Cuisine: Sauce

Lamb Chops with Mint Sauce

I made Lamb Chops with Mint Sauce for my husband's birthday last week. This is the definition of a labor of love. I happen to detest lamb! Having lived in the UK for years, I had to endure many Sunday lunches, flipping the lamb onto my husband's plate when the host left the room! I suppose they wondered why he had all the bones! Anyway, I was told it was a real treat.

By Leslie Blythe

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

My friends Jennifer and Heather reminded me of Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter recipe. It’s one of the simplest, sweetest most delicious tomato sauces. It takes only 5 minutes to prep and then simmers on the stovetop. She recommends using it on gnocchi, spaghetti, penne or rigatoni.

By Leslie Blythe

Utah Fry Sauce

Many years ago, my daughter Zoe and I were travelling and we had a long layover in Salt Lake City. We had lunch and everything seemed to have Utah Fry Sauce. I had never heard of it. It's a mayo ketchup combo. Apparently, it was invented and at Arctic Circle Restaurants, which is a fast-food chain. You can read all about the history of this sauce here. Anyway, I recently bought an air-fryer lid for my Instant Pot and wanted to test it out. So I cut up a potato and made some Utah Fry Sauce. It's really a good sauce. My husband said the fries would have been better deep-fried!

By admin

Grilled Zucchini with Fresh Dill Vinaigrette

Grilled Zucchini with Fresh Dill Vinaigrette is a great way to eat zucchini. It has numerous health benefits and is a very versatile vegetable. Fresh dill is one of the most fragrant and flavorful herbs and adds a nice dose of brightness to the grilled zucchini. 

By admin

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

The tomatillo, also known as the Mexican husk tomato, is a plant of the nightshade family bearing small, spherical and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos originated in Mexico and were cultivated in the pre-Columbian era. They have a tangy, almost citrus flavor and are used in many, Mexican green sauces. My husband roasted the tomatillos, onions, chile and even the garlic on the grill before blending. This gives this sauce a rich, earthy depth of flavor. It's an absolutely delicious sauce.

By admin

Chicken in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

This Chicken in Creamy Mushroom Sauce is easy to make and the homemade creamy mushroom sauce would also work well on pasta, steak, meatballs, pork chops, or rice.

By admin

Passata Sauce from Pizzeria Mozza

Years ago, I took the last pizza class at Pizzeria Mozza with my good friend Chris, who happens to be one of my mentors. I want to tell you about the sauce. This sauce is so easy, it seems like you’ve forgotten something. There is no garlic, no herbs in this sauce!

For their pizzas – also called Passato. The sauce is not complex, instead showcasing the ingredients.

KEY 
The variety of tomato. Best: San Marzano. You want tomatoes that have more meat—lots of flesh – less water, fewer seeds, and sweeter. “DOP” designation is important. Homegrown tomatoes are often very watery making them less desirable since so much water would have to be cooked off.

TIPS 
Pan you use to cook sauce should be twice the size as amount of product you’re adding. A heavy pan—the heavier the better – should be used because it prevents sticking. Enameled cast iron (like Le Creuset) is perfect. Simmer the sauce gently until you get the taste you want. Taste often. It should not take that long to produce the sauce as it is simple with few ingredients.  Do not cook it to a paste.

Cool down the sauce before putting in on pizza dough.  It's a 2-ounce ladle of sauce per pizza. No more. You can also use this sauce for pasta as well.

By admin

Fancy Cranberry Sauce

My daughter Zoe made this Fancy Cranberry Sauce. My father only likes the sliceable, jiggly retro canned stuff. This takes all that up a notch with deeper fruit flavor and more nuance. It’s subtly spiced with bay leaves and cardamom, then set in a gelatin mold and topped with sugary orange zest and cranberries.

By admin

Asparagus and Peas with Creamy Tarragon Dressing

Brighten up your dinner table with Asparagus and Peas with Creamy Tarragon Dressing. This simple side dish is tossed with a bright, tangy dressing. Delicious hot, at room temperature or chilled. Tarragon was very popular in the '80s food scene and has a warm, sweet, anise/minty aroma and flavor and is indispensable in classic French cooking.

By admin

Blackened Chicken with Avocado Cream Sauce

This Blackened Chicken with Avocado Cream Sauce is a perfect blend of paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. The Avocado Cream acts as a cooling agent to tone down the spiciness. This spice blend would also work really well on fish. You can serve it with rice, quinoa or as a taco.

By Leslie Blythe