Bon Appétit magazine claims you’ll never need anything else…

…this sauce does it all!


Agrodolce-004

“The sweet and sour condiment you’ll want to put on everything-agrodolce—a sticky, tart-sweet condiment made by reducing sugar or honey, vinegar, and sometimes fruit and/or vegetables. It is all about tangy contrast.
…with about 200 times more sex appeal than your average [sweet and sour sauce], agrodolce has a ton of other potential.

You know that old saw about how when you’ve got a hammer everything looks like a nail? Well, when you’ve got some agrodolce on hand, everything looks like…well, like it needs some agrodolce. Seriously though: There are few foods that don’t come to life after a shot of concentrated sweetness and acid. This stuff would be great with any roasted vegetable—think cipollini onions and eggplant—and makes a seriously good glaze for grilled pork chops or chicken thighs or wings(!!). A schmear on a sandwich, a drizzle over cut fruit, or a dollop on a cheese plate wouldn’t suck, either.”

I felt the need to slather mine all over a giant batch of roasted parsnips and brussels sprouts, alongside some oven rotisserie chicken.

If I had only known…
…there is just never enough sauce.
It’s truly magic.

With miles and miles of recipes floating about the interweb universe for this “sick” {this term is used ONLY in the best of ways},  sweet and spicy sauce, I settled upon my own version and variety of elements.

Perhaps we shall name this one “Astonishing Agrodolce.”

Agrodolce [ˌaɡroˈdoltʃe] is a traditional sweet and sour sauce in Italian cuisine. Its name comes from “agro” (sour) and “dolce” (sweet).

Agrodolce

1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
1/2 tsp. brown mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. Ceylon lemon salt
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup raw honey
2 Tbs. olive oil

Over medium heat, in a small saucepan, dry toast the chile flakes, mustard, and salt until barely smoking and quite fragrant. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until nice and syrupy – stirring often to ensure nothing burns or “sticks.” Just before serving, reheat agrodolce, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen.

Serve over just about anything and everything.

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