Real quick - this is the sauce I made for my ravioli...
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MARINARA SAUCE
• 1 tbs olive oil
• ¾ cup chopped yellow onion (1 medium yellow onion)
• ½ tsp minced garlic (2 cloves garlic)
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp dried basil
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 4½ tsp tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• ½ tsp sugar
In a medium, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, salt, basil, oregano and black pepper, and cook, stirring, until onion is soft.
Place the tomatoes in a large bowl and squeeze to break into small pieces. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and sugar to the pot and stir well. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally with a heavy wooden spoon.
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I followed this almost exactly (except, as always, I didn't measure any spices, I just dumped stuff in until it tasted right).
Here is what surprised me about this sauce: it tasted almost exactly like my favorite canned spaghetti sauce.It was a little thicker, but extremely comparable. So guess what? Next time I need a plain ol' red sauce for pasta? I'm just going to use a can.
HOWEVER. This recipe could have done what I wanted it to do had I altered it a little bit. I wanted a thinnish, creamy tomato sauce. So, I should have probably left out the paste, which thickened the sauce more than I wanted, and I could have used straight tomato sauce and not even bothered with the crushed tomatoes.
I also added some ground beef to my sauce, seasoned with a little basil and oregano. It was very tasty, and it was the more husband-pleasing choice, but I think next time I'll leave it out and let the ravioli shine more on their own. They got kind of buried under the weight of the sauce.
What I did RIGHT to this recipe was, I added mushrooms (we are huge on mushrooms in my house - always a big hit to add some) and a little heavy cream. Not TOO much, but enough that I ended up with the creamy tomato flavor I was looking for. Just not quite the consistency I wanted. Not this time.
I have a LOT to learn about tomato sauces, y'all. You may be hearing from me again on this subject. Maybe. Or I might just buy cans from here on out.
Showing posts with label sauces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sauces. Show all posts
Middle East EXTRAVAGANZA
You know I have mad love for what we call down here "Greek and Lebanese" food. I don't know what other places call it, but it's Middle Eastern food and it does things with flavors that I didn't know you could legally do. I had never had any of it until I was in my 20s, but when I finally did taste it, I wanted to marry it. It was a real revelation.
I also thought these flavors HAD to be created by professionals, in restaurants, with special equipment and knowledge that I could never be allowed to possess. It was too much. I would never be able to handle it.
BUT GUESS WHAT. I found recipes for all my favorites, and have been coveting them, biding my time until I could finally make them. Which was this weekend. And I made them ALL. I'm not even going to get into a whole thing here, I'm just going to throw the recipes at you and stand back. HERE, CATCH:
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HUMMUS
• 1 can (16 oz) chickpeas – drained, but liquid reserved
• ¼ cup liquid from can of chickpeas, or more as needed
• 3-5 tbs lemon juice, or more to taste
• 2 tbs tahini
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed (or 3 cloves, roasted)
• ½ tsp salt, or more to taste
• 1-2 tbs olive oil, or more as needed
• Dash of white pepper, black pepper, curry powder, or other any other seasonings, as desired
Okay, the tahini. That was a little harder to find than I expected. I suggest you check the fancier grocery stores, as Wal-Mart and Winn Dixie just looked at me funny when I asked for it. Look for a store with a good looking international aisle. We have an Oak Point grocery nearby, they are my go-to place for "weird" stuff. Anyway, you'll be looking for a thick-looking beige paste in a jar. The one I got was about $8 for a jar, but there's enough in there to make it worthwhile. Most of these recipes only call for a few tablespoons at a time.
You can also make tahini by toasting a few cups of sesame seeds, letting them cool down, then blending them in a food processor with a cup or so of olive oil. I don't have a food processor, and I never have that many sesame seeds on hand, so I didn't get to try that one.
Anyway!
Drain the liquid from the can of chickpeas into a bowl, and set aside. In another bowl, whisk the lemon juice and tahini together. Slowly add the reserved chickpea liquid (1-2 tbs at a time) until the mixture is creamy and forms very soft peaks.
Pour the lemon/tahini mixture into a food processor (or blender, if you're me). Add the garlic, and start adding in the chickpeas in batches, about ¼ can at a time. Add in the olive oil, and maybe a little more of the chickpea liquid to keep the blades turning. Add as much oil/liquid as you need, or as much as you want to thin the hummus to your liking.
When all the chickpeas are added and the consistency is how you want it, taste and adjust for seasonings. Add salt, and maybe some pepper or other spices. I used a little white and black pepper, and thought it was fine just like that.
Pour the finished hummus in a serving bowl, and create a dent in the center. Pour in a few spoonfuls of olive oil, and dust the top with curry powder, or you can garnish it with parsley, lemon zest or sesame seeds if you want.
I will tell you this - how much do you like garlic? Because this whole meal used a lot of garlic, and I didn't realize how STRONG the cloves I was using were. MAN, that was some badass garlic. You might want to ease into it, and add a little at a time until it's where you want it. Since I could eat garlic until I breathe fire, I was happy with it! But I'd hesitate to serve what I ended up with to guests, you know?
Also, I don't have a garlic press, so every time a recipe calls for "minced or crushed garlic" I want you to picture me smashing some garlic with a hammer (not a cooking mallet - a HAMMER) on my counter. Because that's what I did.
Very therapeutic. Moving on.
