These four sauces, though basic, add so much flavor, dimension, and color to meals that I can’t imagine cooking without them. Any one of them can pull a meal together and turn a simple plate of meat and vegetables into a finished dish; and they’re so easy to prepare that once you’ve made them a few times, you’ll never have to look up these recipes again.

Vinaigrette

Pour into a small bowl:
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Add:
Salt
Fresh-ground black pepper

Stir to dissolve the salt, taste, and adjust if needed. Use a fork or small whisk to beat in, a little at a time:
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Taste as you go and stop when it tastes right.

Salsa Verde

Combine in a small bowl:
1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley (leaves and thin stems only)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 small garlic clove, chopped very fine or pounded into a puree
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
Fresh-ground black pepper to taste
½ cup olive oil

Mix well and taste for salt. Let the sauce sit for a while to develop the flavors.

Aioli

Peel:
2 or 3 small garlic cloves
Separate into a mixing bowl:
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon water

Mix well with a whisk. Into a cup with a pour spout, measure about:
1 cup olive oil

Slowly dribble the oil into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. As the egg yolk absorbs the oil, the sauce will thicken, lighten in color, and become opaque. This will happen rather quickly. Then you can add the oil a little faster, whisking all the while.

If the sauce is thicker than you like, thin it with a few drops of water. Taste and add more salt and garlic, as desired.

Herb Butter

Stir together in a small bowl, mixing well:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
½ cup chopped herbs (such as parsley, chervil, and chives),
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
A pinch of cayenne
Taste and adjust the salt and lemon as needed.

Serve the butter as is, soft and spreadable; or roll it into a log in wax paper, chill until hard, and cut it into coin-shaped pieces.

From The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters (Clarkson Potter, 2007).