Any Kitchen Will Do

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Archive for the category “sauces”

Herby Dressing

herbydressing

I make a lot of salad dressing. My goal is typically to find vegetables that will bring the dressing to my mouth. I like vegetables, but it is hard to keep them interesting and add variety to ensure they make up a majority of my diet. I have been surrounded by herbs and summer lately, so decided to try and capture it all in a jar. I trundled through the jungle of herbs in my brother’s back yard and grabbed handfuls of garlic, cilantro and parsley. I rush back into the kitchen, to reduce my exposure to the triple digit temperatures. I filled the food processor with other basics of a dressing and come up with a bright, crisp, green concoction. We have used it so far to flavor salad, cauliflower fried ‘rice’, cottage cheese and dip. The word dressing may be deceiving, for it is not just for salad. It can brighten up all kinds of foods, so go for it!

Herby Dressing

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 ground black pepper
Place all ingredients except for olive oil into a food processor. Pulse the ingredients until herbs are of a uniform size. Continue processing steadily while incorporating oil with a continuous, steady stream into the processor. Store dressing in an airtight container, drizzling it with abandon on raw veggies or incorporating it into vegetable dishes.

Red Eggs

red poached egg

We had leftover sauce! My aptly named Red Chicken was delish, and left us with some sauce that was taunting us from the fridge the other morning. I was reminded of the simple egg bake I posted about a few years ago. It is also reminiscent of Indian shakshuka or Mexican huevos rancheros, which have a bit more than smooth sauce and eggs, but the concept sounded really good, easy and filling.

We were in the middle of a significant effort to reduce our worldly belongings and using up stuff from our food stores before moving. Such a process is pretty emotionally draining. More so than I ever expected. Not the use of food stores, but the reduction of belongings. I would think that getting rid of sweaters not worn in years would be easy, but remembering wearing them when spending time with family and friends brought a bunch of memories to the forefront,  good and bad. After the sweaters were done I shifted over to sorting other stuff. The same type of memories rise, everywhere from who gifted them to me to remembering all the places I wore them. If I was doing the process over the span of months is one thing, but we were doing this type of sorting day after day for a week. Although most of the time was spent sitting or standing and sorting, we were all exhausted at the end of the day. We were all doing it (me, Big D and Little B) and all felt the energy drain.

red poached egg platedThe cooking during this week of great purging helped us relax and talk about our goal – keep the things that serve us and we cherish, not being tempted by keeping stuff just because we always did before. We successfully got through the grand project and winnowed down our stuff to the amount we agreed to (two pick up trucks worth of bins, etc). We make no promises of avoiding the rut of collecting things again, but I think the experience will make us think twice before nonchalantly filling the cart at the big box stores. Keeping things simple provides clarity and encourages creativity – things we can never have too much of. On another note, we are so very proud of Little B. It would have been easy to send her off to a friend’s house and quietly sort through her stuff in absentia, but since we consider her a little person, we thought it important to take her through the process with us. It was not easy, but we took the time to work with her about what she used, what she had outgrown, what she had not touched in a year, and what she cherished. Of course, she is looking forward to more stuff as her interests change in the future, so she leapt in with both feet and made very thoughtful decisions, way beyond her five years on this earth. We surrounded ourselves with comforting food as we moved forward with the purge, including these eggs. Fortunately I did not step away from the pan at the wrong minute, so the poachiness of the eggs was pretty darned perfect. They helped us move on and gave us a new go to dish.

Red Eggs

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 white onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
15 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1tsp ground black pepper
8 ounces full fat coconut milk
4 – 6 eggs

In medium saute pan over medium high heat melt butter. Add the onion and garlic, cooking until browning begins. Add remaining ingredients except for coconut milk. Stir until all ingredients are combined, turning down heat to low. Stir in coconut milk and simmer until steam is rising from sauce. With the back of a spoon make a divet along the edge of the sauce in the pan. Drop a raw egg into the divet. Repeat with remaining eggs, evenly distributing them in the sauce. Cover pan and let simmer until eggs are cooked to desired doneness – about five minutes for soft. Serve immediately by scooping egg(s) onto a place and drizzle sauce on top.

