Ronnie's Notes
July 2012
Condiments
What’s a hamburger without ketchup? A hot dog without the mustard?
Just okay really.
The truth is we might not love the foods we love, even the ones we love most, without that special something that makes them so lovable: condiments, the foods we use to enhance other foods, complement them and season them perfectly into a gastronomic love match.
Ketchup and mustard are the familiar ones, but the culinary pantry is loaded with others we take for granted, but which form an essential piece of our cuisine. Mayonnaise, pickle relish, soy sauce and chutneys are old, well known standbys. But we discovered Hoisin sauce in the 1960s, guacamole and salsa in the ‘70s and in the ensuing decades, Tahini, Chimichurri, Tzatziki and fish sauce.
More recently we’ve become devoted to the many ways to include Sriracha, Schug and Harissa in our recipes. Pebre will catch on soon; its bounty of cilantro, chili peppers and parsley perfect as a marinade and seasoning for summer’s grills and winter’s roasts.
Go to any supermarket and you’ll find multiple shelves filled with packaged condiments. But making them at home is a joy, at once freeing your creative instincts and also testing the limits. Like with homemade ketchup. No, it isn’t Heinz, doesn’t taste exactly like it, as if it has come from a bottle. But that’s the beauty of it too. When it’s homemade you can spice ketchup up with lots of chili peppers, make it more -- or less --sweet, mild or spicy. You can even make ketchup with fruit other than tomatoes – plums, for example.
Homemade salsa brimming with fragrant summer tomatoes, Guacamole made with ripe, buttery avocadoes, Tzatziki tasting of just-picked dill – these don’t taste like packaged products cooked for shelf life either. But again, that’s the point. And another bonus is that they take just a few minutes to prepare.
It’s probably not feasible to duplicate the essence of such condiments as fish sauce or soy sauce, but almost all the others are up for grabs. We can flavor our own vinegar and grind up fresh horseradish in a food processor. We needn’t be stuck with mango chutney from a jar but make our own with any fruit or vegetable in season: rhubarb, fresh apricots, dried dates. We can whip up relish mixing grilled corn, tomatoes, scallions and fresh herbs. Makes salsa with fragrant summer tomatoes or seasonal fruit such as rhubarb or nectarines.
All these are small, unheralded extras that make whatever else you’re cooking more memorable.
Instructions
Place the tomatoes, onions and chili peppers, if used, in a large, deep pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
(Do not add water.) Lower the heat and simmer the vegetables for or until they are soft.
Strain the vegetables through a sieve or strainer extracting as much liquid as possible, and reserve the juices.
Wash the pot and pour in the reserved juices.
Stir in the vinegar, brown sugar, white sugar, celery salt, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.
Place the cinnamon stick, mustard seed, black peppercorns and whole cloves in a small piece of cheesecloth (tie it closed with kitchen string) or in a small muslin cooking bag.
Place the bag of spices in the pot.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the mixture for , stirring occasionally, or until the mixture is thick.
Discard the spice bag.
Pour into jars prepared for bottling (follow manufacturer’s instructions) or spoon into plastic containers and keep, covered, in the refrigerator.
Makes about 1-1/2 quarts