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CUCUMBER SAUCE (TZATZIKI)
• 16 oz (2 cups) Greek yogurt (or plain, full-fat yogurt, strained to thicken)
• Several garlic cloves, minced or crushed - to taste (WHAM WHAM WHAM)
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and de-seeded/hulled
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 tbs chopped dill
This stuff takes a little prep work. EDIT: also, if I were making this for a single meal again, I'd halve the recipe. 2 cups is a lot of this stuff!
If you can’t find Greek yogurt, use plain yogurt, and strain it through a fine mesh strainer for an hour or so beforehand. I just sat my strainer over a bowl, poured in the yogurt and let it sit in the fridge while I prepped a bunch of other stuff. I was amazed how much water came out of it!
Peel the cucumber and slice it in half down the middle, lengthwise. Scoop all the center part with the seeds out, and pat the halves very dry with paper towels. Use a zester or fine cheese grater to grate it very fine. I'm not going to lie - it's weird to grate a cucumber. There's so much water in there that it's like most of it melts away. When you get it grated, you'll have a little pile of watery pulp. Strain or press the pulp as dry as you can get it - I just squeezed a couple fistfuls of it in my hand over the sink, honestly. As long as you end up with no standing liquid and a finely grated pulp, you're fine.
Combine the oil and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Fold the thickened yogurt in slowly, mixing it completely with the oil. Add the garlic, according to taste, and the cucumber and dill. Stir until everything is evenly distributed, and refrigerate at once. The flavors will meld better if refrigerated for a few hours before serving. (But I ate some right out of the bowl after it was freshly made and it was good!)
This stuff is very good on lamb gyros (which I did not cook), and falafel. WHICH I DID.
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FALAFEL
• 1 can (16 oz) chickpeas – drain, but reserve the liquid
• Onion, to taste (about ½ large onion or 1 small one)
• 2-3 cloves fresh garlic
• Fresh parsley, to taste (a handful or two)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 3-5 tbs flour (or more, as needed)
• Salt to taste
Add all ingredients – except the chickpea liquid – to a food processor (OR BLENDER?), and blend well. If the blades have trouble turning (and if you use a blender, THEY WILL), add in some of the chickpea liquid to help. If you add the whole can of liquid (I DID), the batter will be very thin and will not form balls. You can still work with it, but it will be messier. ASK ME HOW I KNOW THIS.
If the batter is firm enough to roll into balls, great! Do that. If the batter is runny, like mine was, you can put it in a strainer and stick it in the fridge for a while to try to thicken it up some. When that fails to significantly help, then you can just say "Screw it," and drop it by spoonfuls into the grease.
Either way, heat about ½ inch oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. When it's hot enough to fry in, DO A TEST RUN WITH YOUR BATTER. Add in a rolled ball (or a dropped spoonful of batter) - does it completely disintegrate? Oh, no. That happens sometimes. Add more flour to your batter and stir it around real good. Try again until the batter holds together and behaves itself. Then you can add in more falafel! - but don't crowd the pan too much.
Fry the patties for a few minutes on each side, until they're brown. If you're working with the runny batter, be careful not to disturb the patties while they cook. They'll start off stuck to the bottom of the pan, but after they brown on that side, they'll lift up easily and you can flip them carefully with tongs. Also, don't make the patties too big or the centers will be mushy. This was a real learning experience, hoo boy.
Drain well on paper towels. Then stick 'em in a pita pocket and dress them up with hummus, tzatziki and veggies.
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One more time! This one had to be marinated overnight, so I made the marinade and sauce when I made everything else, but we ate it the day after. With the leftover hummus and tzatziki. It was perfect.
ChICKEN SHAWARMA
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
For the marinade:
• 10 cloves garlic, minced (I used jarred for this, that's a lot of garlic to hammer)
• 2 lemons, juiced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
For the sauce:
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed (WHAM BAM BAM)
• 1-2 tbs tahini
• 1 cup cool water
• ½ cup lemon juice
• Salt, to taste
To make the marinade, whisk the garlic, lemon juice, and oil together in a large sealable bowl. Add the curry powder, salt and pepper, and whisk to combine. Cut the chicken into small pieces or strips (I did mine just like fajita meat), and add the chicken in with the marinade. Toss to coat well, and seal it up to marinate overnight (8 hours) in the refrigerator.
To make the sauce, add garlic and tahini to a food processor, and pulse to combine. Add cold water a little at a time (1/4 cup at a time, up to 1 cup), until the sauce is thinned and frothy. Add lemon juice, and mix until creamy. Season with salt, to taste. You can add more tahini if you want it thicker, but it doesn’t have to be a thick sauce, and you won’t need lots of it. You only need enough to lightly toss the chicken in, like a vinaigrette-type salad dressing.
You can make this sauce ahead of time and refrigerate it alongside the chicken, but return it to room temperature (or warm it in the microwave? I didn't try that) before tossing with the finished chicken. You don't want your finished chicken to be cold on the outside.
When it’s time to cook the chicken, grill it on a grill (if you have one) or cook it in batches in a hot skillet (which is what I did - again, very much like I do fajitas). Cook each side until well browned and the center of each piece is cooked through. Toss the cooked chicken lightly in the sauce, and serve with warm pita bread and all the trimmings.
The original recipe I used (and I'm sorry, I don't remember the source for ANY of these recipes, they've been in my book for AGES) called for making like, five times the amount of sauce needed. I whittled it down some when I made it, but I still ended up with way, way too much sauce. I think the version I'm posting today will make the right amount, but I haven't tried these measurements yet. It's just my best guess. You might still have leftovers!
EDIT: also please note, this sauce could be entirely optional. Shayne was kind of freaked out that there was a sauce, since the chicken shawarma in restaurants doesn't seem to have it. Or theirs is different. I'm not sure which. Either way, I think he would have been pleased if I'd left it off. So whatever, YMMV.