 

 

 

Red Chicken

photo 1
A while back my brother lived in an apartment complex. Not one of those little ones with just a few units, but a huge corporate monstrosity with dozens of buildings. It was not the most interesting place he has ever lived – the house on a hill in Austin with a concrete bathroom holds that honor – but it was convenient to his work and reasonably priced. There was not much around it but his office and a few local markets, all of which had a common theme – Indian food. We did not do much Indian cooking when we were younger, but the convenience and variety of ingredients, as well as the opportunity to learn from his neighbors, resulted into a foray of curries, colorful sauces and a little (or a lot of) heat. He has since moved into his own house, but carried with him the Indian food immersion from his apartment days. We are having a long visit with him, and I am looking forward to learning a bit from his experience. I am looking to play around with traditional ingredients and flavors, not necessarily copying specific dishes. Here is my first gander at being inspired by a Northern Indian dish called Butter Chicken. It is far from accurate, so I am not even trying to use butter in the title. It was great. On top of everything else, today is the eleventh wedding anniversary for me and Big D. My ongoing quest to find chicken dishes he likes has spanned the entirety of the eleven years. He is a beefy kind of guy, begrudgingly consuming chicken if absolutely necessary. He gushed with joy and satisfaction upon tasting this dish. I definitely added it to the ‘like’ category for him. Little be was not as impressed with the dish, but still ate her fill, including the green beans I cooked up to go with them. You should see what we do with the leftover sauce!
Red Chicken2 Tbsp butter
6-8 sinless boneless chicken thighs
1/2 white onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
15 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1tsp ground black pepper
8 ounces full fat coconut milk

In medium saute pan over medium high heat melt butter. Add chicken and partially cook, about five minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add to the the chicken juices the onion and garlic, cooking until browning begins. Add remaining ingredients except for coconut milk. Stir until all ingredients are combined, turning down heat to medium low, and simmering for about ten minutes until hot and bubbly. Add coconut milk and stir again until combined. Add chicken and simmer until cooked through, about ten more minutes. Serve immediately.

 

Onion Paste

onion paste

I like adding onion to all kinds of savory stuff. Although it is convenient to add onion powder or dehydrated onion flakes from the pantry, it is different from real onion. Not that cooking onions to varying levels of doneness takes very long, but sometimes it seems like it when every other part of a dish is quicker. I am fickle sometimes and just have to live with it. To overcome what sometimes feels like the huge expanse of time it takes to cook onions, I have come up with this paste. It adds onion flavor quickly from a jar in the fridge, even when you are feeling fickle. Very nice to have around for omelets, quick soups and dips – the flavor gets distributed in a dish much faster, compared to the pantry versions.

Onion Paste

2 large onions
2 Tbsp fat (bacon grease, butter, olive oil)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt

Peel and roughly chop onion. In a medium skillet over medium high heat add fat. When fat is hot add onion and sprinkle with salt. Sauté until onion softens and browns. Remove from pan and let cool until it is safe to handle. Place onions in food processor and pulse until a smooth paste forms. Store in airtight glass or metal container in the refrigerator. Use 1 tablespoon for every 1/4 onion in a recipe.

