can be enhanced with several improvements: - Substitute shallots for onions - Replace half the olive oil with rendered bacon or salt pork fat - Add crushed red pepper flakes for heat - Use San Marzano tomatoes - Include a frozen parmesan rind for umami depth - Add whole basil stems during cooking for extra flavor (Make Your Own Marinara (Better Than Rao's), 3:24)

Spice Blends and Seasonings

Pre-blended spices are practical tools for home cooks, despite their mixed reputation in food media (Do Real Chefs Use Spice Mixes?, 0:01). The key is knowing what to look for when shopping.

Shopping Guidelines

Check for fillers: Avoid blends where cheap ingredients like ground corn dominate the mix (Do Real Chefs Use Spice Mixes?, 0:47).

Identify salt content: Note whether salt appears as the first or second ingredient and adjust seasoning accordingly (Do Real Chefs Use Spice Mixes?, 0:57). Unsalted blends allow better control over seasoning.

Look for sugar: Sweetened blends burn more easily than unsweetened ones, affecting cooking methods (Do Real Chefs Use Spice Mixes?, 1:24).

Consider texture: Uneven grinding can cause application problems, with fine particles settling and coarse pieces clogging shakers (Do Real Chefs Use Spice Mixes?, 1:42).

Essential Spice Mix Categories

A well-stocked spice cabinet should include: - A salty, spicy blend for quick meat seasoning - Pie spice for desserts and warm applications - Bright, fruity blends like lemon pepper for fried foods - Complex blends like garam masala for depth - Familiar seasonings to make adventurous ingredients more approachable (Do Real Chefs Use Spice Mixes?, 2:43)

Pesto and Herb Sauces

Pesto exemplifies the flexibility of sauce-making. While traditional Genoese pesto contains basil, parmesan, garlic, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and olive oil, the formula adapts easily to different ingredients and dietary needs (You're Probably Sleeping on Pesto, 0:11).

Pesto Variations

  • Substitute any nut for pine nuts to reduce cost
  • Use nutritional yeast instead of parmesan for vegan versions
  • Replace basil with arugula, kale, or other greens (You're Probably Sleeping on Pesto, 0:20)

Creative Applications

Pesto pasta technique: Use minimal water when boiling pasta to create extra-starchy pasta water. Cook pasta just shy of al dente, then finish in the starchy water with pesto, creating a velvety emulsified sauce (You're Probably Sleeping on Pesto, 2:25).

Pesto eggs: Fry eggs directly in pesto for a flavorful breakfast (You're Probably Sleeping on Pesto, 1:36).

Fish coating: Mix three parts panko breadcrumbs with one part pesto for an herb-crusted fish coating (You're Probably Sleeping on Pesto, 2:00).

Charred broccolini: Toss charred broccolini with pesto and serve over ricotta with toasted almonds, lemon zest, and cheese (You're Probably Sleeping on Pesto, 3:54).

Curry Paste Applications

Curry paste functions as more than just a base for coconut milk curries. Its concentrated flavor makes it versatile for multiple applications (You're Probably Sleeping On Curry Paste, 0:14).

Marinades and Instant Seasoning

Mix curry paste with oil, mayo, yogurt, or coconut milk to create marinades for overnight flavor development (You're Probably Sleeping On Curry Paste, 0:39). For immediate use, blend curry paste directly into ground meats to create flavorful sausage mixtures (You're Probably Sleeping On Curry Paste, 0:55).

Shrimp Toast

Combine ground shrimp with curry paste, spread on white bread, coat with sesame seeds, and fry for crispy appetizers (You're Probably Sleeping On Curry Paste, 1:33).

Other Applications

Elegant Creamed Spinach

This refined version of creamed spinach creates a vibrant green sauce base rather than the typical off-white cheese-heavy version (The 2nd-Best Side Dish I've Got, 0:04).

Green Spinach Cream

Blanch two packed cups of spinach in boiling water for 40 seconds until bright green. Shock in ice water, squeeze dry, and blend with cream and salt until finely chopped (The 2nd-Best Side Dish I've Got, 0:42).

For convenience, use pre-blanched frozen spinach designed for raw consumption, blending a quarter cup with cream and salt (The 2nd-Best Side Dish I've Got, 1:22).

Final Preparation

Sauté minced garlic in butter until fragrant, add fresh baby spinach with salt, then incorporate the green spinach cream. Finish with nutmeg and pecorino cheese (The 2nd-Best Side Dish I've Got, 1:50).

Red Chile Sauce

This fundamental Mexican sauce serves as a base for numerous traditional dishes (You Can't Make Great Mexican Food Without Red Chile Sauce, 0:00).

Ingredients

  • 10 dried guajillo peppers (about 2 oz)
  • 5 dried ancho peppers (about 2 oz)
  • 2-3 pequin chiles, chiles de arbol, or red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 large onion, charred
  • 4-5 garlic cloves, roasted in skins
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 1 tsp ground cumin

Method

Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles. Optionally toast in a dry pan for 90 seconds to develop deeper flavors (You Can't Make Great Mexican Food Without Red Chile Sauce, 2:13). Soak in boiling water for 10-15 minutes to soften.

Char onion and garlic while chiles soak. Blend softened chiles with charred vegetables, salt, oregano, and cumin, adding soaking liquid to achieve proper consistency (You Can't Make Great Mexican Food Without Red Chile Sauce, 3:23).

Strain for a smooth finish. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon but not be gloopy (You Can't Make Great Mexican Food Without Red Chile Sauce, 3:54).

Uses

This sauce enables multiple traditional preparations: - Enchiladas and quesadillas - Chile colorado (braised pork) - Carne adobada (braised beef) - Tamale filling - Pozole base (You Can't Make Great Mexican Food Without Red Chile Sauce, 5:14)

Ricotta Toast Toppers

Ricotta provides a versatile base for elevated toast preparations that rival avocado toast in both appearance and flavor (Ricotta Toast is Fancier and Easier Than Avocado Toast., 0:26).

Variations

Lemon curd and flowers: Spread lemon curd on toast, add ricotta, and finish with edible flowers like squash blossoms or herb flowers, plus flaky salt (Ricotta Toast is Fancier and Easier Than Avocado Toast., 0:48).

Dates and pistachios: Top ricotta with chopped dates, shelled pistachios, and black sesame seeds for color contrast (Ricotta Toast is Fancier and Easier Than Avocado Toast., 1:09).

Cherry salsa: Combine halved cherries with slivered scallion greens and a simple lemon-olive oil vinaigrette (Ricotta Toast is Fancier and Easier Than Avocado Toast., 1:22).

These sauces and condiments form the foundation for countless dishes, transforming simple ingredients into complex, flavorful meals. Making them from scratch allows for customization and typically results in superior flavor compared to store-bought alternatives.