______________________________________________
OKAY.
I know, that's a WALL of recipes. It's a lot to absorb. It's a weekend project to make it all at once. But again - the FLAVORS are so amazing I could seriously write epic poetry to this food. They all belong together. Group hug forever.
Things you will want on hand for this meal (or parts of this meal, even if you just make the hummus you will still want this stuff with it): cucumber slices, tomato slices, lettuce or spinach leaves, any other fresh crunchy veggies you can think of, and plenty of pita bread. I have a recipe for homemade pita that I'll try soon. But not this trip.
In closing, here's a picture of the falafel in a pita, with hummus and tzatziki.
Alas, it perished about 3 seconds after this last known photo was taken.
I also thought these flavors HAD to be created by professionals, in restaurants, with special equipment and knowledge that I could never be allowed to possess. It was too much. I would never be able to handle it.
BUT GUESS WHAT. I found recipes for all my favorites, and have been coveting them, biding my time until I could finally make them. Which was this weekend. And I made them ALL. I'm not even going to get into a whole thing here, I'm just going to throw the recipes at you and stand back. HERE, CATCH:
______________________________________________
HUMMUS
• 1 can (16 oz) chickpeas – drained, but liquid reserved
• ¼ cup liquid from can of chickpeas, or more as needed
• 3-5 tbs lemon juice, or more to taste
• 2 tbs tahini
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed (or 3 cloves, roasted)
• ½ tsp salt, or more to taste
• 1-2 tbs olive oil, or more as needed
• Dash of white pepper, black pepper, curry powder, or other any other seasonings, as desired
Okay, the tahini. That was a little harder to find than I expected. I suggest you check the fancier grocery stores, as Wal-Mart and Winn Dixie just looked at me funny when I asked for it. Look for a store with a good looking international aisle. We have an Oak Point grocery nearby, they are my go-to place for "weird" stuff. Anyway, you'll be looking for a thick-looking beige paste in a jar. The one I got was about $8 for a jar, but there's enough in there to make it worthwhile. Most of these recipes only call for a few tablespoons at a time.
You can also make tahini by toasting a few cups of sesame seeds, letting them cool down, then blending them in a food processor with a cup or so of olive oil. I don't have a food processor, and I never have that many sesame seeds on hand, so I didn't get to try that one.
Anyway!
Drain the liquid from the can of chickpeas into a bowl, and set aside. In another bowl, whisk the lemon juice and tahini together. Slowly add the reserved chickpea liquid (1-2 tbs at a time) until the mixture is creamy and forms very soft peaks.
Pour the lemon/tahini mixture into a food processor (or blender, if you're me). Add the garlic, and start adding in the chickpeas in batches, about ¼ can at a time. Add in the olive oil, and maybe a little more of the chickpea liquid to keep the blades turning. Add as much oil/liquid as you need, or as much as you want to thin the hummus to your liking.
When all the chickpeas are added and the consistency is how you want it, taste and adjust for seasonings. Add salt, and maybe some pepper or other spices. I used a little white and black pepper, and thought it was fine just like that.
Pour the finished hummus in a serving bowl, and create a dent in the center. Pour in a few spoonfuls of olive oil, and dust the top with curry powder, or you can garnish it with parsley, lemon zest or sesame seeds if you want.
I will tell you this - how much do you like garlic? Because this whole meal used a lot of garlic, and I didn't realize how STRONG the cloves I was using were. MAN, that was some badass garlic. You might want to ease into it, and add a little at a time until it's where you want it. Since I could eat garlic until I breathe fire, I was happy with it! But I'd hesitate to serve what I ended up with to guests, you know?
Also, I don't have a garlic press, so every time a recipe calls for "minced or crushed garlic" I want you to picture me smashing some garlic with a hammer (not a cooking mallet - a HAMMER) on my counter. Because that's what I did.
Very therapeutic. Moving on.
______________________________________________
CUCUMBER SAUCE (TZATZIKI)
• 16 oz (2 cups) Greek yogurt (or plain, full-fat yogurt, strained to thicken)
• Several garlic cloves, minced or crushed - to taste (WHAM WHAM WHAM)
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and de-seeded/hulled
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 tbs chopped dill
This stuff takes a little prep work. EDIT: also, if I were making this for a single meal again, I'd halve the recipe. 2 cups is a lot of this stuff!
If you can’t find Greek yogurt, use plain yogurt, and strain it through a fine mesh strainer for an hour or so beforehand. I just sat my strainer over a bowl, poured in the yogurt and let it sit in the fridge while I prepped a bunch of other stuff. I was amazed how much water came out of it!
Peel the cucumber and slice it in half down the middle, lengthwise. Scoop all the center part with the seeds out, and pat the halves very dry with paper towels. Use a zester or fine cheese grater to grate it very fine. I'm not going to lie - it's weird to grate a cucumber. There's so much water in there that it's like most of it melts away. When you get it grated, you'll have a little pile of watery pulp. Strain or press the pulp as dry as you can get it - I just squeezed a couple fistfuls of it in my hand over the sink, honestly. As long as you end up with no standing liquid and a finely grated pulp, you're fine.
Combine the oil and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Fold the thickened yogurt in slowly, mixing it completely with the oil. Add the garlic, according to taste, and the cucumber and dill. Stir until everything is evenly distributed, and refrigerate at once. The flavors will meld better if refrigerated for a few hours before serving. (But I ate some right out of the bowl after it was freshly made and it was good!)
