What would the world be like without sauce? Especially these 11 top sauces.
Recently, my not-so-little brother and I were discussing this very question. We agreed that a world without sauce would be a dismal place indeed.
Terms like ‘devoid of sauce’, ‘sauceless’, and ‘un-saucy’ were bandied about. Not exactly a pretty picture.
So today I wanted to have a little ‘celebration of sauce’ and share with you my top 11 favourite recipes.
11 Top Sauces
1. hummus
Is it a dip? A sauce? Or a spread? There are few things more versatile, delicious or healthy than this Middle Eastern classic. And even better, it’s a cynch to make using canned chickpeas.
2. home made mayonnaise
After mastering the art of making mayonnaise in the food processor, without it splitting, mayo consumption has definitely increased in my house. These days I often substitute half the oil for melted butter to make a no-stir ‘cheat’s’ hollondaise. Dangerously addictive.
3. ‘nut’ sauce
RECIPE BELOW. This is a really lovely condiment inspired by the Turkish sauce, ‘tarator’. Similar to hummus but a little more complex with the lovely nutty flavour. Traditionally served with fish but lovely anywhere you need a creamy, nutty sauce with a bit of a kick.
4. chilli oil
I pretty much always have a bottle of chilli oil in the fridge. Great for adding instant heat to dishes in need of a little help. It’s also a wonderful sauce in its own right to serve with chicken, pan fried halloumi or even a simple pasta. My Irishman loves it with his morning eggs and avocado.
5. BBQ sauce
Essential for BBQ season. Great with anything from steak to ribs to chicken.
6. yoghurt sauce
This is the simplest of sauces. Get yourself a good quality natural yoghurt, season generously with salt and pepper. And hey presto.. instant sauce. A healthier alternative to mayonnaise, it’s heavenly with falaffels, fish, chicken or roast lamb.
7. sicilian nut pesto
A wonderful dairy-free pesto. Or try this tomato almond pesto for an delicious twist on the classic.
8. almond cream
This was inspired by one of my favourite Melbourne restaurants – Cumulus Inc. I first served it with roast pork and carrots and have since used it as a more interesting option than mayonnaise. Great with roast cauliflower and chickpeas.
9. walnut & white bean puree
This is a different take on hummus. Wonderful with grilled or roast veg as a sauce / mash accompaniment.
10. harissa
A super simple version of the classic Moroccan condiment. A little goes a long way. Best to serve on the side so everyone can add depending on their own heat tolerance.
11. beetroot pesto
I just LOVE this idea, so don’t let the thought that it’s come in at number 11 put you off. Basically the idea is to replace the fresh basil leaves in pesto with cooked beetroot. Just heavenly.
Cashew Nut Sauce
This sauce is super versatile and can be used pretty much anywhere you'd use hummus. It's especially good with steamed green veg or with fish.
Ingredients
- 200 g roast cashews
- 1-2 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 tablespoons sherry or wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
-
Place cashews, vinegar, garlic and water in a food processor Or put them in a jug or bottle that is wide enough for your stick blender.
-
Process / blend until you have a creamy sauce. Taste. Season with salt.
VARIATIONS
budget – swap some or all of the nuts for torn chunks of rustic bread. Sourdough is great.
nut-free – replace nuts with cooked or canned legumes such as cannellini beans, butter beans or chickpeas. You might need a little more or less vinegar.
no sherry vinegar? – Use lemon juice or other wine vinegars. Rice vinegar is great.
different nuts – pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts (or use peanut butter with less water). So many options.
More Recipes
- Addictive Artichoke Aioli
- Ginger Almond Sauce
- Tomato Almond Pesto
- Parsley Walnut Salsa
- Avocado Butter
- Lemon Miso Sauce
Have fun in the kitchen!
BIG love,
Jules x
Wow love the idea of a beet pesto I’ll have to try it.
One of my favs is beet hummus (similar to traditional but swap 1/2 the chickpeas with roasted beets and skip the tahinni) very nice with fluffy fresh pita or as a veggie spread in a sandwich.
GB!
I love the idea of beet hummus.. thanks for the idea!
I totally agree. The world would be sad without sauces! I love your walnut white bean hummus idea and especially your cashew nut sauce idea as a non-dairy alternative for a creamy sauce.
Thanks Heather!
I should have mentioned.. if anyone has some favourite sauces, I’d love to hear about them!
Great post! All it needs is a checklist for when I make this one, and this one, and that one … ;)
thanks Amanda!
Your cashew nut sauce sounds incredible! A great idea and I absolutely cannot wait to try this!!
thanks Anna!
It works really well with other nuts as well
I don’t think there’s one of these that I disagree with you on – and my latest issue of Vegetarian Times just featured a recipe using harissa and it was the first time I had heard of it – excited to try it out!
Harissa is so lovely Anna
And great for vegetarian cooking
I love me some cashew cream but made plain & a bit of honey. then slosh the strawberries right into it. and enjoy them immensely. ;)
Great list. Love them all!
sounds lovely christine!
What a nice reminder of all the tasty ways to add flavour to a meal! The cashew nut sauce reminds me of the ‘cashew cream’ my mum used to make when she went vegan to serve with dessert – it was so moreish and rich we all preferred it to normal cream!
Kate
Love the idea of your mum’s cashew cream… actually if you just used the cashews and water in this recipe and maybe went for a splash of vanilla it would be lovely as a dessert sauce..
The cashew ‘nut sauce’ is easy and looks beautiful. I am thinking adding some honey or sugar to make it a spread for my toast bread, just like peanut butter. :)
This post is fantastic and so inspiring! Sauces are such a great way to change things up in the kitchen and I often lack inspiration to make new ones. I will definitely keep this post bookmarked! Also, my husband’s favorite nut is the cashew nut so I REALLY look forward to try this sauce. The variation suggestions you provide sound equally good. Thanks for sharing this helpful list!
Why is NUT SAUCE a disgusting name, lady in video needs to get her mind out of the gutter!
Amazing post!!
Please, please correct “synch” in no. 1
The correct word is “cinch”
“Synch” (pronounced “sink”) is a rather uncommon abbreviation of synchronize (usually “sync”)
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