Category: Sauces and dips

Peanut Butter Hummus

Peanut Butter Hummus

Peanut Butter Hummus

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Had a bunch of cut up and bagged veggies to use for snacks but I didn’t have anything for a dip because we had just finished store bought Hummus and I don’t really like Ranch dressing so I decided to make my own.

Now traditional Hummus is Chickpeas and Tahini as a base and then other ingredients added to your liking. I found I was out of Tahini but I remembered a conversation with a friend who makes hers with Peanut Butter so I decided to give it a go…. and it works.

Here’s how we do this one.

Shopping List:

  • 1 19 ounce can Chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter
  • 2 Garlic cloves peeled and chopped
  • 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 Tbsp Lemon juice
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Putting it all together:

  1. Place all ingredients except the Olive Oil in a food processor and process until smooth.
  2. With the machine running add the olive oil.
  3. If the mixture is to thick add some warm water until you get the consistency you like.

There you have it another “Simple but tasty recipe for the grilling season and beyond.”

Until next time…….

                          Bon Appetit

Fresno Chilies

20180819_143016

Fresno Chilies

  • Servings: 2 cups
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

When it comes to Chilies there are more than you can imagine or do anything with especially the hot ones and while the debate rages over the hottest in the world, which is the Carolina Reaper at 2.5 million on the Scoville scale, I prefer the lesser hot ones because I like to actually taste my food rather than  sweat like a pig in a marathon.

Now don’t misunderstand me I admire those who can gobble up really really hot peppers without batting an eye I just don’t happen to be one of them which is why I like Fresno’s….. they are only a little bit hotter than Jalapenos but, to me at least, they are a lot tastier and I was extremely happy to find them at a local garden center and even happier when they ripened.

With this particular bunch I decided a quick pickle was in store and since I don’t do it that often a quick Internet shift search showed that indeed it is a QUICK pickle.

Here’s how we do this one.

Shopping list:

  • 7 fresh Fresno chilies – sliced into rings
  • 1/2 cup Rice vinegar
  • 1 cup White vinegar
  • 1 cup Water
  • 6 Garlic cloves – Peeled
  • 4 – 5 Fennel fronds
  • 2 tablespoons Mustard seed
  • 2 tablespoons Sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons Peppercorns
  • 2 teaspoons Sugar

Putting it all together:

  1. Place the pepper rings, garlic and fennel fronds in a large container with a tight fitting lid.
  2. Put all the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.
  5. Pour the pickling liquid into the jar, seal and refrigerate.

There you have it another “Simple but tasty recipe for the grilling season and beyond.”

Until next time…….

                            Bon Apettite 

Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc

Beurre Blanc

Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

I was searching for a “simple but tasty recipe for the grilling season and beyond” that goes well fish and seafood and I remembered seeing Beurre Blanc mentioned on the various cooking shows I watch and I decided to settle on this one because it is simple to make.

Here is how we do this one.

Shopping List:

  • 1 cup Dry White Wine
  • 1/2 cup White Wine Vinegar
  • 1 pound Butter – cut into cubes
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped Shallot
  • 3 Garlic cloves – finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Capers – drained
  • 1 Medium Lemon – juiced
  • Salt to taste

Putting it all together:

  1. Put the white wine, garlic and shallots in a sauce pan, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
  2. Add in the vinegar and capers and continue to simmer for about another 5 minutes.
  3. Slowly add the cubes of butter stirring continuously.
  4. When all the butter has melted remove from the heat, season with the salt and serve warm.

There you have it another “simple but tasty recipe for the grilling season and beyond.”

Until next time…….

                            Bon Appetit

“Trini” style Hot Pepper sauce

Hot pepper sauce

Trini style Hot Pepper sauce

  • Servings: 3 cups
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

“The cuisine expresses the spirit of the chef, the spirit of the city, the country.”

“Trini’s” or Trinidadians, if you wish, are some of the greatest people on the planet. I mean all you have to do is look at my Daughter In Law and her awesome family to see I speak the truth so this particular recipe is an Homage to them and their superb cuisine.

Now as I am oft want to do I have taken the basic recipe I found on line and tweaked it based on what I had on hand and I have to say it is awesome…… it even impressed my soon to be son in law who is a hot sauce fanatic. What I particularly like about this one is that it has just enough heat to let you know it’s there but not so much that it blows the top of your head of. Of course you can adjust the heat to your own taste but for me this is perfect as is.

Cooks note: The original recipe calls for 15 Habaneros however I only had 8 from my garden and so I added 7 Sweet Heat to make up the difference.

Here’s how we do this one.

Shopping list:

  • 15 Habaneros 
  • 1 medium Mango – peeled and diced
  • 1 large White Onion – rough chopped
  • 3 Green Onions – rough chopped.
  • 2 cloves of Garlic – rough chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups White Vinegar
  • 2 Limes – juiced
  • 2 tablespoons Canola oil
  • 1/4 cup dry Mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Curry powder

Putting it all together:

  1. Wearing rubber gloves remove the seeds from the Habaneros and rough chop.
  2. Put the Habaneros, onions, mango and garlic into a blender or food processor.
  3. Pour in the vinegar, lime juice and Canola oil and pulse with the top on until finely chopped.
  4. With the blender stopped add the mustard powder, salt and curry powder  and blend until the sauce is smooth.
  5. Put in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

There you have it another “simple but tasty recipe for the grilling season and beyond.”