This stuff is very good on lamb gyros (which I did not cook), and falafel. WHICH I DID.
______________________________________________
FALAFEL
• 1 can (16 oz) chickpeas – drain, but reserve the liquid
• Onion, to taste (about ½ large onion or 1 small one)
• 2-3 cloves fresh garlic
• Fresh parsley, to taste (a handful or two)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 3-5 tbs flour (or more, as needed)
• Salt to taste
Add all ingredients – except the chickpea liquid – to a food processor (OR BLENDER?), and blend well. If the blades have trouble turning (and if you use a blender, THEY WILL), add in some of the chickpea liquid to help. If you add the whole can of liquid (I DID), the batter will be very thin and will not form balls. You can still work with it, but it will be messier. ASK ME HOW I KNOW THIS.
If the batter is firm enough to roll into balls, great! Do that. If the batter is runny, like mine was, you can put it in a strainer and stick it in the fridge for a while to try to thicken it up some. When that fails to significantly help, then you can just say "Screw it," and drop it by spoonfuls into the grease.
Either way, heat about ½ inch oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. When it's hot enough to fry in, DO A TEST RUN WITH YOUR BATTER. Add in a rolled ball (or a dropped spoonful of batter) - does it completely disintegrate? Oh, no. That happens sometimes. Add more flour to your batter and stir it around real good. Try again until the batter holds together and behaves itself. Then you can add in more falafel! - but don't crowd the pan too much.
Fry the patties for a few minutes on each side, until they're brown. If you're working with the runny batter, be careful not to disturb the patties while they cook. They'll start off stuck to the bottom of the pan, but after they brown on that side, they'll lift up easily and you can flip them carefully with tongs. Also, don't make the patties too big or the centers will be mushy. This was a real learning experience, hoo boy.
Drain well on paper towels. Then stick 'em in a pita pocket and dress them up with hummus, tzatziki and veggies.
______________________________________________
One more time! This one had to be marinated overnight, so I made the marinade and sauce when I made everything else, but we ate it the day after. With the leftover hummus and tzatziki. It was perfect.
ChICKEN SHAWARMA
• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
For the marinade:
• 10 cloves garlic, minced (I used jarred for this, that's a lot of garlic to hammer)
• 2 lemons, juiced
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
For the sauce:
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed (WHAM BAM BAM)
• 1-2 tbs tahini
• 1 cup cool water
• ½ cup lemon juice
• Salt, to taste
To make the marinade, whisk the garlic, lemon juice, and oil together in a large sealable bowl. Add the curry powder, salt and pepper, and whisk to combine. Cut the chicken into small pieces or strips (I did mine just like fajita meat), and add the chicken in with the marinade. Toss to coat well, and seal it up to marinate overnight (8 hours) in the refrigerator.
To make the sauce, add garlic and tahini to a food processor, and pulse to combine. Add cold water a little at a time (1/4 cup at a time, up to 1 cup), until the sauce is thinned and frothy. Add lemon juice, and mix until creamy. Season with salt, to taste. You can add more tahini if you want it thicker, but it doesn’t have to be a thick sauce, and you won’t need lots of it. You only need enough to lightly toss the chicken in, like a vinaigrette-type salad dressing.
You can make this sauce ahead of time and refrigerate it alongside the chicken, but return it to room temperature (or warm it in the microwave? I didn't try that) before tossing with the finished chicken. You don't want your finished chicken to be cold on the outside.
When it’s time to cook the chicken, grill it on a grill (if you have one) or cook it in batches in a hot skillet (which is what I did - again, very much like I do fajitas). Cook each side until well browned and the center of each piece is cooked through. Toss the cooked chicken lightly in the sauce, and serve with warm pita bread and all the trimmings.
The original recipe I used (and I'm sorry, I don't remember the source for ANY of these recipes, they've been in my book for AGES) called for making like, five times the amount of sauce needed. I whittled it down some when I made it, but I still ended up with way, way too much sauce. I think the version I'm posting today will make the right amount, but I haven't tried these measurements yet. It's just my best guess. You might still have leftovers!
EDIT: also please note, this sauce could be entirely optional. Shayne was kind of freaked out that there was a sauce, since the chicken shawarma in restaurants doesn't seem to have it. Or theirs is different. I'm not sure which. Either way, I think he would have been pleased if I'd left it off. So whatever, YMMV.
______________________________________________
OKAY.
I know, that's a WALL of recipes. It's a lot to absorb. It's a weekend project to make it all at once. But again - the FLAVORS are so amazing I could seriously write epic poetry to this food. They all belong together. Group hug forever.
Things you will want on hand for this meal (or parts of this meal, even if you just make the hummus you will still want this stuff with it): cucumber slices, tomato slices, lettuce or spinach leaves, any other fresh crunchy veggies you can think of, and plenty of pita bread. I have a recipe for homemade pita that I'll try soon. But not this trip.
In closing, here's a picture of the falafel in a pita, with hummus and tzatziki.
Alas, it perished about 3 seconds after this last known photo was taken.
Chicken with Blackberry Sauce
I told you a while back I was working on a blackberry sauce idea, and last night I made it happen. I baked some chicken, with thin slices of lemon and rosemary sprigs on top to give it a kick - but honestly it didn't even need that. Plain salt-and-peppered baked chicken would have been just fine. Maybe even better, so the blackberry sauce could do it's own thing uninterrupted. ANYWAY, I'm low on brain power this morning, but I actually remembered to write down what I did last night, so I have a sauce recipe for you. Go me.
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SAVORY BLACKBERRY SAUCE
I am specifying that this is savory, because it's definitely a meat sauce. You will not want this on your ice cream.
3 tbs butter (Yeeeah. I know.)
3 tbs very finely diced onion
5 tbs seedless blackberry preserves
1/2 cup (more or less) whole blackberries - thawed if frozen
Salt, black pepper, white pepper and sage - to taste
Melt the butter in a saucepan. I'm not going to lie, this was a SUPER rich sauce because of all the butter. And I used real butter. I'm not sure how to cut it down (maybe use margarine?), or even if it should be altered. A little goes a long way, but I think the point of a sauce is not to drown the meat, but to compliment it. Yeah, that sounds like a good rationalization. Let's stick with that.
Also, since the sauce is so rich, this made probably more than needed. I was thinking I'd rather have too much than not enough. So I'll probably scale these amounts back next time.
SO. MELT ALL THAT BUTTER and add in the onion. I diced mine extra fine, so they kind of melt away as the sauce cooks. Onion chunks in sauces bug me. Then add in some salt and pepper, just to get the ball rolling. I imagine you can make this without onion if you want a sweeter sauce. The onion gives it that good-with-meat flavor I was looking for.
Stir in 5 spoons of preserves, one at a time, and stir it all around until it melts. Here's the fun part - season to taste. I used a good bit of salt and black pepper, and a little bit of white pepper and sage. I liked the flavor I got, but you might want a different flavor!
At the end, dump in some fresh or thawed blackberries for prettiness sake. They taste great, too, but you will get the seed crunch if you eat them. I find that's not too bad, but it definitely could turn someone off texturally.
So hooray! This is my first sauce recipe I made myself from a handful of vague ideas I found online. I was pretty proud of it. I considered adding other things - honey, lemon, garlic powder...but I left it kind of plain and simple on purpose. Next time, I might experiment more.
I served this with garlic roasted spinach and sesame green beans, not because they all go together so well, but because those are all the things I most wanted in the world.
_____________________________________
SAVORY BLACKBERRY SAUCE
I am specifying that this is savory, because it's definitely a meat sauce. You will not want this on your ice cream.
3 tbs butter (Yeeeah. I know.)
3 tbs very finely diced onion
5 tbs seedless blackberry preserves
1/2 cup (more or less) whole blackberries - thawed if frozen
Salt, black pepper, white pepper and sage - to taste
Melt the butter in a saucepan. I'm not going to lie, this was a SUPER rich sauce because of all the butter. And I used real butter. I'm not sure how to cut it down (maybe use margarine?), or even if it should be altered. A little goes a long way, but I think the point of a sauce is not to drown the meat, but to compliment it. Yeah, that sounds like a good rationalization. Let's stick with that.
Also, since the sauce is so rich, this made probably more than needed. I was thinking I'd rather have too much than not enough. So I'll probably scale these amounts back next time.
SO. MELT ALL THAT BUTTER and add in the onion. I diced mine extra fine, so they kind of melt away as the sauce cooks. Onion chunks in sauces bug me. Then add in some salt and pepper, just to get the ball rolling. I imagine you can make this without onion if you want a sweeter sauce. The onion gives it that good-with-meat flavor I was looking for.
Stir in 5 spoons of preserves, one at a time, and stir it all around until it melts. Here's the fun part - season to taste. I used a good bit of salt and black pepper, and a little bit of white pepper and sage. I liked the flavor I got, but you might want a different flavor!
At the end, dump in some fresh or thawed blackberries for prettiness sake. They taste great, too, but you will get the seed crunch if you eat them. I find that's not too bad, but it definitely could turn someone off texturally.
So hooray! This is my first sauce recipe I made myself from a handful of vague ideas I found online. I was pretty proud of it. I considered adding other things - honey, lemon, garlic powder...but I left it kind of plain and simple on purpose. Next time, I might experiment more.
I served this with garlic roasted spinach and sesame green beans, not because they all go together so well, but because those are all the things I most wanted in the world.
Cheese Sauce
My new goal is to get this stuff right. It should be pretty easy, there are only a few ingredients and it takes almost no time. Here's how I've been doing it:
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Cheese Sauce
1 tbs butter or margarine
1 tbs flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup or so of shredded cheddar (or whatever) - I use the pre-shredded bags
Seasonings to taste (I use salt, black and white peppers, and a dash of Tony's for kick)
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to make a paste (cheese roux woop!) Stir the roux around and cook it for a few minutes, then add the milk. Whisk it around until the roux is dissolved and bring it almost to a boil (scald) to thicken. Add in seasonings, and finally the cheese. Stir til cheese is melted, and taste for seasonings. Adjust as needed and serve over...well, anything. It's cheese!
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Not bad, right? It's worlds better than melted Velveeta (in my opinion), and husbands will eat their vegetables if you pour enough of this on.
HOWEVER. I have never been satisfied with the texture I get. It's grainy, not smooth like cheese sauce should be. This is why Velveeta is the queen bitch of cheese sauce - because it melts like a dream and there is no textural issue. You cannot screw it up. But since cheese sauces were a staple long before Velveeta, I figure I can come closer than this to producing a good one.
Soooo...I've been studying and taking notes on the making of the basic, noble cheese sauce. Now here's how it's supposed to be done. Watch for the differences:
------------------------------------------------------------
Cheese Sauce
1 tbs butter or margarine
1 tbs flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup or so of shredded cheddar (or whatever) - cheese shredded fresh from a block will melt better!
Seasonings to taste (I use salt, black and white peppers, and a dash of Tony's for kick)
Melt the butter in a saucepan over LOW-medium heat. Add the flour and stir to make a paste (cheese roux woop!) Stir the roux around and cook it for a few minutes, then gradually add the milk - add a little at a time, whisking continuously to incorporate the roux. When you've added half the cup, you can add the other half and continue to whisk. Add in seasonings, and bring the mixture almost to a boil (scald) to thicken. Remove from heat (!) and add the cheese gradually. Add a pinch at a time, and stir, stir. Let it melt completely before adding more. If the sauce cools too much while adding the cheese, you can stick it back on the heat to warm it up again. When all the cheese is melted in, taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. Serve over...well, anything. It's cheese!
------------------------------------------------------------
Ah, okay. I knew where my problem was as soon as I read "While it's not difficult to create a cheese sauce, it does require some patience." You know that I HAVE NO PATIENCE. I want my milk to scald now, dammit, so I crank up the heat and force it. Then I add the cheese right into the too-hot milk, which causes the oils to separate and gives me a grainy texture. Science.
So I've been making mediocre cheese sauce for a long time, but I'm going to step up my game because I think it's worth it. A good cheese sauce opens a lot of doors - you can use it as a sauce, a dip, a base for all kinds of pastas, casseroles and au gratins...hell, Shayne's favorite dish at Sammy's is the Seafood Au Gratin - shrimp and crawfish in cheese sauce over fried eggplant medallions. I could make that! *high five*
------------------------------------------------------------
Cheese Sauce
1 tbs butter or margarine
1 tbs flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup or so of shredded cheddar (or whatever) - I use the pre-shredded bags
Seasonings to taste (I use salt, black and white peppers, and a dash of Tony's for kick)
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to make a paste (cheese roux woop!) Stir the roux around and cook it for a few minutes, then add the milk. Whisk it around until the roux is dissolved and bring it almost to a boil (scald) to thicken. Add in seasonings, and finally the cheese. Stir til cheese is melted, and taste for seasonings. Adjust as needed and serve over...well, anything. It's cheese!
------------------------------------------------------------
Not bad, right? It's worlds better than melted Velveeta (in my opinion), and husbands will eat their vegetables if you pour enough of this on.
HOWEVER. I have never been satisfied with the texture I get. It's grainy, not smooth like cheese sauce should be. This is why Velveeta is the queen bitch of cheese sauce - because it melts like a dream and there is no textural issue. You cannot screw it up. But since cheese sauces were a staple long before Velveeta, I figure I can come closer than this to producing a good one.
Soooo...I've been studying and taking notes on the making of the basic, noble cheese sauce. Now here's how it's supposed to be done. Watch for the differences:
------------------------------------------------------------
Cheese Sauce
1 tbs butter or margarine
1 tbs flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup or so of shredded cheddar (or whatever) - cheese shredded fresh from a block will melt better!
Seasonings to taste (I use salt, black and white peppers, and a dash of Tony's for kick)
Melt the butter in a saucepan over LOW-medium heat. Add the flour and stir to make a paste (cheese roux woop!) Stir the roux around and cook it for a few minutes, then gradually add the milk - add a little at a time, whisking continuously to incorporate the roux. When you've added half the cup, you can add the other half and continue to whisk. Add in seasonings, and bring the mixture almost to a boil (scald) to thicken. Remove from heat (!) and add the cheese gradually. Add a pinch at a time, and stir, stir. Let it melt completely before adding more. If the sauce cools too much while adding the cheese, you can stick it back on the heat to warm it up again. When all the cheese is melted in, taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. Serve over...well, anything. It's cheese!
------------------------------------------------------------
Ah, okay. I knew where my problem was as soon as I read "While it's not difficult to create a cheese sauce, it does require some patience." You know that I HAVE NO PATIENCE. I want my milk to scald now, dammit, so I crank up the heat and force it. Then I add the cheese right into the too-hot milk, which causes the oils to separate and gives me a grainy texture. Science.
So I've been making mediocre cheese sauce for a long time, but I'm going to step up my game because I think it's worth it. A good cheese sauce opens a lot of doors - you can use it as a sauce, a dip, a base for all kinds of pastas, casseroles and au gratins...hell, Shayne's favorite dish at Sammy's is the Seafood Au Gratin - shrimp and crawfish in cheese sauce over fried eggplant medallions. I could make that! *high five*
Chicken Two Ways, Mac & Cheese
WARNING REAL LONG POST
I don't know what got into me last night.
First, I wanted some macaroni and cheese pretty bad, so I made some. Here's my recipe. Shayne calls it "Old Lady Mac & Cheese" because it's a church-lady-style casserole bake, but whatever dude. I prefer "Super Awesome Mac & Cheese for Cool People*"
*I'm old.
___________________________________________
Mac & Cheese
2 tbs butter or margarine
2 tbs flour
2 cups milk
2 cups or more of shredded sharp cheddar (I may have to make some with mild for Curt - I don't think he was thrilled with the stronger taste of sharp.)
Season to taste (salt, black pepper, white pepper, Tony's)
½ - ¾ lb. elbow macaroni
Bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned, your choice - I like Italian style)
Boil the macaroni until done. Rinse in cold water, pour into a casserole dish, and set aside. You can make the cheese sauce while the macaroni boils, or in the same pot after it's done.
