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After that, making the tomato paste takes just a moment. Traditionally, the tomatoes are pounded, usually with garlic, in a mortar and pestle. I use a small food processor and like the resulting texture very much.

½ cup softened sun-dried tomatoes with their oil

1 small or ½ large garlic clove, or to taste

Salt

4 fresh basil leaves, chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)

3 tablespoons pine nuts

Additional extra virgin olive oil if necessary

1. Put the tomatoes and a tablespoon or so of their oil in a small food processor along with the garlic and a good pinch of salt. Process until fairly smooth, stopping the machine and stirring down the mixture with a rubber spatula as necessary.

2. Add the basil and lemon juice if you like; pulse the machine a few times to blend. Remove the paste from the machine and stir in, by hand, the nuts and just enough additional oil to make the mixture silky rather than oily. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The sauce will keep, covered with a thin layer of oil and refrigerated in a tightly covered container, for at least a week. But its flavor is best when served immediately.

WHERE TO USE SUN-DRIED TOMATO SAUCE

Some of the many uses for this sauce:

• As a pasta sauce, but sparingly, and thinned with a little of the hot pasta-cooking water

• As a spread on bread or sandwiches

• As a dip for raw vegetables or crackers

• As a condiment for chicken or fish

• As a sauce for cooked bland vegetables, such as boiled potatoes

FIG RELISH

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 10 MINUTES

WHILE THE BEST way to eat figs is out of hand—few fruits are as delicious when ripe—there are rewarding ways to use them in recipes; this fig relish is one of them. It is especially brilliant on grilled swordfish or tuna (try it on Grilled Fish the Mediterranean Way), but nearly as good with grilled or broiled chicken (especially dark meat), pork, lamb, or beef. Note that all of these foods contain some fat; because the relish is so lean, combining it with nonfatty meats or fish—such as boneless chicken or flounder—produces a dish that seems to lack substance.

½ pound ripe fresh figs

1 tablespoon minced drained capers

Zest of 1 lemon, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (optional)

Gently rinse and stem the figs; chop them into about ¼-inch pieces, being sure to catch all of their juices. Toss in a bowl with the capers, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving (you can wait up to 2 hours), add the herbs, then taste and adjust the seasonings.

VARIATIONS

• Add a tiny amount (¼ teaspoon or so) of minced garlic. Alternatively, crush a garlic clove and let it sit in the mixture for a few minutes, then fish it out just before serving.

• Add 1 teaspoon or more minced shallot.

• Add a couple tablespoons chopped olives or anchovies.

• Substitute lime zest and juice or mild vinegar for the lemon.

• Change the herbs; 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or rosemary in place of the basil makes the relish considerably more pungent.

DRIED MUSHROOM PUREE

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 20 MINUTES

IT ISN’T OFTEN that you can make a condiment with a single dried ingredient, but since dried mushrooms have become widely available, that occurrence has become more common. If you simmer dried mushrooms until tender, then toss them in a blender with their cooking liquid, you get a thick puree, potent and delicious, something you can use wherever you’d use salsa or even ketchup.

You can use any dried mushrooms for this condiment, from the extremely inexpensive shiitakes (also called “black mushrooms”) sold at Asian markets to the prince of dried mushrooms, the porcini. Smoky porcini (usually imported from Chile or Poland) are really good here.

1 ounce dried porcini (about ½ cup loosely packed)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper