Dressings and Sauces

Tzatziki is a cool and tangy cucumber and yogurt sauce that most people associate with Greek food. And it’s a typical condiment served on Greek gyros, so that’s understandable.  We find our fresh-made tzatziki is even more versatile. It can serve as a healthy alternative to mayonnaise in potato and pasta salads, adding fresh brightness …

Parmesan Ranch Dressing is our answer to store bought dressings. If I’m going to use a bottled dressing, some form of ranch is often high on my list of favorites. The problem is that often bottled ranch can taste chemically, overly sweet, or just not have the kind of creamy texture that I’m craving.  This easy …

Salsa chile de árbol is a spicy sauce that we first discovered in an Argentinian restaurant in Mexico. It has since become one of our favorites. It’s nice slathered on bread or served with tortilla chips, piled on top of a baked potato, rubbed on a hot ear of corn.   It’s also perfect alongside your …

Adding Mango Chili Chutney to a plate is a wonderful way to elevate a dining experience to a new level. This condiment has its origins in Indian food, which is known for its intensely flavored and complex cuisine. It goes really well with Indian dishes such as chicken vindaloo curry. We love to add this …

Fans of Caesar salad may be surprised to learn that this classic dish was actually invented in Mexico. The chef was actually an immigrant from Italy who was working in Tijuana during the time of prohibition. So while the dish may have originated in Mexico, the Caesar salad is not really traditional Mexican fare. Our …

Zacusca is a slow-cooked eggplant and red pepper spread. This traditional Romanian dish is made in Autumn when its main ingredients, eggplants, and gogosari peppers are in season. Gogosari peppers are very similar to red bell peppers, which is what I use in this recipe.  During our time in Romania, we came to enjoy having …

Laksa is a noodle soup originating from descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore, and Indonesia. The laksa paste used to make the soup is full of aromatic Southeast Asian ingredients, such as Kaffir lime, lemongrass, galangal and turmeric root. Once you have made the laksa curry paste, you are one …

Chipotles in Adobo Sauce are a staple ingredient in Mexican cuisine. Chipotles, which are smoked and dried jalapeños, are paired with a thick intensely flavored Adobo sauce. The sauce features flavorful aromatic ingredients such as dried chiles, garlic, cinnamon and Mexican oregano. The spicy peppers are used to enhance classic dishes such as slow cooked …

Nothing takes bland to bold more quickly than a fresh salsa. It can dress up anything from a humble plain tortilla chip, add a lot of flavor to a simple garden salad, or bring grilled foods to a new level. Best yet, salsas can pull this off while adding a few calories and little, if …

Savory Blackberry Sauce (Rachuli Sauce) was one of the first sauces we tried when we arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia. For those that are unfamiliar, Georgia (formally the Republic of Georgia) is a post-Soviet country nestled between Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and the Black Sea. Before we arrived, we knew about the cheesy bread (khachapuri) and …