'FRIDGE SAUCES
THE ENGLISH LOVE OF SAUCES
Our refrigerator has a shelf especially reserved for sauces. I tend not to go there, personally, as I'm not a sauce person; my California upbringing took me in a different direction. But my husband loves his sauces, and the boys are heading in that direction as well. This shelf has the following: cranberry, tartare, horseradish, mint sauce, mint jelly, wholegrain mustard, Dijon mustard, Bramley apple sauce, and Branston pickle. In the bottom shelf of the door are three large half-used squeezy bottles of ketchup, and two half-used squeezy bottles of mayonnaise. I'm not surprised at the absence of salad cream; I banished that a long time ago as being rather pointless, and it's easy to find an excellent recipe for a fresh version online.
As I understand it, the horseradish is for beef, the mustards are for beef and ham, the apple sauce is for pork, the tartare is for fish, the mint is for lamb, the cranberry is for poultry, the mayo is for salad and Marie Rose sauce, and the ketchup is for chips, burgers, and for disguising anything you think you might not like. Sometimes we have barbeque sauce. The half bottles of ketchup were panic buys when the children were coming home to visit, as it would be unfortunate not to have it in the 'fridge when they arrived.
I do appreciate that these store bought sauces are convenient ways to have condiments available for your food at all times, and that they derive from original, freshly made versions which have become popular over the years, and therefore in demand in domestic kitchens. However, I do think it is possible to cook without them, if one was so inclined. They do actually add unwanted calories and additives to your meal. Have a look at a label and hunt for added sugar, salt, and unpronounceable things which may not be helpful for your diet.
The Italian way of dressing food is different. Fresh and identifiable would be a good way of describing it. Take steak, for example. The tang of horseradish adds an edge to a steak which cuts through the richness. It's a popular combination. But please just try, just once, a squeeze of fresh lemon and a slick of extra virgin olive oil. It's a whole different ball game. Green herb pesto-style sauces are also popular - a salsa verde - but freshly made, please.
Mint is so easy to cook with. It grows like mad in most climates and so is easy to have on hand. I love mint ice cubes in cold drinks, and the traditional mint with Jersey Royals is a lovely herald of springtime. The preference for mint with lamb runs along the same lines as horseradish with beef: the mildly astringent mints cuts through the richness of the meat. But just try experimenting with mint in the cooking preparation, instead of dolloping on spoonfuls of jelly or sauce afterwards. Even a simple mint pesto - a simpler salsa verde - does the same job, without the additives.
Mustards, are, well, mustards. They can't easily be cooked with in their original state so a plain mustard sauce, or paste is as unadulterated as you can get. Italian Bollito Misto - a boiled mix of a variety of different meats, game, and poultry - uses a sauce which is a mix of mustard and candied fruit, so yes, mustard is used in Italian cooking. It's a pungent addition to any dish. Wherever you find mustard in a dish, you probably could use truffle, in Italy. Truffle adds a depth and richness to anything it touches.
Really, you can top pretty much any roast or cooked food with something fresh that doesn't come out of a jar, and it will always be a healthier option. True, it may not be a precise replacement for your favourite 'fridge sauce but it serves the same purpose. The punchy kick of pickle sauces is an ancient way of enhancing meat in the winter months, when fresh fruit and veg are in short supply, and are an integral part of Indian cuisine. There isn't really a freshly made alternative to pickle that I have come across, although you might find that a fresh salad mixing fruit and veg is a complement (carrot and raisin, or coleslaw, for example).
The exciting thing about Italian cuisines is that, depending on where you are, you get an entirely different set of influences to work with. It's a bit like the concept of 'American Cuisine'. You can't really squish the impact of all of the international influences on North American dining into the same phrase and call it 'American' (mind you, most people think of 'American' cuisine as burger and fries with ketchup, which is so unfair; that may be the world's biggest culinary export, but doesn't really reflect American appetites). So also, for Italy. Pizza and spag bog does not define the country.
Fruit sauces with meat, poultry, and game are popular, traditional, and seen in many cuisines around the world. Lovely. But in a era where pretty much everything you want to cook with is available year 'round you could, if you wanted to, cook fresh all of the time and give over the 'sauces' shelf in your 'fridge to something else.
Just try it, for a week. Cook fresh, for a week. See what happens. See how you feel. Then you decide!
