What are some of your stupidly easy sauces? (Emphasis on the "stupidly easy".)
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
Erős Pista (Hungarian paprika paste) or Sambal Oelek + a fuckton of freshly grated garlic + a pinch of sugar = surprisingly close Huy Fong Sriracha alternative (great if you boycott US products or if there is yet another shortage). Can be enhanced even further with a couple drops of liquid smoke.
Mayo + sriracha goes with everything, from sushi to fries.
Sriracha is life.
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
Chocolate sauce.
Just melt some chocolate.
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Whorcheschire sauce and Ketchup makes a passable BBQ sauce
I always thought Wostershersauce was supposed to be BBQ-ish.
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
Canned tomatoes + salt
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
I find gravy to be one of the easiest sauces to do quickly and with whatever I have on hand (1:1:8 ratio for fat, flour and liquid).
I made a brown sauce for poutine and some other potato dishes kind of like this the other day: melt butter at medium low heat in a small pot, say about 2 tbsp, add equal amount of flour by volume and fry until getting a little nutty. Whisk in broth or stock (I just use Better Than Bouillon) until consistency of thin gravy achieved (about a cup) and it begins to bubble. Add light and dark soy sauces for flavour and colour to taste. It’ll thicken as it cools.
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
Mayo and dill pickle relish (or chopped dill pickles and pickled jalapenos) is the best tartar sauce IMO.
Chipotle salsa - dump a can of chipotles en adobo into the food processor, press start, turn it off when they are smooth.
Black bean sauce. Dump a can of black beans in a pot with some of the chipotle salsa, heat them together, hit with immersion blender and then whisk in some sour cream.
If you have an abundance of basil (if you have a plant, you will have an abundance) pesto is easy.
Slightly more work but so easy and so good, sheet pan salsa, put tomatillos and fresh hot peppers on a sheet pan and broil them until soft and a little blackened, slide the whole mess into the food processor, season with salt, a little olive oil and vinegar and either cumin seeds or cilantro (you don’t need both), pulse until chopped up and combined.
I find vegan gravy so good for the amount of work too. Make a dark roux of oil and flour, mix soy sauce into water until it looks like diet coke for the broth, add it slowly into the hot roux while whisking, season with pepper, salt if needed, rosemary is good as are mushrooms, miso, but it’s plenty good on its own.
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
Guajillo Sauce, many meals I cook I use this sauce.
- 6-10 dried Guajilo peppers, stems/seeds removed
- Half white onion
- 2-4 garlic cloves
- 2 whole tomatoes
- 2 spicy peppers of your choosing, Serrano/jalapeño
- 6ish cups of water
Boil the water in a large pot and add all ingredients. Simmer for 15-20 mins. Drain half the water out, either blend in a blender or use an immersion blender until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and desired spices. Pass through a sieve if you’d like for further smoothness (I never do)
Made this last night, and poured it over a seared spoon roast (my once a year beef purchase) in the crock pot. Low for 6 hours, had the best shredded beef tacos.
You can see the sauce be made here: La Herencia de las Viudas YT
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
Equal parts soy sauce & water. Crushed black pepper, crushed hot pepper, grated ginger, sugar. Bring to boil, add ginger when off boil.
You can go extra with a crushed clove, 1 star anise petal to get some aromatics.
You can thicken it with a touch of rice flour or other flour.
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
Sauces for what? A lot of sauces you can buy pre-made and are perfectly acceptable—also some sauces you would not normally make yourself, e.g. soy sauce.
Sauces as in dipping sauces, I normally use pre-made hot sauce.
You can also make a lot of passable pasta sauces very easily. One way is to fry up garlic, chilli, and any other aromatics you like in a pan. Add white wine. Add parsley. Add pasta water. Add spaghetti (or other pasta).
Another pasta sauce I like that’s very easy to make is just putting silken tofu and miso paste into a blender/food processor and blending until creamy smooth. There should not be any chunks; it should be completely smooth and creamy. If you see any lumps at all, keep blending—it will get smooth. That makes for a good creamy vegan sauce you can put on pasta or other things.
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
Make pasta of choice, and finely chopped garlic and a tablespoon of salted butter to the hot drained cooked pasta. Stir until butter is completely melted.
Ad pepper to taste, garnish with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and chopped chives.
Simple and amazing.
Fo and added treat add chopped mushrooms to butter and garlic, saute, then pour over cooked pasta, then add cheese and chives.
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
some of y’all have very loose concepts of ‘sauce’
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Erős Pista (Hungarian paprika paste) or Sambal Oelek + a fuckton of freshly grated garlic + a pinch of sugar = surprisingly close Huy Fong Sriracha alternative (great if you boycott US products or if there is yet another shortage). Can be enhanced even further with a couple drops of liquid smoke.
Mayo + sriracha goes with everything, from sushi to fries.
Sriracha is life.
Try Mayo + maple syrup+ Sriracha
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Fresh crushed garlic too!
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
I like mixing various spices with olive oil to dip bread in. Literally just whatever catches my eye in the cabinet.
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
1/3 cup Kewpie mayo, 3 Tbsp sweet chili sauce, 1-1.5 Tbsp Sriracha. Makes a nice dipping sauce that is basically bang bang sauce with less sweetness.
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
Lotta mayo+ contraptions here so I’ll add mine, and hard agree with the lemon in handmade tartar sauce it makes all the difference.
Mayo and Cajun seasoning, or if going for more Mediterranean, mayo and greek seasoning if you don’t have sub oil, or if you do mayo and sub oil. All great ways to get moisture on a sandwich
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In a pinch when out of tartar sauce I’ve mixed green relish with mayo and it’s, passable.
For that matter, mayo with hot sauce and ketchup was my accompaniment to some otherwise bland pizza and tater tots this afternoon.
Microwave Hollandaise sauce. Can go wrong easily, but when I wanted it quick it works fairly well. Just have to tend the microwave every 15-20 seconds to mix it before it coagulates. But it’s done its job more than once for me.
Peanut butter (smooth) + light soy sauce + sesame oil
Great on noodles, great dipping sauce for hot pots
