Sauces and Marinades

Anja’s Salsa

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This is a less chunky, more chip friendly salsa than most.  Feel free to adjust quantities to suit your taste.

Ingredients:

  • 3 – 4 big tomatoes – the riper the better
  • 1/2 a big onion
  • 3 -4 cloves of garlic
  • small amount of cilantro
  • 1/2 a small green chili
  • lime juice to taste
  • salt to taste

Directions:

  1. Put the onion and garlic in a food processor.
  2. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
  3. Add chili, cilantro and tomatoes.
  4. Pulse until chopped to desired consistency .
  5. Add some lime juice and salt.
  6. Stir
  7. Taste.
  8. Add more if needed.
  9. Chill.

Serves:  How many chips do you have??

Source:  Anja Askelid

Cathy’s Sauteed Mushrooms

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Another great variation on sauteed mushrooms.  The cheese is an unexpected taste treat – sort of like stuffed mushrooms (the appetizer) only in sauce form.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs mushrooms
  • 2 Tab olive oil (more if needed)
  • 2 Tab butter (more if needed
  • 1 lb Parmesan cheese – shredded
  • basil –  fresh if possible
  • red pepper flake

Directions:

  1. Wash and trim the mushrooms.
  2. Pat dry on paper towels.
  3. Coarse chop if large.
  4. Heat oil and butter in saute pan.
  5. Saute until most of the moisture is boiled off.
  6. Turn off heat.
  7. Add cheese, basil, red pepper.
  8. Stir to mix.  Do not over-cook or the cheese will melt and make a big mess!
  9. Serve.

Serves:   8 – 10

Source:  Cathy Painter

Creamy Mustard Sauce

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This is from Grandmother Austin’s (Marjorie Rice Austin) cook book.  It was always served when we had ham, but is also good as a sauce on any pork dish or vegetables.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c cream
  • 2 Tab dry mustard
  • 1/3 c sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/3 c vinegar

Directions:

  1. Mix the sugar and mustard in the top of a double boiler.
  2. Moisten mustard with a little cream.
  3. Stir until smooth.
  4. Mix egg yolk with remaining cream.
  5. Add to double boiler.
  6. Add vinegar.
  7. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened – about 20 minutes.

Serves:  Makes 1 cup

Source:  Marge Austin

 

Balsamic Glaze

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Balsamic Glaze. Sticky sweet liquid gold.  The dark rich tangy sweetness a little drizzle of balsamic glaze provides is undeniably addictive. It makes everything it touches a little more elegant, and gives dimension to single note dishes.

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz, fluid good balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • salt

Directions:

  1. Pour balsamic vinegar into a heavy pan.
  2. Add regular granulated sugar.
  3. Add a couple pinches of salt.
  4. Stir to combine.
  5. Place over medium heat.
  6. Once the balsamic vinegar comes to a boil, stir again, and casually watch it. You don’t have to babysit the pot, but stick around so you don’t forget about it.
  7. When the balsamic glaze is thick and syrupy and has reduced by half (about 20 to 30 minutes), remove the pot from the burner and allow it to cool.
  8. Store your balsamic glaze in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Serves:   16

Source:  The Pioneer Woman

Mint Sauce

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“In England, serving roast lamb without mint sauce, a simple composition of fresh mint, sugar, and vinegar is widely considered an egregious offense to taste and tradition. The Romans introduced the plant to English soil, and, as the 16th-century English botanist John Gerard pointed out, ‘The smell of mint does stir up the minde and the taste to a greedy desire of meat.’ “Megan Wetherall, from “Dinner Mint”(April 2000)

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4  c mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 1⁄ 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 c white vinegar

Instructions:

  1. Combine mint, sugar, salt, and ⁄ cup boiling water.
  2. Stir until sugar dissolves.
  3. Add vinegar.
  4. Cover; let sit for 1 hour to meld the flavors.

Serves: 1 1/4 cups

Source:  Saveur

Cranberry Mustard

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The cheater version works great – good on a turkey sandwich or a ham sandwich.

Ingredients:

  • ½ red onion, diced
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 2 c fresh cranberries
  • ½ c apple cider vinegar
  • ½  c water
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp cracked pepper
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 4 Tab whole mustard seeds
  • 1 Tab ground mustard
  • ½ tsp ground allspice

Directions:

  1. In a medium sized heavy bottom pot, sauté the onion over medium high heat until just tender, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients.
  3. Stir to combine.
  4. Bring to a simmer, cover.
  5. Turn heat to low for 10 minutes.
  6. Turn heat off, leave covered and let stand for one hour.
  7. Check consistency. If you like a looser mustard, add a few tablespoons of water to get it to desired consistency.
  8. Preserve like you would jam, or refrigerate.

