Walnut romesco
A Catalan classic: full-bodied, textured and fittingly autumnal. This is excellent piled generously on top of grilled spring onions (4-6 per person) or sourdough toast. Subsitute the tomatoes with extra roasted red peppers for more sweetness and texture.
Recipe by Molly Yeh, mynameisyeh.com
Makes around 450g
400g tin diced tomatoes
2 roasted red peppers
2 garlic cloves
A handful of toasted walnuts
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of paprika
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 In a blender or food processor, whizz up all of the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning and paprika accordingly.
Tangerine butterscotch sauce
Traditional butterscotch is spiked with the unexpected here – tangerine brings a sprightliness to its thick fudginess.
Ready for Dessert - My Best Recipes by David Lebovitz (Jacqui Small)
Makes 375ml
60g butter, cut into pieces
215g light brown sugar
80ml double cream
⅛ tsp salt
60ml tangerine juice
30ml orange-flavored liqueur, such as Cointreau
1 In a large saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, cream and salt. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat and boil for 3 minutes without stirring.
2 Remove from the heat, leave to cool for 2 minutes, then stir in the tangerine juice and liqueur. Serve warm.
Harumi’s barbecue sauce
This works with any kind of meat – beef, pulled pork, you name it – as a marinade before the grill and a sauce to dip into straight after. Do both and you’ll never look back.
Everyday Harumi by Harumi Kurihara (Conran Octopus)
Makes 500ml
100ml red wine
2 tbsp honey
70g caster sugar
200ml soy sauce
1 tbsp miso
60g grated apple
60g grated onion
2 tbsp grated garlic
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1-2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp ground toasted sesame seeds
1 Put the red wine in a small pan and heat. When it comes to the boil, turn the heat down low, letting it simmer gently for about 1 minute to burn off the alcohol content.
2 Add the honey, sugar, soy sauce and miso to the wine and mix. When it comes to the boil again and the sugar has dissolved, remove it from the heat. Let it cool and add the apple, onion, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and ground sesame seeds in this order and mix. The flavour will improve if left overnight. It can be stored in the fridge in a container for up to 10 days.
Tomato ketchup
An ingredient-rich DIY version of the sauce that will not die, such is its remarkable staying power and moreish flavour. Pairs perfectly with pretty much everything.
Recipe by Luke Robinson, bonniegull.com
Makes 1-1.5 litres
5kg fresh ripe red tomatoes, blanched in hot water for 10 seconds, skins removed and de-seeded
1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp mace
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 head of garlic, peeled, and bruised
1 tsp sea salt
1 fresh ripe cayenne pepper (or several shakes of Tabasco sauce, to taste)
1 tbsp freshly grated horseradish root, or a good dollop of bottled horseradish
35g light brown sugar
½ cup cider vinegar
1 Set a large heavy-based saucepan over a high heat and add all the ingredients. You want to reduce the water content as quickly as possible. Stir regularly to avoid burning the garlic.
2 As the water boils off and reduces, the sauce will start to spit through what appears to be empty holes. This mean the water content has been reduced to the point where it has become a sauce consistency. It’s very important to keep the sauce moving around as much as possible during this stage.
3 Blend the tomato sauce in a jug blender, then pass it through a fine sieve. Taste, and adjust with seasoning and sugar accordingly.
4 Pour into sterilised bottles using a funnel, and store in the fridge for up to 6 months.
Ssam jang sauce
Ssam is a Korean wrap, where grilled meat is bundled with garlic, onion, pepper or kimchi in leaves – often lettuce, sometimes cabbage or perilla – and ssam jang is the indispensable condiment that ties everything together. The soy bean and chilli pastes listed here below can be bought online from souschef.co.uk
Recipe by Judy Joo, Jinjuu (opens in London in November)
Serves 4-6
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, grated
4½ tbsp Korean soy bean paste (dwengjang)
3 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp Korean chili paste (gochujang)
2 tbsp mirin
1½ tsp roasted sesame oil
1 Mix all of the above ingredients together. Put in a small bowl and serve with kalbi-style
ribs.
Salmoriglio
A Sicilian condiment usually eaten with meat or fish, salmoriglio gives a light, floral and herby finish to many a dish, including Florence Knight’s savoury milk risotto.
One – A Cook and Her Cupboard by Florence Knight (Salt Yard Books)
Serves 6
8 sprigs of oregano
2 unwaxed lemons
100ml extra virgin olive oil
A good pinch of salt
1 Pick the leaves from the oregano and zest the lemons. Roughly chop the zest and oregano together, trying not to bruise the leaves, then place in a small bowl and stir in the olive oil along with a good squeeze of lemon juice and salt to taste.
Chocolate maple syrup
This indulgent syrup sits most becomingly on a bounteous stack of chocolate pancakes, and the more you pile on, frankly, the better. It can be made days or even weeks in advance and stored in the fridge.
Adventures with Chocolate by Paul A Young (Kyle Books)
Serves 4
A pinch of sea salt
50ml water
250ml dark maple syrup
100g 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 Dissolve the salt in the water in a saucepan over a gentle heat, then add the maple syrup and simmer. Pour on to the chocolate in a bowl and whisk well until smooth.
Sorrel gribiche
Seasonal sorrel brings a tangy twist to the traditional cold-egg and mustard French sauce – an especially happy union when spooned over some well-charred leeks or delicately grilled fish.
Recipe by Olia Hercules, oliahercules.com
Serves 2
1 large egg
5 tbsp mild olive oil
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
8 small capers, drained and washed
1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp sorrel, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 Cook the egg for 8-10 minutes in boiling water. Drain and cool it under running cold tap water. Mash the yolk with a fork along with the mustard (reserve the whites). Then drizzle in oil and vinegar, whisk it together well and season generously.
2 Finely chop the egg whites. Add to the sauce with the capers, parsley and sorrel. Taste for seasoning and acidity.
Vanilla mascarpone cream
Understated flavours that will simply sing when accompanied by baked or roasted fruits.
Love Bake Nourish by Amber Rose (Kyle)
Makes around 650g
500g mascarpone
3 large egg yolks
150g maple syrup
½ vanilla pod, split lengthways, seeds removed
1 Lightly beat the mascarpone. Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl, add the maple syrup and the vanilla seeds, then mix. Tip the egg-yolk mixture into the mascarpone and fold gently until thoroughly combined. Cover and store in a cool place until ready to use.
Sumac sauce
Certainly the most substantial in our selection, this with kibbeh meatballs is a Syrian delight. Rich stewed lamb is cut through with accents of herb and spice.
Levant by Anissa Helou (Harper Collins)
Serves 4-6
50g whole sumac berries or 25g ground sumac
1.375 litres water
1 kg lamb from the shanks, cut into medium chunks
3 medium onions, peeled, one kept whole, the others sliced thinly
Coarse sea salt
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
750ml tomato passata
350g small aubergines (or 1 large one), peeled to create a striped effect, cut in half lengthways and then cut across into medium-thick chunks
30g unsalted butter
2 tsp dried mint
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Juice of 1 lemon or to taste
½ tsp finely ground black pepper
1 Put the ground sumac or sumac berries in a small saucepan with 375ml of the water and bring to the boil. Take off the heat and set to one side while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
2 Put the meat and the whole peeled onion in a large saucepan and add the rest of the water. Bring to the boil, skimming away any scum that rises to the surface. Add 1 tbsp of salt, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered with a lid, for 1 hour, or until the meat is very tender. Discard the onion.
3 Fry the sliced onions in the olive oil in a wide saucepan over a medium heat, until lightly golden. Strain the lamb stock, reserving the meat, and add to the onions with the passata. Strain the sumac liquid and add it to the pan. Bring to the boil and add the butter. Reduce the heat and let the pot bubble gently for 15 mins.
4 Add the aubergines and the stewed lamb and cook for about 15 mins or until the aubergines are nearly done. Add the mint, garlic and lemon juice. Season to taste. Serve with kibbeh or other meatballs, and bread.