Until next time……..

                           Bon Appetit

 

Honey Garlic Ginger sauce

  • Servings: ”
  • Difficulty: “easy”
  • Print

Honey Garlic Ginger sauce

I’ve been working part time in a fast food Chicken Wing joint for about a year now and of all the sauce combinations that we have the one that people to gravitate to the most is Honey Garlic. Honey Garlic on its own, Honey Garlic and Maple, Honey Garlic and Jamaican Jerk and so on and so on.

Now I’m not a big fan of commercial honey garlic sauces because I find them just  a little bit to sweet and they have a ton of sugar in them. So with that in mind I decided to see if I could make my own Honey Garlic sauce, mainly because my darling wife Christine likes honey garlic and I’m always up for a challenge.

What I found in my search is that most if not all Honey Garlic sauces have three things in common—- Honey, Garlic and Soy Sauce. Being the “push the envelope” kind of guy that I am I couldn’t help but think “how do I make this my own?”  and the answer was so simple…. add Ginger!!

Well “surprise surprise” as Gomer Pyle was once heard to say it turned out really quite good—- even for a guy who is not fond of Honey Garlic.

So without further ado here’s how we do this one.

Shopping list:

  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 5 Garlic cloves— minced
  • 1/4 cup Soy sauce
  • 1 cup Honey
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons pepper
  • 2 Teaspoons Ginger powder
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • Corn starch (optional)– 2 Teaspoons to 1/2 cup water

Putting it all together:

  1. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan
  2. Saute garlic for approximately 2 minutes
  3. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk well
  4. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes stirring periodically so it won’t burn
  5. Remove from heat and let cool
  6. If you wish to have a thicker sauce add Corn starch 

So there you have it another “simple but tasty recipe for the grilling season and beyond”

Until next time……..

                       Bon Appetit

 

 

Gremolata

  • Servings: ”2-4″
  • Difficulty: ”easy”
  • Print

Gremolad

 

According to Wikipedia…. ‘Gremolata or gremolada is a chopped herb condiment classically made of lemon zest, garlic and parsley. It is a traditional accompaniment to the Milanese braised veal shank dish ossobuco alla milanese‘ . 

What I like about this condiment is its simplicity and versatility because you don’t necessarily have to use it only for Ossobuco as it goes well with fish , which is what I used it for, and you can even use it as a rub on roast beef.

This time as I said I used it with some fish that I did En Papillote (see Seafood)  and I really loved the additional flavour level that it added and with everything else in life feel free to experiment by adding different things to the recipe such as salt and pepper, roasted chopped pine nuts or even chopped hazelnuts. The combinations are almost limitless.

Here’s how we do this one…….

Shopping list:

  • 1/4 cup of fresh Parsley
  • 2-3 Garlic cloves
  • 1-2 Tablespoons lemon zest

Putting it all together:

  1. Fine chop the parsley
  2. Crush and fine chop the garlic
  3. Add the parsley, garlic and lemon zest to a bowl and mix well
  4. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour

There you have it another “simple but tasty recipe for the grilling season and beyond”.

Until next time………

                      Bon Appetite

 

Marinara sauce

Marinara sauce

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

simple-marinara-sauce_large

 

When I was a neophyte (like that word eh?) to the culinary world and I heard the word Marinara it would conjure up an image of a mysterious sauce that was very difficult to make let alone master. Well over the years I have made this sauce many many times and while I won’t go so far as to say I have mastered it I have become very comfortable in making it.

This particular spin on Marinara has kind of morphed over time from what was a very simple basic sauce to the one I like to make and my family loves to devour.

I would also like to mention that this sauce freezes very well for use in future recipes.

Here’s how we do this one…………

Shopping List:

  • 1 large can San Marzano crushed tomatoes (if you can’t find San Marzano then use a good quality crushed tomato)
  • 12 to 15 medium Roma tomatoes- cored and halved
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves- finely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons each dried Oregano and Basil
  • 5 fresh Basil leaves- Chiffonade the leaves
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmigiana
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Putting it all together:

  1. Pre heat your oven to 375 degrees
  2. Place the Roma tomatoes on a sheet tray (cut side up) and drizzle with Olive oil. Dust the tomatoes with the Salt, Pepper, Oregano and Basil
  3. Pop the tomatoes in the oven for 20 minutes or until they are tender
  4. In the meantime, heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan
  5. Add the garlic and saute until tender- about three minutes
  6. Pour in the San Marzano tomatoes and mix well
  7. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes
  8. Add the roasted tomatoes
  9. Using an Immersion blender or regular blender * mix the sauce until smooth
  10. Incorporate the Parmigiana and the basil leaves and simmer for 2-3 minutes
  11. Serve with your favourite pasta.

* If using a regular blender, blend the sauce in batches.

