The importance of condiments.
Often when I am cooking from heart and memory, I like to think that I am in pursuit of flavor. How many layers of individual tastes can I bring together to make one smile curling bite? That reaction from your audience, your muse, your friends, and your own palate is why we cook. Love. For each other, for our collective nourishment, to demarcate important moments, and for our own individual health.
It is when creating for the day to day meals, that it can be difficult to balance flavor and nutrition, and be sure that your quick creation will be both palate warming and sustaining. Sometimes your dish may be missing something, a textural crunch, acid or umami, spice, or perhaps it's missing enough roughage to be healthful. For these dishes, the toppings, the sauces, the pickles and relishes, and the ferments can be as important as what lies beneath them. Let's explore some of our favorite condiments at Magnolia's, and how best to use them!
Our family's all time most treasured condiment is kimchi, or any variety of fermented vegetables. On our first date my wife and I got to know each other while co-creating a batch of kimchi. Fermenting for two weeks, perhaps a commitment to at least see our friendship last as long. Hearty roots and cabbage are salted, blended with spicy chilies and aromatics, and aged to create a bold and nutritious relish. Slightly salty, and acidic, kimchi goes particularly well with fatty protein and simple flavors. At Magnolia's Kitchen we pair our kimchi with a simple vegetarian breakfast taco, giving an otherwise earthy dish a needed lift. Our kimchi also turns a simple hot dog into a brand new experience. Now kimchi is asian by origin, but in our humble opinion, that doesn't limit it's scope. Try it on top of any dish that needs spice, added flavor, or crunchy vegetables.
Next up on Magnolia's list of palate boosting condiments is hot sauce, and for me this might very well be the MOST important! There is no doubt that nowadays hot sauce could be a bit of a rabbit hole, as many folks have opinions on how best to scorch your tongue and mouth. At Magnolia's we believe that heat should be balanced with flavor, and that behind(or in front of) there should be other notes in the sauce to entice you further, beyond the fire. These tastes can come from complimentary ingredients in the sauce itself, or they can be derived from the chilies themselves. The chili pepper you choose and how you prepare it may be the most important way to create a rounded hot sauce, and my absolute favorite would be the habanero. The habanero is Caribbean in origin, fruity, creamy, and slightly sweet, the habanero can carry a sauce all on its own. We dry roast our chilies until they are blistered, soft, and the skin just begins to flake off, then we blend them until very smooth with salt and distilled white vinegar. You are left with a sauce that is naturally sweet, creamy, full of heat, and pairs well with any foods!
Ketchup is most often thought of as kids food, blanketed over everything on the plate turning the whole meal into tomato candy. No sir, for me ketchup is only slightly sweet with a deep spicy tomato savoriness. Seasoned with allspice, mustard seed, clove, and a hint of cinnamon, we use toasted ancho chilies to create a luscious and rich sauce that french fries crave. Out here in the desert wilds of Utah, folks like to blend in mayonnaise, which adds even more luxury to your dip. Utahn's call it fry sauce, and together with ranch dressing, no chicken strip basket is safe.
What if your taco needs a kick, but most hot sauce tends to be too spicy for you? This is where the condiment pantry really opens up and choices can become overwhelming, but don't be afraid. I am going to describe a few of my favorite salsa's, all of varying heat levels, a few of which we specialize in at Magnolia's Kitchen. Number one is salsa verde, which is tomatillo based, usually seasoned with smaller amounts of fresh green chile such as jalapeño, poblano, or serrano, and often has a nice acidic base to it making it an ideal taco condiment. Number two is salsa de arbol, a common table salsa in Mexico based on the De Arbol chile, a small ripened and dried pepper. This salsa can be made with either tomato or tomatillo(more commonly tomato), and is flavored simply with only raw garlic and salt. Warm and flavorful, it has a slow burn that can be slightly deceiving but delicious! I would label this one our best all purpose salsa, and is probably our most popular. Number three is salsa casera, and is translated as the "house sauce". This is the salsa you find on the table at most Mexican restaurants along side a basket of freshly fried corn chips. It can be smooth or chunky, often a nice mix of both, is the ultimate chip dip, or nacho topper. It can be spicy or not, and the best versions are cooked, but not reduced to the point that they become sweet and pasty. You really want something that has a nice balance of spice(fresh green chile), sweet(onion), acid(tomato), savory(cilantro), and salt.
In the end, think about what flavors your lunch may be missing, and use condiments to fill in the blanks. Check out the Magnolia's store to purchase any of our house sauces or kimchi!