Hot Bacon Dressing

hot bacon dressing

I am sure I have previously discussed my love for spinach. As a child I was a fan of Popeye and never understood the scrunched up faces of other kids facing the green stuff on their plates. As I got older I craved salads with deep green spinach over the pale, watery nature of iceberg or other lettuces. The term ‘hot’ used for this recipe can mean two things – spicy hot and temperature hot. Other versions of the dressing can be heated up much more so as to clearly wilt the spinach as it is poured. This version, since it relies on egg as a thickener instead of flour or other powders, cannot be made so hot. I rely on the spicy version of the word hot here instead. The tang of the vinegar along with the heat of the horseradish and mustard make it so. It will probably not wilt the spinach, but will still leave a mark on your palate. The picture shows the dressing being used simply on raw baby spinach as a side dish. If I have the salad as a main course I will add onion and soft boiled eggs, and other veggies as I please. Here, it was a way to quickly boost the veggie/protein ratio at dinner one night. The dressing can also go on top of other side dishes, for it has a tang that would compliment broccoli, squash, asparagus, and so forth. If you heat it up leftovers do it gradually in the microwave at half power or low on the stove so as not to create scrambled eggs.

Hot Bacon Dressing

4 slices bacon
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. Apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Stevita granulated sweetener
1 Tbsp horseradish mustard (or 2 tsp yellow mustard and 1 tsp raw grated horseradish)
1 egg
Pinch salt
(Optional) 1/4 red onion, jullienne
(Optional) 4 soft boiled eggs (6 minute eggs)

Cook the bacon over medium high heat in small pan until crisp. Crumble bacon and set aside. Turn temperature to low under bacon grease and let cool to the lower temperature. Add water, vinegar, sweetener and mustard, stirring until combined. Whisk in egg and continue stirring constantly so the egg does not cook firm. When the egg is fully incorporated add crumbled bacon, continuing to cook and stir under heated through. Taste and add salt if needed. Turn heat up to medium, continuing to stir, and heat until steam rises from the dressing, about two minutes. Serve immediately over raw baby spinach, optionally including onion slices and soft boiled eggs sliced in half.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

bacon wrapped scallops

Big D is going to be so pissed that I did this while he was out of town. I just could not wait! There is a local restaurant that makes something similar, and I had a serious craving. The restaurant appears to wrap the scallops with bacon and pierce with toothpicks, then deep fry them and serve with hollandaise sauce. Their sauce is a bit subtle – it may be the version of sauce they make, but I have longed for something tangier when we have ordered and inhaled them as an appetizer. Not one to deep fry things, I decided to broil, since scallops are easy to overcook and quick cooking works well with the broiler. I was tempted to do more seasoning, but decided to keep it simple. I was not disappointed. These were so easy to make at home and delicious! I promise I will make them again sweetie and after you get home!

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

8 large scallops (about 1″ diameter raw)
4 slices bacon, cut in half
8 round toothpicks
Salt and pepper to taste

Spicy Cocktail Sauce

1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 Tbsp raw horseradish, grated
1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven on low broil. Lightly sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper. Wrap a piece of bacon around a scallop, overlapping the edges. Secure the bacon with a toothpick, pushing it through both sides of the scallop. Repeat with all scallops. Place scallops on a shallow baking pan. Position oven rack about 8 inches below broiler. Place scallops in oven. Broil for about ten minutes, making sure not to overcook the scallops. If you only have one broiler setting assume it is high and reduce cooking time to 5-7 minutes, watching carefully – a few more minutes may be needed, depending on broiler heat. The bacon may smoke a bit. While the scallops cook make the spicy cocktail sauce: whisk together the paste, horseradish and juice until well blended. Sprinkle sauce on serving dish. Place scallops on plate and serve immediately after removing from the oven.

Ranch Dressing

ranch dressing

Summer means salad, especially a salad with nice, tender, young collard green leaves that you see above. They have a nice peppery taste that is less bitter than older collard greens. These particular greens came straight from our little container garden on our balcony, which made them taste even better! It also means raw veggies straight from the fridge as side dishes. Most vegetables better for you raw, and they also contribute to reducing the heat in the kitchen on a warm June day, even in Alaska. Since making our own stellar homemade mayonnaise we are confidently surging forward in using it for sauce bases, which includes this lovely dressing. I have always preferred homemade ranch dressing over the bottled stuff, and have usually relied on dressing mixes. When I started reading labels more closely I discovered some mixes have untoward ingredients, like monosodium glutamate. That stuff puffs me up like a balloon. Others have ‘modified food starch’. If you look up such an ingredient you may find it can sometimes include wheat. Not fun, especially for Big D. There goes the mix permanently off the grocery list. Geez…. Of course, if other people can make homemade versions, then why can’t I? We certainly have a spice cabinet stocked sufficiently to do so. I feel silly not having tried it before. Now I feel happy having it continuously available in my fridge, whether it is summer or not. You will see it here often!