There you have it…. another “simple but tasty recipe for the grilling season and beyond”.

Until next time……….

                      Bon Apettite

 

Habanero and Garlic hot sauce

002 (2)

I’m not a big fan of hot sauce because, well, it’s HOT but I figured that since I was growing Habaneros in my herb garden I might as well take a stab at making some and see where I wound up and if it turned out to be too hot for me then my son would take it because he likes the stuff. Now before you call me a wuss let me explain that I love spiced food I’m just not a lover of spicy food and when I say spicy I generally mean hot.  I mean let’s examine this for a moment. You go out to dinner or you make a really nice dinner at home only to douse it in Hot Sauce so you can no longer tell what the dish originally tasted like. Seems like a waste to me but hey…… whatever floats yer boat.

This particular recipe is one that is a “little bit of this and a little bit of that”—– meaning I have taken bits and pieces of various recipes to come up with this one and like I have said before “what fun is there in cooking if you can’t twist and turn a recipe to make it your own?”

I now present to you my first ever foray into the world of making Hot Sauce…… hope you like it.

Ingredients:

–  6 to 8 orange Habaneros

–  4 to 6 garlic cloves

–  2 Cups White vinegar

–  4 tablespoons white sugar

–  4 green onions – roughly chopped ( you can substitute a medium white onion if you wish)

–  2 Large Plum tomatoes – rough chopped

–  3 tablespoons Smoked Paprika

– 2 to 3 Limes

Putting it all together:

–  Wearing disposable gloves cut the Habaneros in half and seed them – careful not to wipe your eyes while wearing the gloves

–  Put the Habaneros, vinegar and garlic in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil — reduce heat and simmer

–  When the Habaneros have softened, about ten minutes, transfer the ingredients of the saucepan to a blender or food processor and squeeze in the lime juice

–  Puree until smooth

–  Add the remaining ingredients and again puree until smooth

–  Pour the hot sauce into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator

The finished product should look something like this

082

 

As in everything else you can adjust the heat level to suit your own tastes by simply adding or subtracting Habaneros. You can even go so far as to use an entirely different hot pepper such as a Scotch Bonnet, Jalapeno or Cayenne.  You can even go so far as to add some Mango and impart a little sweetness to the heat. The choice is yours.

So there you have it another “simple but tasty recipe for the grilling season and beyond”

So until next time………..

                                                                         Bon Appetit

Basil Pesto

2-pesto

Basil Pesto is one of those items where you look at it and wonder “is it a sauce or is it a condiment?”

For me it can be both since it can be used in pasta or as a pizza sauce or as a condiment/dipping sauce for grilled shrimp or scallops.

Here is a “simple but tasty” Classic Basil Pesto.

Ingredients:

–         2 Quarts Fresh Basil

–         1 ½ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

–         4 Ounces Pine Nuts

–         6 Garlic cloves

–         1 ½ Teaspoons Salt

–         5 Ounces Fresh grated Parmesan

–         1 ½ Ounces fresh grated Romano

Method:

–         Wash and drain the Basil well

–         Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend to a coarse paste

–         Remove the Pesto to a clean bowl and blend in the cheese

–         Refrigerate

There you have it a “simple but tasty” dish.

                  Bon Appetit

Chipotle Mayo

chipotle_mayo

Mayonnaise has, for the longest time, enjoyed the reputation of being that plain condiment that you add to a dish to make it creamy—- like in Tuna or Chicken Salad sandwiches—- or used on a burger or dog and yes… I put Mayo on my hot dogs.

Well Mayo has enjoyed a face lift of sorts the past little while in that you can now find it in different flavors and one of the most popular flavors is Chipotle Mayo. Now Chipotle is not some uber exotic ingredient that requires trekking days into a disease ridden swamp to find in fact it’s really nothing more than a Smoked Jalapeno pepper and even though it’s not the uber exotic ingredient you might think it sure tastes like it.

Chipotle Mayo has two things in common that you will find in 99% of all Chipotle mayo recipes…. Garlic and Chipotles in Adobo sauce and it’s the Adobo sauce that gives Chipotle Mayo its distinctive reddish hue (see the attached photo) however being the wild man that I am I prefer to smoke my own Jalapenos and do without the adobo sauce. You don’t get the same color but the taste, which is the important part, is the same and it’s great with french fries or on a Curried Chicken burger (see grilled chicken for the Curried Chicken burger recipe).

Ingredients:

–          2 Smoked Jalapenos

–          4 Garlic cloves

–          1 Teaspoon Salt

–          1 Teaspoon pepper

–          ½ Cup Mayo

Method:

–          Stem and de-seed the Smoked Jalapenos

–          In a food processor add all the ingredients EXCEPT the Mayo

–          Pulse until a paste is formed

–          Blend the Chipotle mixture with the Mayo until well incorporated.

–          Refrigerate until needed

This is a “simple but tasty” dish to add to your repertoire and if you are not lucky enough to have a backyard smoker or stove top model then smoke the Jalapenos in your oven using a smoke pouch (soaked wood chips placed in a tin foil envelope with holes punched in it) at 250 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.

Bon Appetit