They’re spicy, pickled, and essential to my life
The truth about my refrigerator is that even when it’s empty, it’s full … of condiments. There's a reason for that besides the fact that most of them will never go bad, and because I believe a girl can’t have too many hot sauces. Condiments are the razzle dazzle that make all of my meals—even the super quick and not very inventive ones—feel properly accessorized and worthy of the yum-yum noises I expect my family to make when they eat my food. Yes, I include basics like mayo and mustard, Crystal hot sauce, Sriracha, and miso paste. But there are a few others that have graduated into the almost-daily rotation. Here’s my condiment clique and how I like to show them off.
Prepared Horseradish
What delivers wasabi-level nose tingles along with the pucker of a full-sour pickle? Horseradish, that’s what. I just look at the bottle and the phrase “a little dab’ll do ya” pops into my head. Mix it into sour cream or Greek yogurt with a lot of black pepper and big pinch of kosher salt and it’s the dollop you want next to steak, roasted sweet potatoes, chicken thighs, or a bag of potato chips. Stir it into pan drippings from cooking a pork chop or chicken cutlet along with a splash of water, some lemon juice and butter and you’ve got a horseradish jus. It can be served as is next to braises (think: brisket) or long-roasted pork shoulder. I also love it on a sandwich with bread, softened butter, and ham.
Prepared Horseradish
What delivers wasabi-level nose tingles along with the pucker of a full-sour pickle? Horseradish, that’s what. I just look at the bottle and the phrase “a little dab’ll do ya” pops into my head. Mix it into sour cream or Greek yogurt with a lot of black pepper and big pinch of kosher salt and it’s the dollop you want next to steak, roasted sweet potatoes, chicken thighs, or a bag of potato chips. Stir it into pan drippings from cooking a pork chop or chicken cutlet along with a splash of water, some lemon juice and butter and you’ve got a horseradish jus. It can be served as is next to braises (think: brisket) or long-roasted pork shoulder. I also love it on a sandwich with bread, softened butter, and ham.
Kimchi
I’ve eaten a lot of cabbage on quarantine. But you know what’s better than cabbage? Spicy fermented Korean cabbage, that’s what. Kimchi is on every grocery list I ever write—along with good bread and cold brew, it is an item that I would not, and shall not live without. It’s technically a banchan, or side dish, but I treat it like an all-purpose go-with for just about any meal. It lands on the table more meals than not, draped over whichever protein we’re having, from roast turkey to fried eggs. It ends up in all of the grain bowls, from the healthyish ones with farro and lentils, to the quasi-Mexican ones with black beans, rice, and shredded cheese. Speaking of cheese, it is amazing chopped up and layered into a grilled cheese, and kimchi juice makes a pretty great tequila chaser. I made an emergency taco with leftover sweet potatoes and kimchi the other day for a very late lunch and let’s just say—would eat again.
Pepperoncini
Nothing makes me salivate like looking at a jar of pepperoncini. So sour! So spicy! So squidgy, but in a good way! Pepperoncini (or banana peppers, if that’s what your store has) complete any antipasto board and are MVPs in Italian-style chopped salad, but they also end up in my tuna salad, my grain salads, and my salad salads. I put them on salami sandwiches and quesadillas. I prefer the whole ones to the pre-sliced ones, but will not make a big deal about it if sliced is all I can get.
Marina Sauce
Full disclosure: Tutto Calabria’s Marina Sauce is not easy to find. I had the good fortune of picking up a jar a couple of weeks before stay-at-home orders went into effect. I cannot get enough of this stuff, but I also cannot get more till this is over, so I have to be careful how I use it! It’s got all the red chile heat and delicious oily texture of the original calabrian chile paste, but with tiny little fishes mixed in! It’s the perfect blend of fiery and funky, more oily than vinegary, and hot like a Sicilian summer. I love it on crackers with butter and jarred anchovies, it’s awesome flicked all over a mozzarella and tomato salad, it’s indispensable on pan pizza night, and you can cool it down with some yogurt and use that as a bed for roasted or boiled potatoes. Mamma mia!
Nothing makes me salivate like looking at a jar of pepperoncini. So sour! So spicy! So squidgy, but in a good way! Pepperoncini (or banana peppers, if that’s what your store has) complete any antipasto board and are MVPs in Italian-style chopped salad, but they also end up in my tuna salad, my grain salads, and my salad salads. I put them on salami sandwiches and quesadillas. I prefer the whole ones to the pre-sliced ones, but will not make a big deal about it if sliced is all I can get.
Marina Sauce
Full disclosure: Tutto Calabria’s Marina Sauce is not easy to find. I had the good fortune of picking up a jar a couple of weeks before stay-at-home orders went into effect. I cannot get enough of this stuff, but I also cannot get more till this is over, so I have to be careful how I use it! It’s got all the red chile heat and delicious oily texture of the original calabrian chile paste, but with tiny little fishes mixed in! It’s the perfect blend of fiery and funky, more oily than vinegary, and hot like a Sicilian summer. I love it on crackers with butter and jarred anchovies, it’s awesome flicked all over a mozzarella and tomato salad, it’s indispensable on pan pizza night, and you can cool it down with some yogurt and use that as a bed for roasted or boiled potatoes. Mamma mia!
Remember, condiments are great because they round up many ingredients into one efficient delivery system (jar, bottle, or tub). You can keep everything simple with your technique and the rest of your meal, and let the condiment be the disco ball that turns dinner into a party. A party in your mouth, of course.
