Sauce

Using fresh ricotta as the base for gnocchi creates pasta of incredible delicacy with a richness that stands up well to bold sauces such as the short rib ragu. Think of forming the gnocchi as a meditation, enjoying the process and the feel of the dough under your fingers. This is a great basic meat sauce that’s a staple at Tavolàta. Using short ribs instead of ground chuck makes for better depth of flavor and richness. You can either grind the meat yourself if you have a grinder or an attachment for your mixer, or ask your butcher to grind it for you. This is a fairly thick ragu that goes especially well with ricotta gnocchi or freshly made pappardelle.

My mom’s vinegar-based barbecue sauce, which she made to go along with my dad’s pulled pig, is utterly addictive. Sprinkle it over Wood-Smoked Backyard Barbecued Pig (page 170) or Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork Butt (page 177).

Any recipe for barbecue sauce is bound to be contentious, no matter the formula. That’s because there are as many versions of this master sauce as there are Southerners willing to defend them as definitive. Whether thick or runny, tomato-based or vinegar, all Southern barbecue sauces get their complex flavor by playing on the contrasts between spicy and sweet, tangy and smoky. I’m nonpartisan enough to appreciate them all, but of course I’m partial to the western Tennessee strains—one sharp and vinegary, the other sweet and tomato-thick—I grew up on. With tomato, vinegar, and a dash of mustard, this all-purpose hybrid version offers the best of all worlds.

This creamy, tangy descendant of Thousand Island and remoulade originated in the Greek restaurants of Jackson, Mississippi. From there it spread like wildfire to every salad, burger, fried fish, and French fry in the surrounding five counties and beyond. Most anything edible makes an acceptable receptacle for my friend Phyllis’s version.

This rich sauce adds cool heat to Friday Night Steak Sandwiches (page 188), Crispy Fried Oysters Four Ways (page 117), and Foster Family’s Pot Roast with Herb-Roasted Vegetables (page 199).

Occasionally, Granny Foster would add leftover dredging flour and water to the frying pan to make a delicious brown gravy for spooning over the fried chicken and mashed potatoes. I make it just like she did, but I usually use chicken broth rather than water for added flavor.

I serve this unexpected puree (cauliflower as sauce, who knew?) with seared or grilled scallops, beef, or salmon. Simply place the warm fish or meat atop a pool of the cream.

This unusual pesto variation, adapted from a recipe by Colman Andrews in his book Flavors of the Riviera, cries out for grilled or roasted lamb, but you will discover many other ways to use it. In fact, it’s perfectly delicious on simple grilled bread with a glass of white wine or rosé.

This pretty, rich-tasting pesto enhances simple grilled fish or meats (try it with grilled chicken thighs). You might also consider serving it on an antipasto platter rolled up in strips of grilled eggplant, or tossed with small balls of fresh mozzarella called bocconcini, or “little mouthfuls.”

This unique southwestern-inspired pesto is made with pepitas, which are the green pumpkin seeds that have been shelled from their white hulls. This pesto is particularly great with grilled shrimp, butternut squash ravioli, or pork chops; blended with avocado as a dip for tortilla chips; smeared on a black bean quesadilla; or tossed with penne, chorizo, and roasted red peppers. That should keep you busy for a while!

This spicy mayo, a variation on the classic condiment from the south of France (traditionally flavored with saffron), is the perfect garnish for my Gulf Coast Bouillabaisse (p. 220). But it’s also delicious on just about any grilled fish or bowl of steamed mussels, or a crab omelet. When you serve it with a soup or stew, be sure to include plenty of toasted bread rounds to sop it up.

At Bayona, we like to jazz up tartar sauce with all kinds of extra goodies, such as preserved lemon and pepperoncini, in addition to the usual ingredients (capers, pickles, etc.). It’s just the thing with sautéed cornmeal-crusted trout or fried oysters and some vinegary slaw.

This unusual aïoli is good on any kind of grilled meat, especially lamb, and the tasty little chickens known as poussins. You might also serve it with roasted artichoke quarters. For this recipe you can steep your own lavender honey, as described below, or simply buy a good-quality lavender honey from Provence.