Recipes for Sauces & Marinades

Tomato sauce can be so many things: fresh and simple, marinara full of vegetables, or slow-cooked until it is so luscious and rich that it’s the stuff of memories. This is the story of a sauce that delivers such a delicious, powerfully memorable impact that it is worthy of two days — yes, days — of cooking. So when you have a weekend to spare, or you’re snowed in and want a pot of sauce bubbling away all day long, here is the recipe your pasta dinner deserves. Deep.

Behold, a bright and sunny main dish that’s perfect for any spring celebration! These tender and flavorful meatballs, napped in a tangy, lemony sauce, are not only delicious, they’re appropriate for a Passover Seder, Easter dinner, or even just tonight’s main course. While Hanukkah and Thanksgiving only coincide once in a blue moon, Passover and Easter often overlap on the spring calendar.

Meatballs in the slow cooker are a gorgeous thing. They’re gently simmered, so the meatballs stay tender while the sauce becomes luscious and rich. Whether they’re being served over spaghetti for a weeknight dinner or piled onto a meatball sub at a Saturday potluck, these slow-cooker meatballs are going to be a hit — guaranteed. Slow-cooker meatballs are really more of a cooking technique than a recipe.

What is a Swedish meatball? Köttbullar, like all traditional recipes, have thousands of variations, but what nearly all Swedish meatballs have in common is that they are made of ground pork and beef, use bread and milk as a binder, are covered with a rich gravy, and are served with lingonberry jam. With this recipe we’re sticking with tradition and delivering meatballs spiced, fried, and sauced to perfection.

A friend left this recipe on my refrigerator while I was out. They must have known that mangoes are one of the two non-local items I cannot live without (avocados are the other.

Channel your inner nonna.

Sweet, fruity salsa was not on our list of favorite foods until we started making it ourselves. Fruit salsas need to have a serious kick to keep them from being just a fruit salad with a little onion. This mango and kiwi version is deceptive: it starts out mellow, juicy, and a little tangy, but we leave in all the jalapeno seeds and membranes for a spicy afterbite that makes this salsa an addictive pleasure of sweet and heated spice.

Salsa month continues with what is probably our personal favourite salsa. This is simple, easy, and punchy – cilantro, garlic, and lime. It’s hot and spicy and sour all at once. We like it straight up with chips, but it’s also excellent with grilled chicken or black beans and rice. We think that proper salsa verde includes tomatillos, but this is our version and we like it a lot.

I am interested in real working kitchens and so I asked JJ if I could come over and scope out his “office.” He invited me for salsa on what ended up being the hottest day of the year so far. We pushed the chiles to the limit, and without air conditioning, we slurped salsa from spoons while we we kicked back and talked about how a regular guy like JJ in a regular apartment (and tiny kitchen) in Brooklyn can make a great Mexican chef’s recipes make sense to the rest of us.

Lizano-style salsasweet and spicy peach salsa This salsa was originally a happy accident, an experiment with roasting peppers and cleaning out the fridge. It has a tiny handful of ingredients: peppers, tomatoes, and onion, with lime and salt for balance. Charring the peppers over the gas stove or under the broiler makes this more than the sum of its parts, however, introducing a smoky sweetness and depth to the salsa.

If you’re getting a little bored of plain old scrambled eggs every morning, here’s something to spice them up a bit — literally! A few spoonfuls of this spicy fresh (and make-ahead) salsa sprinkled over your eggs will wake you up better than a cup of coffee. This meal came to us from Gabriela of Gabriela’s Kitchen in one of the very first recipe contests we ever ran on The Kitchn!

Fajitas taste best when the meat and veggies come straight off the grill, no question. But don’t let that stop you when it comes to getting your fajita fix. I make this recipe entirely on the stovetop, where the spicy chicken picks up a touch of char from the grill pan and the peppers cook until they are completely tender. Add a dollop of creamy black bean spread and we have dinner.

