Category Archives: Sauce
Cranberry Orange Sauce
It seems to be kind of an orange theme this Thanksgiving. This easy, easy cranberry sauce from scratch is delicious and very quick to make. For those of you who traditionally open a can, please make this as well!
- 1 dry quart cranberries
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 cups orange juice
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 navel orange segments
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Add the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, adobo sauce, smoke paprika and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or till the berries begin to split open and the sauce thickens. Taste for seasonings and cool in the fridge. Add the orange segments and cilantro once the sauce is chilled. Serve with turkey.
Mango and Nectarine Salsa
I love making salsas in the summer. In fact any time any one is coming over, I find myself making salsa to serve with tortilla chips. I know it is very easy to buy really great salsas in the store, but … nothing like homemade salsa. First of all it tastes a lot fresher (obviously) and a lot tastier. The jarred variety always has a particular ‘old’ flavor about the salsa that I don’t care for. Don’t get me wrong… I do have the store bought variety in my fridge that I use in a bind but I prefer to make my own.
So, when some friends were coming over for a barbecue, I decide to raid my fridge and make a mango and nectarine salsa. I chopped everything fine including the onion and the cilantro. To make things interesting, I decided to roast the jalapenos. It gave the sauce a milder, nuttier flavor.
It was a big hit with the tortilla chips but it would be fabulous with any meat or fish.. or even tacos.. Try this one next time you are in the mood for something delicious and fresh..
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Jicama and Apple Salsa
I love this combination! I love making salsas in the summer. I have never worked with jicama before- it is delicious, especially paired with apples. The flavor was amazing. I added some juicy tomatoes to play around with texture… really yummy!
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Asparagus Pesto
I love anything with pesto- pasta, bread, rice, as a dip, on chicken or fish.. and the list goes on. Pesto can be made with a variety of different ingredients including different vegetables. I have made pestos in the past with zucchini, broccoli rabe, etc.. this one is made with asparagus. I wanted to do a vegetarian meal and had asparagus in the fridge. Instead of making a boring pasta with asparagus, I decided to make a pesto instead.
I blanched the vegetable and then made the pesto just like I would with basil or any other ingredient. Speaking of basil, I did use it as well. I also used pistachios instead of pine nuts- no good reason really except that I love the color pistachios bring and as well as the flavor. I served the pesto with whole wheat past and some homemade focaccia. I bought some pizza dough from our local pizzeria. I rolled out the dough and topped it rosemary, salt, olive oil and cherry tomatoes.
The meal was delicious and simple- the glass of wine was yummy with the asparagus pesto…
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Arugula Pesto with Pine Nuts
I love making pestos. I don’t find myself making a whole lot of different kinds of basil pesto for some reason. I do love it but I always find myself making a sauce with another herb or vegetable.
This on is an arugula pesto. Arugula is one of my favorite greens. I love its versatility.. I can use it in a salad, cook with it and now make a pesto with it.
I simply paired it with garlic and pine nuts. I don’t like to use too much olive oil but it is important to use a really good quality one- so a little goes a long way. I used Pecorino instead of Parmesan as Pecorino has a stronger taste which is great for the bitter greens.
That is all I needed to make a delicious sauce. I used it for pasta and in this case- for pizza. Even my daughter ate it- she doesn’t usually like arugula but she really enjoyed the pesto on the pizza.
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Apricot Salsa
As summer officially comes to an end. I can’t help but post another salsa recipe. I am still getting delicious apricots- somehow they have lasted quite long this year. Usually they are gone by end of July. Anyway, I had a big pack of them and decided to turn the fruit into a delicious chunky sauce.
I used what I had in the fridge… that is what I like about making salsas- there are no rules. You can add whatever you want. I happen to have green onions on hand and I always have cilantro. I chopped everything and added the usual lime juice. I also added smoked paprika. To make it sweet, I usually add honey. This time I decided to use agave. I recently bought a bottle of it and have started experimenting. It is a great substitute for sugar and has a very low glycemic index. I even tried duffins with agave and they were a big hit.
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Poblano Peppers and Raisin Sauce
This was a new sauce I tried after reading about La Esquina’s chef and how easy his signature sauces are to make. The salsa verde was easy with tomatillos, lime juice, cilantro and avocado. It was delicious with shrimp and then yummy used in the fish and rice I made with the leftover sauce. This particular sauce used a particular kind of dried Mexican chilies I couldn’t find at the store… so, I decided to make some substitutions. I am sure the actual sauce is delicious especially since my version was yummy as well.
I recently made my way to the La Esquina brasserie and the food was unbelievable.. by far the best Mexican food I have had in New York. It is hard to get reservations but it is definitely worth it once you are able to get in there.
Anyway, I roasted poblano peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onion and paired it with raisins. It resulted in a well balanced, delicious sauce. I grilled some steak and served the delicious sauce on top- it was a big hit. I had a lot leftover and made a delicious stew.. recipe to follow…
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