Ranch Dressing 

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp dried onion flakes
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp dried basil leaves, crushed
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2-4 Tbsp water (optional)
1/4 – 1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients except salt, whisk together until well combined. Add some water if dressing is too thick. Add salt to taste. Chill overnight to allow flavors to blend. Store in the refrigerator.

Mayonnaise

mayoFor a long time I did not try making mayonnaise. Since I was a kid I always liked the taste of it, and the smooth creaminess it gives to sandwiches, sauces and recipes. I fondly remember lunching on many ham and cheese sandwiches layered with tomatoes, pickles and a nice combination of mayo and mustard mixed up with it all. The sandwiches, along with the occasional dollop on a tomato or tossing it in tuna salad brings back memories of hot summer days, and loud lunches in school cafeterias. Just to clarify, I am particular about my mayonnaise. Don’t even try to assume some generic brand or that despicable ‘sandwich spread’ is okay. Give me Kraft or Hellmann’s traditional versions and I am set. That sweet, cloying ‘spread’ is for putting on white bread and other horrid foods. Keep it far away from me. I like my mayonnaise tart and creamy. A few years ago Big D and I started trying to get away from mysterious chemicals, and have gradually moved away from store brands where we could. A lot of our successes have kept us out of the middle aisles of the grocery store; you know, where the processed foods and packaged convenience foods are often found. We still dip into the aisles for stuff, but our kitchen is much more absent of such items, compared to a year ago. We feel happier and healthier for it, especially showing Little B how to rely on whole foods and making what you want from scratch. The first forays into making mayonnaise were good tasting, but not quite a replacement for the flavor of my youth. You might not be as picky about the taste as I am, but Big D tried this version recently and it hit the mark! We are pretty sure it is the avocado oil that took it over the edge as a true substitute for me. Olive oil works well, too, but the flavor of olive oil takes it in a different direction. So excited to have such an easy recipe that works every time and keeps me away from the store stuff, which is soy-filled, sugar-filled and preserved with calcium disodium EDTA. I will take care of my own preservation, thank you.

Mayonnaise

1 egg yolk
1 egg
1 cup avocado oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 – 1/2 tsp sea salt

Place egg yolk and egg in a blender, turning it on medium speed. Slowly add oil in a narrow stream to the eggs until fully incorporated. Add lemon juice while the mixture continues to blend. Stir in salt to desired taste. Remove mayonnaise to a glass container that can be sealed air-tight. Store in refrigerator.

Shrimp Hollandaise on Scrambled Eggs

shrimp hollandaise with eggs

We eat a lot of eggs. Not only are they good sources of protein, they are extremely versatile. Do you want to bake some cookies? Add an egg. Do you want a casserole type macaroni and cheese? Add an egg to thicken it. Do you want a shiny finish on your pie crust? Brush it with an egg wash. Do you want a fun appetizer or side dish? Devil some. Need to feed a crowd of overnight guests? Make a frittata. Do you want a breakfast that sticks to your ribs? Scramble some. You can always throw some meat and cheese into your scrambled egg, but there is always that occasional morning when you want something different. Here is a dish for one of those different days. My original craving was for Eggs Benedict, but I have not yet mastered the low carb English muffin, so I deviated. I figured out that what I was craving was the Hollandaise Sauce. Although not a traditional, more complicated version of the sauce, it was quick to make and ready in advance of the short cooking time needed for the shrimp and eggs. Little B was not very excited about the sauce – she is still young and naive, but she inhaled the eggs, shrimp and guacamole.