You probably know pesto as a bright herb- and olive oil-laden sauce that gets tossed with pasta, swirled in bread, and topped on pizza. This version, which boasts a more subtle flavor and a light texture, is nothing like traditional pesto yet right in line with it — all at the same time. This whipped pesto takes a departure from the traditional herb pesto and instead pulls much of its flavor from its main ingredient: fresh stalks of asparagus.

It is easy to see why cooks love breakfast casseroles. They can be made ahead. They are hearty and satisfying. They handily serve a group. It’s the name that trips us up. People are leery of casseroles, which is why I prefer to call this, my signature crowd-pleasing brunch bake, a savory bread pudding. A casserole by any other name is swell to eat. This bread pudding is deeply flavored, brimming with ham, cheese, and fresh herbs.

Spoon them over whatever's for dinner.

Old-Fashioned Hot Fudge Sauce makes about 1 1/2 cups 1/4 cup butter (half a stick) 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate 2/3 cup boiling water 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon salt Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then add the chocolate and melt over low heat. When the chocolate is melted, stir in the boiling water, sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring, then stop stirring and let it boil for six to eight minutes, or until it’s thickened and become glossy.

One of my favorite parts about the holiday season is making homemade gifts for friends. Ninth grade marked the beginning of this tradition, when I handed out clear bags of my simple chocolate-covered toffee to classmates. Doing this made me realize that giving handcrafted gifts with a personal touch felt more unique and heartfelt than anything I could buy at the store. I know my friends agreed.

Let me say this quickly, before your hopes sail high and are dashed: There are no Oreos in this fudge sauce. But (and this is an important but) this fudge sauce gets the Oreoesque label because of its special darkness, its extra-sweet and cocoa-y flavor that is actually, yes, just like that of an Oreo cookie. It’s sweet, cocoa-laden, and really, truly dark. And there’s nothing to stop you from putting it on an Oreo cookie.

This is how to make every summer dessert even better.

Fair warning: You're going to want to put this on everything.

Thai massaman curry — also known as matsaman or mussaman curry — is a creamy, mildly spicy, nutty, slow-cooked curry heavily influenced by Indian, Malaysian, and Persian cuisines. It is not originally a native Thai curry, but it’s been wonderfully assimilated into classic Thai cuisine. Massaman curry can be made with chicken, beef, or lamb, and it’s an elegant dish to serve for weeknight meals or dinner parties alike.

A few weeks ago, I opened my great grandmother’s church cookbook This is nostalgia at its finest, at least for this Midwestern-raised girl. The savory hamburger takes center stage, as it should, though thinly sliced mushrooms and a handful of onions bulk up the mix and help to slip some veggies into the meal. The sauce has a deep tomato flavor and a slight sweetness that I love. A splash of cider vinegar is the final touch to bringing out all the flavors in each chewy bite.

Last winter we started a little love affair with lemon curdWe were hoping this tangerine curd would turn out bright orange, and it did not. We’re realizing that the color of curd comes largely from the egg yolks rather than the citrus juice. Also, because we weren’t being as fastidious in our stirring as we should have been, a tiny bit of yolk got scrambled and we had to strain our curd before adding the butter, losing the flecks of zest that would have given it more color.

One of our favorite finds at the Global Food & Style Expo in Chicago last month was agave nectar ketchup. We have a weakness for the sweet and tart classic sauce, but it’s typically loaded with high fructose corn syrup, so we were thrilled to taste more naturally sweetened varieties from Wholemato and Organicville. We’ve since found the traditional version too sweet and candy-like.

The best part about this vegetarian bowl recipe is how easy it is to make. This makes it an ideal candidate for one of those hectic mid-week dinners when all you want is a delicious meal on the table without having to think too hard. It’s made with hearty red lentils, fresh ginger, plenty of spices, a couple handfuls of baby spinach, and coconut milk — a perfect balance of heat and creaminess.

Nandita Godbole of Atlanta, Georgia, is originally from India, and she wanted to create her own version of Thanksgiving for her family. No matter the menu, this cranberry-cherry chutney is always on the table.

This slow-simmered sauce makes ground turkey shine in ways you never thought it was capable of.

I make it pretty much every single week — sometimes more.

