Condiment Recipes

Apple Chutney
Chutney is a perfect accompaniment to roast chicken. We usually buy ours, but with our bountiful crop of apples I decided to try my hand at making some from scratch. It's easy, actually, much easier than I expected. Though cooking...
Candied Kumquats
It's raining kumquats. Literally. My pal and neighbor Garrett found a fully loaded kumquat tree on his campus and now we are quite flush with them. A few days ago Garrett brought a jar of these candied kumquats over and...
Cilantro Lime Herb Butter
An herbed butter is a great way to dress up corn-on-the-cob, veggies of all kinds, chicken, fish, prawns, pork, steak, you name it. Here's an herb butter recipe, Southwestern style, with cilantro and lime. Do you ever make herbed butters...
Cilantro Pesto
I have, over the years, attempted to grow cilantro several times. Each time the plants bolted before I got much use out of them. This year I planted a bunch of seed in October, when the scorching Sacramento summer weather...
Cranberry Relish
This is a great cranberry relish for all turkey dishes and turkey sandwiches, and a tasty alternative to a more traditional cranberry sauce. The relish consists of raw cranberries, apples, and an orange, all put through a grinder with sugar...
Eggplant Relish
Tucked away in funky Bernal Heights, my old neighborhood in San Francisco, used to lie Palatino, an Italian trattoria which served unexpectedly exceptional Italian food. I used to go there regularly and became addicted to the eggplant caponata condiment they...
Homemade Mango Chutney
One of our favorite ways to eat chicken is baked or roasted, served with Spanish rice and a bit of mango chutney. Here's an easy, excellent recipe for homemade golden mango chutney that I found on the C & H...
How to Make Preserved Lemons
Many Moroccan and Middle Eastern recipes call for preserved lemons, lemons that have been pickled in salt and their own juices. It's quite easy to do, though takes at least three weeks before the lemons are ready to use.
How to Prepare Horseradish
People either love horseradish or they hate it. One bite of pungent prepared horseradish is enough to clear out anyone's sinuses. Hotter than the popular Japanese version of wasabi, horseradish is easy to grow and easy to prepare. If you...
Perfect Guacamole
Guacamole, a dip made from avocados, is originally from Mexico. The name is derived from two Aztec Nahuatl words - ahuacatl (avocado) and molli (sauce). The trick to perfect guacamole is using good, ripe avocados. Check for ripeness by gently...
Pickled Jalapenos (Escabeche)
Chiles Jalapenos y Serrano Escabeche This year I decided to grow jalapeño and serrano chiles - those wonderfully hot and flavorful Mexican chiles that are used salsa, guacamole, and so many Mexican dishes. But I certainly wasn't expecting each plant...
Pickled Red Onions
I keep on making things that when I think about it, would be enhanced with some pickled red onions. Bean soup, liverwurst, salmon, and especially hot dogs and hamburgers would all be terrific with some pickled onions on the side...