Sauces for the vegetarian BBQ
For years, at her annual dacha party held around the weekend house (’dacha’ in Russian) she shares with her friends, Marjan Ippel would roast a nose-to-tail suckling pig on a spit. This time, she did things differently: she roasted trays full of nose-to-tail vegetables in the wood-fired oven. And she served them with cold sauces.
That came as quite a shock to some carnivores: ‘Is the pig still coming?’ But thanks to the sauces served alongside the roasted cauliflowers, sweet potatoes, aubergines and pimientos de padron, everyone was won over. There were almost fights over the very last drop of sauce.
In hot weather, a vegetarian barbecue is always a good idea. And with these three cold sauces, no one will hear anyone complain. They also work wonderfully with meat, by the way. And with raw vegetables and raw, fried or roasted fish. What’s more, you can make these all-purpose cold sauces as hot as you like.
1. Ch’o kanjang
Easy does it. This Korean sesame dip is quick to make, but no one can stay away from it. The ingredients are all winners too: toasted sesame seeds, light soy sauce, brown sugar and Chinese vinegar. Ch’o kanjang is traditionally served with, for example, bulgogi, Korean beef. But it also makes a raw stick of celery taste divine.
2. Almond-anchovy mole
A mole is a Mexican sauce that comes in many variations. The best-known is the dark brown mole poblano with cocoa. It is considered Mexico’s national dish. A mole usually contains a type of fruit, chili pepper, some kind of nut (to thicken the sauce) and spices such as black pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Something you probably wouldn’t have thought of as a combination is the almond-anchovy mole recommended by New York Times food writer Julia Hoskin to serve with roasted cauliflower. We’ve adapted the recipe slightly.
3. Salsa verde
Salsa verde is any green sauce that is prepared without heating and served cold. Its green colour comes from the use of green herbs such as basil, parsley and tarragon. Argentine chimichurri is one example. So is Italian pesto and the French sauce verte (with, among other things, tarragon and vinegar or lemon juice). And this one is also versatile, working with vegetables as well as meat and fish.
BBQ master Jord Althuizen makes his chimichurri like this.
Image: Brecht van de Moosdijk, Marjan Ippel et al.