Summer has finally arrived and now, instead of wondering when all the fresh fruit will show up at the market, you may find yourself wondering just what to do with it all. Sure, jams and pies are great this time of year, but what about making fruit curd? Yes, you can make it with more than just lemon! Read on for some fresh fruit curd ideas. To create a fruit curd, you need little more than an acidic fruit, egg yolks, sugar, and butter.

Keep them in your repertoire to dress up just about any kind of noodle.

Homemade tzatziki sauce is the ultimate summer condiment.

Cookbook author and former Chez Panisse chef Cal Peternell says this unfussy dressing is all about letting produce shine.

They're cheesy, saucy, and piled high with veg.

The heaviest, most awkwardly wrapped and cautiously placed gift under my Christmas tree this year was a bowl full of homegrown Meyer lemons. While here in New York we’re fully ensconced in cellared vegetable season (turnips! beets! potatoes!) my family in California is kicking off citrus season, so I was lucky to have some beautiful Meyers brought straight from Los Angeles.

It instantly upgrades everything it touches.

Every holiday season we ask a few friends to join us at The Kitchn for a series of guest posts that range from favorite holiday recipes to family memories and traditions. Today’s guest: Erin Scott of Yummy Supper, a blog I have really admired this year. Welcome Erin! Our holidays have gotten more and more simple, and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s around this time of year that we start growing weary of all the rich and heavy mid-winter dishes and start craving a dash of something fresh. Tangy, citrusy ponzu sauce can add just such a dash. This is our newest condiment-crush and we have plenty of ideas for how to use it. What are your favorite ways?Ponzu is made from simmering rice wine, rice vinegar, soy sauce, bonito flakes, and seaweed, and then adding fresh yuzu juice.

This week I’m really feeling the briefness of the December daylight and the deepening of the cold temperatures. While I normally make a big effort to eat only small amounts of meat and to eat clean and light, especially at night, this dreary week I have braises and rich sauces on my mind. It seemed only right to pop out to the butcher, buy a whole oxtail, and cook it into slow submission.

Strawberries don’t have to work very hard to earn a place as one of our favorite berries of summer. They are the first to arrive, tend to be the most affordable, and really know how to work the spotlight with very little help. So when you’re ready to take your fresh munching to the next level, make this slab pie dreamed up by cookbook author Yossy Arefi.

With its signature tangy bite and milky richness, crème fraîche brightens many of our favorite dishes. It has a custard consistency that exists somewhere between heavy cream and sour cream, and we love adding a dollop alongside tacos and even a fresh bowl of berries.Sure, you can buy it in the store, but where’s the fun in that?! Especially when it’s just as easy–and most certainly cheaper–to make it at home.

A central tenet of complementary flavors is “what grows together goes together,” and I find this is especially true of spring produce with its array of crisp, verdant vegetables and their delightfully pungent flavors.

My husband and I are red-sauce people. When we’re in the need of comfort food, we almost always turn to something that involves tomato sauce, whether that’s a simple pasta, meatballs, or pizza. Leave it to his Italian-American upbringing and my marriage into the family. While we have our favorite sauce recipes, I am always up for testing out new ones to see if there’s something even better we’re missing.

Meet the sweet and savory marinade you'll use all summer.

A jar of caramel sauce in your fridge is the gift that just keeps on giving. Drizzle it over ice cream or a slice of pie (or both), add a spoonful to your morning oatmeal, use it as a dip for slices of apple, stir it into cocoa — need I go on? Caramel sauce is also a good first project if you’ve never worked with sugar before and are eager — if a bit nervous — to enter the world of candy-making.

So we’ve been challenging ourselves lately to make a low-fat pesto that we love as much as the real thing.The problem with most low-fat pesto recipes is that they just don’t have that punch of basil flavor, or they aren’t very creamy. Most of them replace the oil with something less caloric, but yogurt is too tangy, and chicken stock doesn’t have the rich mouth feel that we love so much.Using Calorie-count.

We moved on from bottled salad dressing in my house to our own homemade versions years ago, but for some reason, BBQ sauce still came from the store. And there’s no reason for that when it’s so easy to make it from scratch. Here’s the sweet, tangy, smoky sauce I’ve worked on and tweaked over the past few months. I’m finally happy enough with it to make it worth sharing! I’m partial to sweet BBQ sauce, so this has plenty of brown sugar and molasses in it.

Do you keep certain ingredients in your fridge or pantry, knowing that you can always rely on them to whip up a fast, healthy meal? For us, these go-to staples include miso and tahini. We don’t know where we’d be without tahini, or sesame paste, and miso, which is made from fermented soybeans and grains. Whisked together into a creamy and versatile sauce, we use it to dress everything from noodles to tofu.

Seafood stock is one of those things I just can’t deal with in a can; fresh is so far superior. If you happen to have some shrimp, crab or lobster shells, the process is actually pretty easy. A fish stock using whole fish heads can be a bit messier, so I’m going to recommend you go the shellfish route. This stock is a great base for soups and stews and for cooking risotto. Cook it down as a base for pasta sauces and sauces to top other seafood dishes.

Packed with lively flavor and color, this carrot-ginger dressing is a staple we use to brighten up everything from salad greens to vegetarian bowls, pita sandwiches, and cold soba noodles. This is an easy, handy recipe to have on hand for quick weeknight dinners or lunches to take to work. You can make the dressing thick or thin it with water … either way, if you’re like us, you might find it – and the foods it’s paired with – disappearing rather quickly!

A bowl of plain pasta noodles just won’t do; this simple base begs for a tasty topping. Should you ever find yourself at a sauce loss, here are a few ideas. From a no-fail pesto recipe to a shredded pork and mustard cream sauce (yes indeed!), from a classic Bolognese to a basic Béchamel, these 10 sauces are the perfect pairing for your next pasta dinner.

It’s been months since I yanked basil from the ground and whizzed up some pesto. When basil is in season, I’m slathering it on everything from pasta to crostini to eggs, to the point where it is a kitchen staple. What happens when that pesto-craving hits, but your window-box is bare and the market only has sad limp little bouquets of basil? Get creative. It turns out you can make pesto out of just about anything.

Ingredients on the dressing’s label are as follows: “Olive Oil Blend (Olive Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil), Vegetable Oil (Soybean Oil and/or Canola Oil), Water, Red Wine Vinegar, Onion, Spices, Salt, Garlic, Lemon Juice and Distilled Vinegar”Sent by ShellyEditor: How to Make a Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette From there, it’s a matter of refining the spices. Try finely chopped shallots, garlic powder, and fresh or dried oregano to start.

Although chicken tikka masala is more British than Indian, you’d be hard-pressed to find an Indian restaurant that doesn’t have this creamy, bright-orange dish featured prominently on its menu. But if you do, you’re welcome to come to my house, where chicken tikka masala is on our regular monthly meal rotation. It’s surprisingly easy to pull together, and I promise it’s just as good as anything ordered off the take-out menu.

Making caramel sauce is simple, and additions of sea salt, lavender or even chilies take a basic sauce and make it into something special. This holiday season, I made mine boozy with an infusion of maple bourbon. Maple bourbon is the most popular flavor of bourbon on the market now with big guys like Jim Beam and Knob Creek topping the list of producers. It’s a sweeter style and works well in lots of hot cocktails, after dinner drinks and desserts.

When it comes to lunch, I have competing desires. On the one hand, I want a predictable and easy meal I can grab without diverting much attention from my work. But I also don’t want to eat the same thing day after day. Meet my answer: the modular one-bowl lunch with mix-and-match toppings, including a smoky, nutty romesco that is quite literally the secret sauce to this meal. I love this stuff so much I call it my happy sauce.

A perfect meal, this time of summer, is one that seems to fly out of the refrigerator and onto your plate, with nothing but a brief stop at the grill (or grill pan). A seared steak, crusted with pepper, or a smoky hunk of eggplant straight from the garden with a salad to keep them company. This is easy living, people. But what if you want just a touch more to your meal? Get fancy — how about a sauce?