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large saucepan or pot. Add flour and stir until you get a paste. Woop, you made a cheese roux! Add the milk, and begin whisking - you may have some roux lumps to flatten out but eventually it will all come together and thicken up. Just before it boils (at the smoking point), add the cheese in gradually, whisking until it's all melted in. Season it up to taste. This is something you definitely want to taste and adjust, taste and adjust until it's just how you want it. If it gets too thick, add more milk. When the cheese is nice and saucy, remove from heat and pour over the macaroni.
One time I made too much macaroni and not enough cheese. If you have too much macaroni, throw some out. The star of the show is the cheese sauce, and it should well cover the macaroni. Stir it around in the casserole dish to make sure all the macaroni is best friends with some cheese.
Top with seasoned bread crumbs, and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, until it bubbles at the edges.
__________________________________________
I've been making a lot of beef dishes, and holidays always leave me full of ham, so now it's chicken time. I looked through my book for quick recipes that wouldn't require another trip to Winn Dixie (my husband can only take so much). I found two, couldn't choose between them, so I MADE BOTH.
I will post both recipes, but I just eyeballed the ingredient measurements. I made small sampler portions (it was a test dinner!) so I shrank the amounts of everything down to fit. In all seriousness, you probably can't fuck these up.
This one comes straight off the back of an Idaho Spuds box, where it's called "Crispy Herb Baked Chicken." I take great offense to that name. It's not terribly crispy, and there are no herbs whatsoever in this recipe. So I'm calling it what it freaking well is (and including the changes I made to the original recipe):
___________________________________________
Parmesan Baked Chicken
2/3 cup Idaho Spuds mashed potato flakes (or any mashed potato flakes, let's be honest)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 to 1 tsp garlic salt - I do not have garlic salt. I have garlic powder, and salt. That is what I used, and I think it's a better deal all around.
1 (3 to 3 1/2 lb cut-up frying chicken, skinned) - yeah, I used skinless chicken breast
1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking pan with foil, and spray the foil with cooking spray (or however you usually grease your surfaces). In medium bowl, combine potato flakes, parmesan and garlicsalt powder. You can also add salt, pepper, Tony's, and any herb you want. I wanted to try the original flavor of this recipe, so I just added a little parsley for color and pizazz! Stir until well mixed.
The recipe did not mention this, but I think it's important - pat your chicken well dry before you start dipping and rolling it. The dryer the chicken, the better the coating crisps. Dip chicken pieces into margarine, then roll in potato flake mixture to coat. Place in greased pan. Go on and pile some more flake mixture on top for fun! Bake at 350 for 45 to 60 min or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear.
So I just eyeballed the measurements for my experiment, and it was no big deal. I advise the same, since no recipe has ever made me happy with the seasoning instructions. Do you own thang! Also, when you serve this, DO NOT serve it with a juicy vegetable. The potato coating is nice and flaky UNTIL it comes into contact with any moisture whatsoever. Then the bottom of it kind of goes mushy and back to being mashed potatoes. Avoid that. Drain your veggies well and it'll be cool.
____________________________________________________
I was looking for a good recipe for this (I had it once at the LSU Faculty club) and couldn't find exactly what I wanted. So I pieced this together from several recipes and totally made shit up. There are no measurements or exact instructions. It's Frankenrecipe!
Honey Pecan Chicken
Some butter
Some honey
Some brown sugar
Some vanilla extract
Some pecans
Some chicken
Some salt, pepper and Tony's
For the chicken, you can do this two ways. I went with the healthier option - salt and pepper it, and bake it in foil until cooked through and tender (350 for however long it takes, depending on portion size). The stuff I had at the faculty club was heavenly because they spooned the sauce over fried chicken fillets. If you want to try that, just fry up some chicken however you do it, and there you go. I'll probably try it that way eventually, but I'm trying to ease up off the calories after Easter. (Hello, Gold Brick egg. How did you get in my hand?)
For the sauce: melt butter in a saucepan (I used about 2 tbs, but I was make a small batch - will use much more next time). Simmer while adding honey slowly and stirring. Just add as much honey as you are comfortable and happy with. I didn't even measure, I just squirted some in, and then some more, and then some more. Stir in some brown sugar (I did 2 good pinches for a small batch) and a drop or two of vanilla (strong, so just a little will do). Taste it to see how you like it. Imagine it on some chicken. In fact, at this point, I opened the oven and brushed a little of this stuff onto the chicken to baste it. Yum.
Now crush up some pecans. I toasted mine in a hot skillet for a little while, but I don't know if that added anything to the experience or not. I'll probably do it again next time anyway. Stir the pecans into the sauce until they are coated with with honey butter. Stir for a little while, then remove from heat. My mistake last night was that I left the sauce on simmer too long (waiting on the chicken to finish) and the honey butter evaporated and left me with too many pecans and not enough liquid sauce to drizzle on the chicken. It was still good, but next time I'll make sure I have more liquid in my liquid/pecan ratio.
Spoon hot sauce over chicken and eat it like whoa.
__________________________________________
Vegetables? What vegetables? I just popped a steam bag of mixed veggies in the microwave, and everyone ignored them. I mean, there was MAC & CHEESE, and TWO KINDS OF CHICKEN. I'll do better next time. The day is coming soon for another all-veggie feast...
I don't know what got into me last night.
First, I wanted some macaroni and cheese pretty bad, so I made some. Here's my recipe. Shayne calls it "Old Lady Mac & Cheese" because it's a church-lady-style casserole bake, but whatever dude. I prefer "Super Awesome Mac & Cheese for Cool People*"
*I'm old.
___________________________________________
Mac & Cheese
2 tbs butter or margarine
2 tbs flour
2 cups milk
2 cups or more of shredded sharp cheddar (I may have to make some with mild for Curt - I don't think he was thrilled with the stronger taste of sharp.)
