Recipe File: Salty, Buttery, Saucy

Lately I have been amusing myself by making little batches of flavored salts and butters and green sauces. This is a harmless and rewarding distraction.

I feel virtuous because these condiments use up all sorts of forgotten fridge items, old greens and herbs, and shriveled citrus.

When I have some or all of these on hand, laziness passes for clever effort.

And it’s fun because I’m not following a recipe, or even concentrating. Concentration and focus are in low supply lately. Can you relate?

No recipes here—just proportions and suggestions.

Salty

For flavored salts, I use kosher salt and stir in a mixture of whatever fresh herbs I have on hand in a ratio of one part salt to one part herbs.

Thyme, sage, oregano, and rosemary make sense. Sometimes I also add lemon or lime zest.

Smoked paprika is so good too, maybe a tablespoon for a cup of salt. Smoky and pretty.

You could of course use dried herbs as long as they’re fresh and fragrant.

Then I use the salt to season with abandon whatever I’m cooking: protein, sautéed greens, salads.

Buttery

A stick of butter, a teaspoon of salt, black pepper, 8 or 9 roasted garlic cloves, (or 1-2 grated raw garlic cloves), some minced parsley, juice of half a lemon—mash that all together with a fork on your cutting board. 

Or blue cheese and black pepper; orange zest, orange juice and dill; honey and chili flakes; anchovies! 

Wrap well in wax or parchment paper. The butters keep for a week in the fridge and for a couple of months in the freezer. 

Put dollops of flavored butter right on flounder or steak, tofu, hot potatoes. 

This counts as saucing. The orange and dill butter is mandatory spread on dark rye with gravlax or smoked salmon.

Saucy

Green sauces are the most fun because No Rules. 

Spinach, watercress, parsley, or kale (but remove the stems and blanch it first), blended with salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon or a splash of vinegar for acid. 

Go pesto and add cheese and nuts, go Anchoïade and add anchovies and capers. 

Mustard, fresh or dried chilies, olives, ginger, green peppercorns.  

This stuff is addictive and so good drizzled on everything and smeared onto sandwiches.  

I’ve been eating warm bowls of beans or vegetable soup with green sauce on rotation this winter.

Tonight I’m going to reheat some leftover potatoes in garlic butter, then add cheddar cheese and six beaten eggs to the pan and bake till just set. 

I’ll serve a warm wedge of this frittata with steamed broccoli and a couple of slices of prosciutto, all drizzled with plenty of green sauce. Bread on the side, obviously. 

Tomorrow I may season a chicken with paprika/herb salt and then roast it gently for dinner. My stash of flavorings will last for weeks!

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