Our refrigerator has a shelf especially reserved for sauces. I tend not to go there, personally, as I'm not a sauce person; my California upbringing took me in a different direction. But my husband loves his sauces, and the boys are heading in that direction as well. This shelf has the following: cranberry, tartare, horseradish, mint sauce, mint jelly, wholegrain mustard, Dijon mustard, Bramley apple sauce, and Branston pickle. In the bottom shelf of the door are three large half-used squeezy bottles of ketchup, and two half-used squeezy bottles of mayonnaise. I'm not surprised at the absence of salad cream; I banished that a long time ago as being rather pointless, and it's easy to find an excellent recipe for a fresh version online.
As I understand it, the horseradish is for beef, the mustards are for beef and ham, the apple sauce is for pork, the tartare is for fish, the mint is for lamb, the cranberry is for poultry, the mayo is for salad and Marie Rose sauce, and the ketchup is for chips, burgers, and for disguising anything you think you might not like. Sometimes we have barbeque sauce. The half bottles of ketchup were panic buys when the children were coming home to visit, as it would be unfortunate not to have it in the 'fridge when they arrived.
I do appreciate that these store bought sauces are convenient ways to have condiments available for your food at all times, and that they derive from original, freshly made versions which have become popular over the years, and therefore in demand in domestic kitchens. However, I do think it is possible to cook without them, if one was so inclined. They do actually add unwanted calories and additives to your meal. Have a look at a label and hunt for added sugar, salt, and unpronounceable things which may not be helpful for your diet.
The Italian way of dressing food is different. Fresh and identifiable would be a good way of describing it. Take steak, for example. The tang of horseradish adds an edge to a steak which cuts through the richness. It's a popular combination. But please just try, just once, a squeeze of fresh lemon and a slick of extra virgin olive oil. It's a whole different ball game. Green herb pesto-style sauces are also popular - a salsa verde - but freshly made, please.
Mint is so easy to cook with. It grows like mad in most climates and so is easy to have on hand. I love mint ice cubes in cold drinks, and the traditional mint with Jersey Royals is a lovely herald of springtime. The preference for mint with lamb runs along the same lines as horseradish with beef: the mildly astringent mints cuts through the richness of the meat. But just try experimenting with mint in the cooking preparation, instead of dolloping on spoonfuls of jelly or sauce afterwards. Even a simple mint pesto - a simpler salsa verde - does the same job, without the additives.
Mustards, are, well, mustards. They can't easily be cooked with in their original state so a plain mustard sauce, or paste is as unadulterated as you can get. Italian Bollito Misto - a boiled mix of a variety of different meats, game, and poultry - uses a sauce which is a mix of mustard and candied fruit, so yes, mustard is used in Italian cooking. It's a pungent addition to any dish. Wherever you find mustard in a dish, you probably could use truffle, in Italy. Truffle adds a depth and richness to anything it touches.
Really, you can top pretty much any roast or cooked food with something fresh that doesn't come out of a jar, and it will always be a healthier option. True, it may not be a precise replacement for your favourite 'fridge sauce but it serves the same purpose. The punchy kick of pickle sauces is an ancient way of enhancing meat in the winter months, when fresh fruit and veg are in short supply, and are an integral part of Indian cuisine. There isn't really a freshly made alternative to pickle that I have come across, although you might find that a fresh salad mixing fruit and veg is a complement (carrot and raisin, or coleslaw, for example).
The exciting thing about Italian cuisines is that, depending on where you are, you get an entirely different set of influences to work with. It's a bit like the concept of 'American Cuisine'. You can't really squish the impact of all of the international influences on North American dining into the same phrase and call it 'American' (mind you, most people think of 'American' cuisine as burger and fries with ketchup, which is so unfair; that may be the world's biggest culinary export, but doesn't really reflect American appetites). So also, for Italy. Pizza and spag bog does not define the country.
Fruit sauces with meat, poultry, and game are popular, traditional, and seen in many cuisines around the world. Lovely. But in a era where pretty much everything you want to cook with is available year 'round you could, if you wanted to, cook fresh all of the time and give over the 'sauces' shelf in your 'fridge to something else.
Just try it, for a week. Cook fresh, for a week. See what happens. See how you feel. Then you decide!
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