Even as a mostly from-scratch cook, I’ll readily admit that I’ve often doctored up jarred sauces for the sheer convenience and time savings.
But they better be darned good jarred products to begin with. Or else no amount of fiddling will help in the end.
You don’t have to worry about that with Washington state’s River Wave Foods, a line of jarred cooking sauces and dressings that are made from fresh ingredients and are gluten-free.
Recently, I had a chance to try samples of the globally-influenced products.
“My Thai Gourmet Sauce” ($7.50 for a 6.5-ounce jar) is a heady blend of lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and enough Thai chilies to give it a real kick. I enjoyed it spooned over grilled mahi mahi for dinner.
The more zesty “My Thai Vinaigrette” ($10 for a 12.7-ounce bottle) is a similar blend, but with seasoned rice vinegar and cilantro added. It makes for a perfect dumpling dipping sauce or dressing for a crisp green salad.
“Argentinean Chimichurri Sauce” ($7.50 for a 6.5-ounce jar) is a classic blend of garlic, parsley, oregano, cumin, chili peppers, lemon juice and olive oil. You can’t go wrong using it over a big, juicy steak.
“Berriyaki Sauce” ($7.50 for a 6.5-ounce jar) is made with blueberries for a fun riff on the traditional teriyaki.
“Tapanui Tapenade” ($10 for a 6.5-ounce jar) is a thick, spreadable paste of figs, olives, pomegranate molasses, honey, capers, rosemary and toasted walnuts. Salty and sweet, it’s great smeared on artisan bread with some cheese.
The products are available in stores in Oregon and Washington. For those who live elsewhere, they’re also available online at River Wave Foods.