Season to taste (salt, black pepper, white pepper, Tony's)
½ - ¾ lb. elbow macaroni
Bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned, your choice - I like Italian style)
Boil the macaroni until done. Rinse in cold water, pour into a casserole dish, and set aside. You can make the cheese sauce while the macaroni boils, or in the same pot after it's done.
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large saucepan or pot. Add flour and stir until you get a paste. Woop, you made a cheese roux! Add the milk, and begin whisking - you may have some roux lumps to flatten out but eventually it will all come together and thicken up. Just before it boils (at the smoking point), add the cheese in gradually, whisking until it's all melted in. Season it up to taste. This is something you definitely want to taste and adjust, taste and adjust until it's just how you want it. If it gets too thick, add more milk. When the cheese is nice and saucy, remove from heat and pour over the macaroni.
One time I made too much macaroni and not enough cheese. If you have too much macaroni, throw some out. The star of the show is the cheese sauce, and it should well cover the macaroni. Stir it around in the casserole dish to make sure all the macaroni is best friends with some cheese.
Top with seasoned bread crumbs, and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, until it bubbles at the edges.
__________________________________________
I've been making a lot of beef dishes, and holidays always leave me full of ham, so now it's chicken time. I looked through my book for quick recipes that wouldn't require another trip to Winn Dixie (my husband can only take so much). I found two, couldn't choose between them, so I MADE BOTH.
I will post both recipes, but I just eyeballed the ingredient measurements. I made small sampler portions (it was a test dinner!) so I shrank the amounts of everything down to fit. In all seriousness, you probably can't fuck these up.
This one comes straight off the back of an Idaho Spuds box, where it's called "Crispy Herb Baked Chicken." I take great offense to that name. It's not terribly crispy, and there are no herbs whatsoever in this recipe. So I'm calling it what it freaking well is (and including the changes I made to the original recipe):
___________________________________________
Parmesan Baked Chicken
2/3 cup Idaho Spuds mashed potato flakes (or any mashed potato flakes, let's be honest)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 to 1 tsp garlic salt - I do not have garlic salt. I have garlic powder, and salt. That is what I used, and I think it's a better deal all around.
1 (3 to 3 1/2 lb cut-up frying chicken, skinned) - yeah, I used skinless chicken breast
1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking pan with foil, and spray the foil with cooking spray (or however you usually grease your surfaces). In medium bowl, combine potato flakes, parmesan and garlic
The recipe did not mention this, but I think it's important - pat your chicken well dry before you start dipping and rolling it. The dryer the chicken, the better the coating crisps. Dip chicken pieces into margarine, then roll in potato flake mixture to coat. Place in greased pan. Go on and pile some more flake mixture on top for fun! Bake at 350 for 45 to 60 min or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear.
So I just eyeballed the measurements for my experiment, and it was no big deal. I advise the same, since no recipe has ever made me happy with the seasoning instructions. Do you own thang! Also, when you serve this, DO NOT serve it with a juicy vegetable. The potato coating is nice and flaky UNTIL it comes into contact with any moisture whatsoever. Then the bottom of it kind of goes mushy and back to being mashed potatoes. Avoid that. Drain your veggies well and it'll be cool.
____________________________________________________
I was looking for a good recipe for this (I had it once at the LSU Faculty club) and couldn't find exactly what I wanted. So I pieced this together from several recipes and totally made shit up. There are no measurements or exact instructions. It's Frankenrecipe!
Honey Pecan Chicken
Some butter
Some honey
Some brown sugar
Some vanilla extract
Some pecans
Some chicken
Some salt, pepper and Tony's
For the chicken, you can do this two ways. I went with the healthier option - salt and pepper it, and bake it in foil until cooked through and tender (350 for however long it takes, depending on portion size). The stuff I had at the faculty club was heavenly because they spooned the sauce over fried chicken fillets. If you want to try that, just fry up some chicken however you do it, and there you go. I'll probably try it that way eventually, but I'm trying to ease up off the calories after Easter. (Hello, Gold Brick egg. How did you get in my hand?)
For the sauce: melt butter in a saucepan (I used about 2 tbs, but I was make a small batch - will use much more next time). Simmer while adding honey slowly and stirring. Just add as much honey as you are comfortable and happy with. I didn't even measure, I just squirted some in, and then some more, and then some more. Stir in some brown sugar (I did 2 good pinches for a small batch) and a drop or two of vanilla (strong, so just a little will do). Taste it to see how you like it. Imagine it on some chicken. In fact, at this point, I opened the oven and brushed a little of this stuff onto the chicken to baste it. Yum.
Now crush up some pecans. I toasted mine in a hot skillet for a little while, but I don't know if that added anything to the experience or not. I'll probably do it again next time anyway. Stir the pecans into the sauce until they are coated with with honey butter. Stir for a little while, then remove from heat. My mistake last night was that I left the sauce on simmer too long (waiting on the chicken to finish) and the honey butter evaporated and left me with too many pecans and not enough liquid sauce to drizzle on the chicken. It was still good, but next time I'll make sure I have more liquid in my liquid/pecan ratio.
Spoon hot sauce over chicken and eat it like whoa.
__________________________________________
Vegetables? What vegetables? I just popped a steam bag of mixed veggies in the microwave, and everyone ignored them. I mean, there was MAC & CHEESE, and TWO KINDS OF CHICKEN. I'll do better next time. The day is coming soon for another all-veggie feast...
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