Shrimp Hollandaise on Scrambled Eggs

6 eggs
1/4 tsp sea salt
Dash of ground black pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 pound medium shrimp, deveined, shells and tails removed
1/2 lemon
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup prepared guacamole

Hollandaise Sauce
4 oz Butter
2 Egg Yolks
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Water
1/4 tsp salt

For the shrimp fill a medium pot half with water. Add salt, squeeze lemon juice into water and drop the lemon half into the water. Set pot over high heat. While waiting for water to boil for the shrimp, make Hollandaise Sauce. Melt 4 ounces of butter and let cool briefly. While butter is cooling add the rest of ingredients in a blender but do not blend them yet. When butter has cooled a bit spoon out the foamy, bubbly top from butter, leaving the clear, yellow clarified portion. Use only the clarified portion for the sauce. Begin blending the mixed ingredients on low and gradually and steadily add the butter. Let blend for about a minute. Stop the blender. Leave sauce at room temperature until served. If water is boiling add shrimp and cover. Let boil for three to five minutes, just until they turn pink all over. Remove from water and place on towel to drain. In a bowl crack the eggs and add salt and pepper. Whisk until combined. In a frying pan melt butter over medium high heat. Add eggs and stir in the pan until cooked to desired doneness (Big D likes soft so I take his out of the pan first – Little B and I like ours a little more firm). Divide eggs among individual serving plates. Top with shrimp, then drizzle them with Hollandaise sauce. Add a side scoop of guacamole and serve.

Creamy Shrimp Alfredo

creamy shrimp alfredo

If you had not noticed from the divorce shrimp I made recently, I really like creamy sauces. I love alfredo sauce, although not necessarily on fettuccine, and my favorite pasta dish of all time is spaghetti carbonara. Since I was craving the carbonara and Big D was craving the alfredo, and we were being stared down by the spaghetti squash and shrimp in the fridge, I combined all the pieces into a quiet, Saturday night dinner. Depending on the history you believe, the original alfredo sauce did not actually have any cream, and the original carbonara sauce did not have it either, but I think it all came together in a rich, satisfying dish. I even added a nod to the carbonara’s pancetta with the bacon grease used for the squash and shrimp. Other fats like butter or olive oil or coconut oil could be used, too, but when there is bacon grease available, why? It turned out great and made me want to watch the Godfather or the Untouchables. Salute!

Creamy Shrimp Alfredo

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup butter
2 egg yolks
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup freshly grated parmesean cheese
3 Tbsp bacon grease
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 large spaghetti squash
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice squash lengthwise and scrape out seeds and stringy membrane. Place squash halves face down and place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until center is soft and edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. With a fork scrape out squash ‘spaghetti’ and place in a bowl. Toss with a sprinkling of salt and 1 Tbsp bacon grease. Set aside until time to serve. While the squash bakes prepare the sauce. In a cold medium sauce pan add the cream and egg yolk. Whisk together until well combined. Add 1/2 cup butter and turn on heat to medium, stirring occasionally. When the butter is melted and sauce begins to steam, but not boil, add the garlic. Continue to stir and avoid boiling. Begin to add the cheese, stirring constantly, about 1/4 cup at a time, making sure it is completely melted before adding more. When all the cheese is incorporated add some salt to taste, if needed. Turn heat down to low simmer and let sauce simmer and thicken, but not boil!!! In a large skillet melt 2 Tbsp bacon grease over medium heat. Add garlic and stir until garlic begins to sweat. Increase heat under burner to medium high. Add shrimp, sprinkle lightly with salt and toss regularly until shrimp begins to turn pink. Sprinkle with parsley and continue tossing until shrimp is cooked through, about three to five minutes. To serve, place a bed of spaghetti squash on a plate, top with shrimp and drizzle with sauce. Serve immediately with parmesean cheese on the side.

 

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