Condiments act as punctuation marks for food. Like an apostrophe or a semicolon, you might easily leave one out. But condiments, like commas, can radically change the environment they inhabit. This week, I wanted to leave you guys with a few simple things to mix, drizzle and glaze on your regular dishes to make them that much better. Both dining halls already have a lot to offer in this regard, but there’s still plenty of room for experimentation. Let’s get saucy:
- Sriracha mayo: Two parts mayo, one part Sriracha. Use about 2 tablespoons worth. Throw it on a tuna melt. Or even better, a guacamole burger.
- Sriracha honey: About equal amounts honey and Sriracha, with just a tad more honey. You can find the honey by the tea and coffee station. The mixture works nicely as a glaze/sauce over grilled chicken and rice. It’s also surprisingly good on pepperoni pizza. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, though, drizzle some over vanilla ice cream. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.
- Honey mustard: It seems the dining hall has this a few days out of the week, but if they don’t, you can make your own with yellow mustard and a bit of honey. Great on any sandwich, and on grilled chicken. Hell, just make a honey-mustard grilled chicken sandwich and you won’t be disappointed.
- Buffalo Relish: Mix a small spoonful of crumbled blue cheese, one of the celery sticks form the salad bar (chopped), a little bit of diced red onion (not much more than one or two rings), a spoonful of mayonnaise and a dash of hot sauce. This one requires a little effort (and leaves your breath smelling a bit, shall we say, strong) but it’s pretty delicious over pizza or on a chicken sandwich.
- My mom’s basic vinaigrette: The salad bar has perfectly tasty balsamic vinaigrette, but the one my mom makes has always been – and always will be – my favorite. In a small bowl, mix two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, a thumbnail-sized amount of Dijon mustard and some salt. Once well blended, add two tablespoons of olive oil and blend again. Tastes great over practically any salad or leafy green.
