Lately I’ve been writing about sauces because a good, homemade sauce is like the bow on a present – it adds a finishing touch. Here’s my recipe for “Savory Sauce”, my all-time favorite. This rich, creamy, tangy and salty sauce is jam packed with umami flavors (which is just another way of saying “savory”). Sometimes, I’ll eat a couple of tablespoons straight from the bottle — it’s that good. This versatile sauce compliments roasted vegetables, potatoes, salads, beans, rice, chicken, shrimp, noodles and you can even use it as a dipping sauce for bread.
Usually, I write about recipes that use ingredients commonly found at any grocery store, but this one’s an exception. You may need to visit a health food or gourmet store, or order the ingredients online. The upside? These specialty items have a long shelf life. The stars of this show are tahini (sesame seed butter), tamari (a Japanese soy sauce alternative), white balsamic vinegar and nutritional yeast. I don’t know why on earth folks call it nutritional yeast which sounds kinda’ yucky if you ask me. The stuff is delicious though; sometimes I eat it plain, all by itself. In my opinion, the name for nutritional yeast should be “savory golden flakes”. Doesn’t that sound more appetizing?
Savory Sauce
⅓ cup nutritional yeast flakes
⅓ cup tamari
⅓ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
⅓ cup white balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup spring or filtered water
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp tahini
1½ cups vegetable oil
In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the tahini and the oil. Add the tahini and blend, then add the oil ½ cup at a time and blend some more. I store my sauce in a Crown Royal bottle and it keeps in the fridge for a couple of months. Use high quality neutral oil such as grapeseed, avocado or refined coconut oil.
The other day, I cooked some black beans. I put the beans and the liqueur (that is a fancy word for the liquid they are cooked in) in a bowl, added a couple of tablespoons of Savory Sauce and topped the beans with some salsa, chopped green onions and grated sharp cheddar cheese. This made a delicious, instant soup. I impressed myself! This dish will definitely go in my “SOS” recipe box. SOS recipes are the things I make when I am too tired to cook or even eat.
When I have a homemade sauce on hand, I can whip up something delicious to eat in a pinch. They are like magic wands in my fridge, always ready to turn humble ingredients into extraordinary treats. Savory Sauce delivers joy in every mouthful and adds a twirl of flavor to every bite!