Condiment

This can be tossed with a pound of pasta (serve warm or chilled), used as a topping for grilled chicken, or spread onto toasted slices of baguette or focaccia.

A sweet substitute for traditional steak sauce. Try it on a rib eye, use it to marinate flank steak, or mix it into ground beef for burgers.

For the best flavor, use very ripe tomatoes and don't refrigerate the sauce. Toss it with pasta, spoon it onto baguette slices, or use it as a topping for grilled chicken, seafood, or tri-tip.

This classic "green sauce" (not related to the Mexican tomatillo salsa of the same name) can be used as a dip for crudités, grilled shrimp, or focaccia; or spooned over grilled fish, chicken, or lamb.

Commercial fruit vinegars usually employ cooked fruit, resulting in a heavy, jammy, and not-so-nuanced flavor. We made our vinegar with uncooked berries, so it retains that fresh-from-the-patch essence.

When you've had your fill of ripe peaches eaten out of hand, peel the rest for this fruity-tangy sauce. Brush it on grilled pork or chicken toward the end of cooking, and serve extra on the side. And who could say no to a dab of leftover sauce on a cream cheese — topped cracker?

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Dinner After Dark: Sexy, Sumptuous Supper Soirées by Colin Cowie. This is the most basic tomato salad, given the Southeast Asian and Indian name for pickles or side dishes. It is simple to prepare, relies on the best fresh ingredients, and serves as a wonderful garnish or refresher alongside the Tomato Lamb Bredie and in addition to chutney.

We tried making this oil with Sichuan peppercorns that were not ground but found eating them whole just too numbing. Like the red-chile oil above, it's the perfect thing for adding a final blitz of flavor.

We like to make up a batch of this oil and keep it on hand for seasoning Asian dishes just before serving.

The flavors get stronger the longer the cucumbers marinate.

A habanero chile gives these onions a nice bit of heat.

Serve cooled, leftover salsa with chips.

Fiery habaneros impart brightness to a rich pork dish like Yucatecan-style pork.

As they say, bouillabaisse without rouille is like Marseille without sunshine. This ruddy, bread-thickened sauce adds an essential garlicky richness and delivers a true burst of Mediterranean flavor.

In this confit, called tfaya, all the ingredients blend together, taking on a melting softness as well as the distinct notes of honey. Added to savory dishes like the couscous or even the lamb, it provides an unexpected brightness along with the sweetness.

It's worth doctoring the harissa you buy in a tube or can, which we consider more of a base than a finished product. The result here, used as a condiment for the couscous and a marinade for the lamb, is definitely more intense, and a little goes a long way.