Salsa Amatriciana (Spicy Amatrice Sauce)

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From the Sabine town of Amatrice comes this simple but great pasta 
sauce. Traditionally, it is served over bucatini, a spaghetti-like pasta 
that has a hole in it, like a straw. It is then sprinkled with grated 
pecorino romano cheese.

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
1 pound pancetta or smoked bacon, chopped
2 onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 small, hot red chiles, such as santaka, Thai, or piquin, crushed into 
a coarse powder
2 28-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes, drained, 1 cup juice reserved
Cayenne powder to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan, add the pancetta and cook over medium 
heat until browned, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to brown the 
pancetta evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. 
Remove all but 1/2 cup of the remaining fat.
Add the onions and saute until golden, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic 
and crushed chiles and saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and mash 
them with a spoon. Increase the heat, add the reserved tomato juice and 
the pancetta, and boil until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.
Taste for heat and seasonings and adjust with cayenne, salt, and pepper.

Transplanted Sriracha Sauce

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A table condiment to similar in appearance to ketchup–but much more
pungent–sriracha sauce is named after a seaside town in Thailand.
Increasingly popular, this sauce is found on the tables of Thai and
Vietnamese restaurants all over North America. Fresh red chiles are the
key to the flavor of this recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh red serrano, cayenne, Thai, or chile de arbol chiles,
stems removed
2 1/2 cups rice vinegar (substitute white distilled vinegar)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

Remove the stems from the chiles. Place the chiles and vinegar in a
saucepan and heat to boiling. Turn off the heat and add the sugar and
salt and stir until dissolved. Place the saucepan contents in a food
processor or blender and puree until a smooth thin-paste consistency.
Add additional rice vinegar if the mixture is too thick. Allow the
mixture to steep for several hours, place in glass containers, and
refrigerate. The consistency should be slightly thinner than ketchup.
Or, strain the sauce through sieve and discard the solids for a smooth,
seedless consistency.

Louisiana Barbecue Sauce

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This is my version of a recipe that originally appeared in Mary Land’s 
Louisiana Cookery (1954). I have spiced it up a bit. Okay, more than a 
bit, and added a few other spices. This sauce is served with grilled 
seafood and chicken, but if you wanted to sneak it onto some steamed 
shrimp or crawdads, I wouldn’t turn you in to the food police. It will 
keep in the refrigerator for a week and freezes nicely.

Ingredients

1/4 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 15 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons distilled vinegar
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce, or more to taste
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Instructions

Saute the onion in the oil in a skillet until soft, add the garlic and 
saute for two minutes more. Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to a 
saucepan, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the 
heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Remove the bay leaves, 
place the mixture in a blender or food processor and process until just 
blended.

Deep, Way Deep in the Heart of Texas Barbecue Sauce

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Until recently, New Mexican chiles were rarely used in Texas cooking. 
But as the popularity of chili con carne cookoff contests increased, 
cooks began experimenting with chiles other than just piquíns and 
jalapeños. Here is one result of this broadening of the chile pepper 
experience.

Ingredients

4 dried red New Mexican chiles, stems and seeds removed
4 small dried red chiles such as piquíns or chiltepíns
2 cups water
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups ketchup
12 ounces beer, Shiner Bock preferred
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a pan, simmer the chiles in the water for 15 minutes or until 
softened. Puree the chiles in the water to make a smooth sauce. Strain 
the sauce.
In a saucepan, saute the onions and the garlic in the oil until soft. 
Add the pureed chiles and the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. 
Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour.
In a blender, puree the sauce until smooth. If the sauce is not thick 
enough, return to the heat and continue to simmer until the desired 
consistency is obtained.

Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce

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Here is the way sauce is made for the famous American Royal cook-off in 
Kansas City–or at least this is my take on the subject. It is truly a 
finishing sauce and should not be used as a marinade or a basting sauce 
as it might burn. Of course, spread it liberally over ribs just off the 
grill and serve plenty on the side

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup catsup
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup distilled vinegar
2 tablespoons commercial chili powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cayenne chile
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup water or more if needed

Instructions

In a pan, saute the onion and garlic in the oil until the onions are 
soft. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 1/2 hour until thickened.