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INGREDIENT NOTE Dried thyme varies in freshness and potency, so use more or less depending on the strength and flavor of yours. If you have fresh thyme, use about 2 teaspoons.

serving & menu ideas

Grill, broil, pan-fry, or poach your favorite fish, and top it with Sauce Niçoise. It’s also good on shrimp or scallops. Stir some into Potato Salad with Green & White Beans to transform it into a fresh new dish.

red pepper butter sauce

This beautiful sunset-red sauce with flecks of green herbs turns pasta, vegetables, potatoes, or fish into a work of art. Leftover sauce keeps in the refrigerator for a week or two.

YIELDS 1½ CUPS

TIME: 10 MINUTES

½ cup olive oil

6 garlic cloves

½ cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup canned roasted red peppers (more or less is fine)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or basil (optional)

In a small skillet on medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic cloves and cook for about 3 minutes, until the garlic is golden. Remove from the heat.

In a blender on medium speed, purée the butter, roasted red peppers, lemon juice, and salt. Pour in the oil and garlic and whirl until smooth. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt if needed. If using dill or basil, stir it in by hand.

INGREDIENT NOTE To make the sauce with fresh bell peppers, stem, seed, and chop a large red bell pepper or 2 medium ones and cook in the oil with the garlic until soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Whirl in a blender with the butter, lemon juice, and salt until smooth.

serving & menu ideas

This sauce is excellent on pasta, such as penne or shells. For a beautiful color contrast, put 1½ cups of frozen peas in with the cooking pasta a couple of minutes before you drain it. Use the sauce in place of the oil in Pasta with Olives Piquant. Stir some into polenta or ladle a bit over a side of steamed asparagus or broccoli.

mushroom sherry sauce

Mushrooms simmered in sherry and sweet and savory seasonings—an elegant, yet hearty sauce.

YIELDS 3 CUPS

TIME: 30 MINUTES

2 cups chopped onions

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

12 ounces cremini or moonlight mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground sage or poultry seasoning

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup dry sherry

1 tablespoon unbleached white flour

In a covered saucepan on medium heat, cook the onions in the butter or oil for about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Increase the heat and add the mushrooms, salt, sage, nutmeg, and pepper and cook covered for 3 or 4 minutes, until the mushrooms begin to release liquid. Add the sherry and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.

In a cup, combine the flour and ¼ cup of water to make a smooth paste. Whisk the paste into the mushrooms and cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.

serving & menu ideas

Stir into hot pasta and top with grated cheese. Excellent on fish, rice, and baked or mashed potatoes. This sauce is even hearty enough to serve as a meal over toast points.

brown butter sauce

We developed this little sauce, so easily made, to serve on Seared Scallops. But it’s so good that soon we were drizzling it on plain vegetables, fish, and grains, too.

YIELDS ½ CUP

TIME: 10 MINUTES

½ cup butter

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

In a small pan on medium-low heat, melt the butter. Simmer for about 4 minutes until the butter melts and the solids sink to the bottom and very soon after turn brown—the butter will become nut-brown in color. Watch it closely because it can turn from nicely nutty brown to badly scorched in the wink of an eye. Remove from the heat, strain through a small sieve if you like, and stir in the balsamic vinegar.

Brown Butter Sauce keeps in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks, and it reheats nicely in a microwave oven.

simple tomato sauce

YIELDS 3 CUPS

TIME: 15 MINUTES

6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 28-ounce can of plum tomatoes

fresh chopped basil