Sauces and More

First let me say that this chapter is very diverse. It contains sauces; salsas (which are really only sauces in another language); dressings; butters; pastes, or what I call pastes (for example, pesto, tarator and chermoula – I make them in a mortar with a pestle, and they look like a paste at the end, so why not call them that?); simple stocks and more.

So what do they all have in common? Well, I’ll tell you: like the vegetable section, I wanted to convey a strong sense of freedom. An understanding that any particular flavouring could have many uses in your day-to-day cooking, not just the one particular dish that it might have gone with in one of the other chapters. I wanted you to start thinking three-dimensionally; a recipe should be an inspiration, not a prescription. This book is a free-flowing, organic, living thing – if you choose to be inspired by it and from the two hundred odd recipes contained in it you should realize that there are actually thousands of food combinations that work together to create enjoyable everyday dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This section, linked with salads and accompaniments, crossed with meat, poultry and seafood, is one of the real drivers in this book. I wanted you to come away from this chapter not just able to recreate a couple of recipes but also with skills that can be used every day to turn great produce into delicious dishes.