Sauces/6 recipes

Tender zucchini and crisp green beans tossed in a vibrant herb sauce packed with basil, capers, and lemon. Serve warm or chilled as a bright summer side.

Marinated asparagus is crunchy and full of flavor, artichoke or palm hearts perfectly match it. It is a great side dish in spring time.

Fresh corn and summer squash sauteed in a cream sauce infused with whole cloves, coriander seeds, cinnamon, and jalapeno. A refined seasonal ragout with serious depth.

Stuffed oranges filled with wild rice, chickpeas, and raisins bound in an orange-tahini sauce. A vegetarian Middle Eastern-inspired dish served in the orange shell itself.

Slow cooker barbecue beef and pork: cubed beef and pork stewed all day in a tangy tomato sauce with onions, chili powder, and brown sugar. Feeds 16 on buns.

Fettuccine tossed with canned clams, fresh tomatoes, sweet corn, garlic, and basil in a quick white-wine pan sauce. A 16-minute summer pasta that bridges pantry and farmer's market in one bowl.

A full recipe of this sauce is enough for about 1 1/2 pounds of cooked fish, seafood or firm cubed tofu.

Oven-bag barbecued chicken with homemade tangy BBQ sauce. Easy hands-off cooking method keeps chicken tender and juicy in 1 hour.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Smoky Red-Onion Salsa recipe

Orange angel food cake with cardamom caramel sauce and tropical fruit compote of mango, passion fruit, kiwi, and blood orange. A three-part make-ahead showstopper for dinner parties.

Asparagus and Crab Meat Soup - Mang Tay Nau Cua recipe

Butter-seared shrimp served over a pool of emulsified green onion and basil butter sauce made with champagne vinegar and chicken stock. A refined, restaurant-quality plate ready in 30 minutes.

This recipe was given to me by a friend who is an ex-patriot now living in Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. I serve this with yellow rice and grilled avocado halves.

Classic egg fu yung omelets loaded with shrimp, barbecued pork, snow peas, and bean sprouts, crowned with a glossy oyster sauce gravy. Chinese-American takeout-style made from scratch.

Classic veal stock: deeply roasted bones, mirepoix, and caramelized tomato paste simmered for 12 to 16 hours. The professional-kitchen base for sauces and braises.

Vegan marinara sauce with fresh Roma tomatoes, mushrooms, carrot, garlic, herbs, and red wine. Sweet without added sugar, freezer-friendly, 16 servings from one pot.