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I like my nước chấm with fresh garlic and ginger and double the amount of citrus juice than usual. I’ll also throw in things like scallions, cilantro stems, and lemongrass if I have them lying around. While this is typically made with Thai chilis, my recipe calls for jalapeños simply because I am more likely to have them on hand. Also, Thai chilis are significantly spicier and my friends and family aren’t always down for the heat, so it’s just safer for me to go the jalapeño route. I also enjoy the vegetal flavor you get from the jalapeño.

This sauce is very similar to Prik Nam Pla (พริกน้ำปลา) a Thai condiment that also consists of fish sauce, lime juice, and fresh chili. While they’re similar in flavor and composition, they’re used differently in their respective cuisines.

I love to drizzle Nước Chấm over grilled proteins, like steak, shrimp, and chicken, with a bed of hot rice or rice noodles, crunchy veg, and loads of cilantro and mint. It’s also used as a dipping sauce for Vietnamese spring rolls and egg rolls.

If this recipe has you eager to cook more Vietnamese, I recommend the book Vietnamese: Simple Vietnamese Food to Cook at Home by Uyen Luu. Not only is it filled with fabulous recipes, it’s also the prettiest cookbook I own.

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I’ve studied his recipe video, I treat the instructions like the word of God, and I take NO creative liberties. Ex: he doesn’t use garlic in the sauce and it takes a lot of discipline for me to refrain from slipping in a clove or two. Why? Because it’s perfect. It really is. Some reasons why:

1. The ingredient list is thoughtfully and intentionally small(ish). I’ve seen ingredient lists for bolognese that span 2 pages. Not here! It’s no nonsense. No extras. Just the good stuff.
2. The technique yields a meat sauce so tender it will shock you. It might feel like an unnecessary amount of steps, but each steps serves its purpose.

The technique that he uses to brown off the ground beef is one that I have permanently adapted into my everyday cooking. Instead of adding all of the meat to the pan at once, he has you break it up into 1-2inch pieces (meat ball adjacent) and brown them in batches. This allows for maximum caramelization. If you’ve ever tried to brown 1 lb of ground meat in a pan you know its a constant battle between you and the steam. You’re left with grayish meat and 0 crispy bits.

The reason why we brown meat in our cooking is not just because it looks cool, but because it scientifically tastes better. This is referred to as the “Maillard reaction”. Basically it’s a chemical reaction between the amino acids and sugars in protein (animal protein most famously) and it only occurs when the protein reaches a temperature of ~285°F. This may not seem like a very high temperature, but I can assure you that the 1 lb of ground meat that you tried to brown in a 10inch pan will not get any where close to that temp before overcooking.

This is also why chefs insist you dont “crowd the pan”. Your pan can only conduct so much heat at one time, and sometimes theres not enough of that heat to go around! …. I digress

What started as a love letter to pasta has become a science report. And that’s show biz baby! But seriously, if you’re looking to make the best bolognese money can buy and you’ve got about 3-4 hours to spare. Look no further than Andy’s recipe.

And to clarify, even though I don’t feel this needs clarification, I do not get compensated for promoting other people’s recipes. But I would feel like a real fake ass bitch if I came out with my own bolognese recipe as if this weren’t the blue print? I hope that makes sense xx

Oh wait but I do have a recipe for Chili Bolognese which is really yummy. I encourage you give her a spin FOR SURE.

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Pesto is to pasta as salsa verde is to proteins. It’s similar in that the foundation of the mixture is chopped herbs and olive oil, but salsa verde is inherently acidic making it the ideal accompaniment to basically everything. You honestly could put it on pasta like you would pesto. That would be lovely. But my preferred usage is to top meat and fish to brighten and lift all of the flavors with out masking them.

I’ve been known to take a tablespoon of salsa verde and turn it into a vinaigrette for salads and veg. Or combine it with a stick of softened butter for an instant garlic herb infused butter situation. It is so multifunctional and adaptable, I have a container of this stuff in my fridge at all times.

Serve your Garlicky Salsa Verde with my Simple Baked Whole Fish Recipe!! Click Here!!!

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Jarred tomato sauce is the most used pantry item in my cooking. I use it in soups, stews, braises, ect. It’s a great shortcut for creating a dish that is really flavorful in a short amount of time. However, my favorite brand of jarred sauce, Rao’s, can cost you upwards of $10 a can in some stores. I try to stock up at Costco when I can but I run through it so quickly, I realized that I needed a more cost effective solution.

Which inspired me to develop this copy cat Rao’s recipe. During the development process I was shocked at how simple it was to create a delicious tomato sauce. I feel like I was brainwashed to believe it would be very difficult and take hours of standing over the stove to complete. The sauce simmers for only 45 minutes

I found that the largest contributor to my success with this recipe was starting with a really great can of tomatoes. My favorite brand is Bianco Di’Napoli tomatoes. They are grown in California and taste fantastic right out of the can. If you can’t find those, go for San Marzano tomatoes.

When preparing your tomatoes, there are 2 avenues you can go: either you can crush the whole peeled tomatoes by hand, or break them up using an immersion blender. I prefer a chunkier sauce so I crush them by hand. I understand that this can get messy, so make sure you’re not wearing white.

The most important lesson that I learned in my tomato sauce journey was to resist the urge to over complicate things. I found myself adding all of these unnecessary ingredients like tomato paste, carrots, celery, chicken stock, dried herbs, granulated garlic, ect. I thought these would enhance the flavor of the sauce, but it only deterred from the clean tomato flavor. So I challenge you to stick to this recipe and avoid free styling with random additions. When it comes to tomatoes, simple really is best.

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