Cheater version: Mix 2 parts cranberry sauce with 1 part whole grain mustard.

Serves: 2 ¾  Cups

Source:  Feasting at Home

Creamy Dip for Fruit

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This is like the sour cream/brown sugar topping for Strawberries Romanoff.  Yum!

Ingredients:

  • 1 (3 oz) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (8 oz) container sour cream
  • 1/4 c packed brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 Tab milk

Directions:

  1. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on the lowest speed until smooth.
  2. Gradually add the sour cream, beating continually.
  3. Mix in the brown sugar, vanilla, and milk.
  4. Cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Serves:  1 1/2 cups

Source:  Allrecipes.com, Recipe by Chrissy

Brown Butter

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Brown butter is our favorite on asparagus.  

“Brown butter is one of those magical secret ingredients that just seems to enhance the flavor of just about anything – sweet or savory. It has a rich nutty taste and the aroma is out of this world. Even better, it’s a snap to make…

 To make brown butter (also called beurre noisette), simply start melting butter over medium heat. Use a pan with a light-colored bottom so you can keep track of the color. Swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is cooking evenly.

As the butter melts, it will begin to foam. The color will progress from lemony-yellow to golden-tan to, finally, a toasty-brown.  Two things are happening in the process. First, the water in the butter is cooking out, concentrating the butter’s flavor. Second, the butter’s milk solids caramelize, flavoring the butter with their nutty richness and extending the life of the butter.  Once you smell that nutty aroma, take the pan off the heat and transfer the browned butter into a heat-proof bowl to cool.

The milk solids will cook faster and you’ll see them settle on the bottom of the pan like the dregs in a bottle of wine. When you transfer the brown butter to a new container, try to leave as much of this sediment in the pan as possible. You can also strain the butter through a fine meshed strainer or cheese cloth to remove all the particles.

Then again, some people like slightly burnt taste these solids give to the butter! Try it both ways to see what you like.

It’s easy enough to brown just what you need for your recipe, but you can also brown large batches of butter at a single time. It keeps for quite a while in the fridge, or you can freeze it in ice cube trays.

You can use brown butter in just about any recipe that calls for butter, including cookies, cakes, or sauces. We love spooning a little bit over pasta, fish dishes, or even steamed vegetables. It also makes an excellent spread for dinner rolls when whipped together with regular butter!”

Source:  Kitchn –  Emma Christensen

“I’ve been hooked on using brown butter in baking ever since I first made it a few years ago. The first recipe I used it for? To make a brown butter spread to slather on toast. Delicious on its own, and if you add a pinch of cinnamon you get cinnamon bun butter, a spread that tastes like the essence of the best cinnamon buns you’ve ever had.

Which is to say, brown butter is one of those shortcut ingredients to great cooking. It takes any kind of cake to a whole new level of complex, nutty deliciousness, and adds toasted flavors to blondies, cornbread, or even savory dishes like pasta and risotto.”

Source:  Serious Eats

Alfredo Sauce

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Some Italian grandmothers saute a little garlic in the butter, some add a little nutmeg, some sprinkle with chives or parsley.  One even suggested crumbled bacon (not bad!!) Do as you wish.  It may become your “Signature Dish”.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Fettuccine noodles
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan
  • Pasta cooking water, as needed

Directions in a saucepan:

  1. In a saucepan or skillet, warm the butter and cream.
  2. Simmer about 5 minutes.
  3. Season with salt and pepper. Add the Parmesan and stir until melted.
  4. Toss to combine, thinning with pasta water if necessary.

Directions in a bowl:

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. In a saucepan or skillet, warm butter and cream. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  3. Grate Parmesan cheese and place half of it into a large serving bowl.
  4. Pour warm butter/cream mixture over the top.  Don’t stir it. Just let it sit and get acquainted.
  5. Drain pasta and immediately pour it into the bowl.
  6. Toss a couple of times, then sprinkle in the other half of the Parmesan.
  7. Toss to combine, thinning with pasta water if necessary.
  8. Serve immediately as a main course.

 

Serves   2 cups – 6 as entre, more as sidedish.

Source:  Ree Drummond, Show: The Pioneer Woman