IN SEASON
A culinary whistle-stop tour of the sauces that shape Mediterranean cuisine
MEDITERRANEAN Sauces of the
Christine McFadden, aka The Dorset Foodie, has travelled the length and breadth of the Mediterranean, taking her trusty culinary notepad as she goes. As a fundamental element of any dish, Christine takes us to six locations in the Mediterranean in which their staple sauces are explained.
Mediterranean sauces, in particular, aren’t complicated, but like most simple things they do rely on good quality ingredients. Given that 22 countries border the Mediterranean, it’s not surprising that the cuisine has distinct regional variations. T at said, although each country has its classic sauces, there are trademark ingredients common to all.
SPAIN
Starting off in Catalonia, you’ll fi nd romesco sauce served alongside seafood, fi sh, poultry and grilled meat. It has a powerful kick – the Spanish equivalent of French rouille. Basic ingredients include romesco peppers, Spanish paprika, tomatoes, garlic and olive oil, blitzed to a paste with hazelnuts and almonds, and brightened with sherry vinegar.
FRANCE
Moving clockwise to Provence, the iconic sauce is aioli – a powerful garlic mayonnaise that’s a must with fi sh soup. It also perks up plainly boiled potatoes and makes a punchy dip for crudités. It’s made with a jaw-dropping amount of garlic pounded with salt, then whisked to an emulsion with egg yolks and olive oil. An easy shortcut is to crush juicy garlic cloves into a pot of ready- made mayonnaise.
ITALY
A classic from Genoa on the Northwest coast is Pesto Genovese. Headily perfumed with local basil, the sauce is divine freshly made and served with any kind of pasta. Make it by pounding garlic, pine nuts, basil and oil to a paste, or whiz in a blender, then stir in grated Parmesan or Pecorino Sardo.
26 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER NORTH AFRICA
T e ketchup of North Africa, harissa is a feisty paste of crushed red chillies, garlic, aromatic spices, salt and olive oil. Use it to perk up couscous or swirl into tagines and soups, or serve as a condiment with grilled poultry or fi sh.
GREECE AND TURKEY
Here you’ll fi nd tzatziki, a cooling yogurt- based sauce served with fl atbreads, grilled fi sh and spicy kebabs. It’s easy to make – just mix thick plain yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, a drop of olive oil with a large bunch chopped fresh dill or mint. For a chunkier sauce, stir in some chopped cucumber.
MIDDLE EAST
T e signature sauce here is tahini – a nutty- tasting paste of crushed sesame seeds. It’s a key ingredient in hummus bi-tahineh – a velvety dip served with fl atbreads. For a creamy sauce, dilute tahini with lemon juice and water, and add crushed garlic. In Israel you’ll undoubtedly come across Zhoug, the Middle Eastern answer to pesto. Fresh and bright with herbs, it has a super-intense spicy kick. Brought to Israel by Yemenite jews, zhoug is made with a generous amount of garlic, coriander leaves and mildly hot green chillies, seasoned with cardamom, caraway and cumin.
MONKFISH HARISSA KEBABS
Monkfi sh is a fi rm, meaty fi sh which is perfectly suited to the strong fl avours of harissa.
50g harissa paste Olive oil
serves 4
600g monkfi sh fi llet, diced into 2cm pieces 8 red tomatoes, wedged 2 green peppers, diced into 2cm pieces 1 preserved lemon 150ml vegetable stock Half tsp ground cumin Half tsp ground coriander seeds Half tsp mild chilli powder 100g couscous Small bunch of fresh coriander, fi nely chopped
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