Sauce

January – Whole Roasted Cauliflower
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January – Whole Roasted Cauliflower

It’s the time for winter vegetables, and cauliflower is having its day in court right now. For those folks who are avoiding carbohydrates due to dietary reasons, cauliflower is the go-to vegetable. Cauliflower rice and cauliflower mashed potatoes, not to mention cauliflower pizza crust and cauliflower tots, are having their moment. Here’s the amazing thing though, all those dishes are delicious! And, they are a wonderful way to sneak an extra vegetable onto your plate.

I usually roast cauliflower by breaking it into florets, tossing with olive oil and salt (maybe some urfu biber or chili flakes) and roasting at 425 degrees F for 40 minutes or so. That is long enough to caramelize the outside and soften the inside. If you are used to steaming or boiling cauliflower, you won’t recognize it as the same vegetable. Roasting brings out the most amazing flavor and sweetness.

Lately I have been hearing restaurant stories about a dish of whole roasted cauliflower (and carrots as well!), I wanted to try it.

Whole Roast Cauliflower

Whole Roast Cauliflower

Take a look at that! It could be the centerpiece of a vegetarian feast. I would recommend serving it with some kind of green sauce, maybe this roast garlic and arugula chimichuri or lemon salsa verde or try the following recipe from the New York Times for an almond herb sauce. I didn’t have time to make a sauce, but I have to say that it was delicious just as is.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower

  • 1 large cauliflower
  • Olive oil
  • Salt

Almond Herb Sauce

  • ⅓ cup blanched almonds
  • 6 to 10 anchovy fillets (optional)
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for basting
  • 2 teaspoons wine vinegar (white or red), more to taste
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley, mint, tarragon, cilantro or a combination
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes(optional)
  • Salt and ground black pepper

Cauliflower Preparation

  1. Place a heavy oven-proof skillet (I used a cast-iron skillet) or a baking sheet in the oven and turn the heat to 375 degrees. Place a small pan of hot water on the floor of the oven, to create steam.
  2. Break off and discard the outer leaves from the cauliflower. Cut off the bottom of the stem, and then use the tip of a small, sharp knife to cut off the leaves close to the stem. Carefully cut out the hard core of the cauliflower, near the bottom. Leave the main stem intact and make sure not to cut through any of the florets.
  3. Rinse the cauliflower (leave the water clinging to the outside) and place on a work surface, core side up. Drizzle with olive oil and use your hands to rub over the cauliflower until evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt.
  4. Place the cauliflower on the hot pan in the oven, core side down, and cook until very tender all the way through when pierced with a knife, at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours. During the cooking, baste 2 or 3 times with more olive oil. It should brown nicely. If you have a convection feature, use it toward the end of baking to brown the crust.

 Sauce Preparation

  1. In a small frying pan, toast nuts over low heat, shaking often, just until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
  2. Soak anchovies, if using, for 5 minutes in cool water. Rinse and set aside on paper towels.
  3. In a food processor, combine almonds, anchovies, garlic and butter and pulse until smooth. Mix in oil, then vinegar. Mix in herbs and red pepper flakes, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  4. When cauliflower is tender, remove from the oven. (If desired, run it briefly under the broiler first to brown the surface; there is no need to do this if you used convection.)
  5. Serve cauliflower in the skillet or from a serving plate.

  6. Roasted Whole Cauliflower

    Roasted Whole Cauliflower

Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Whole Roasted Cauliflower

I don’t have a picture of the sauce because I didn’t make it. I’ll post a picture next time. The cast iron skillet made a nice presentation. I cut it into wedges for serving.

This recipe came from the New York times.

Leftover Roasted Cauliflower made a delicious Roasted Cauliflower Soup the next day. Stay tuned for that VERY easy recipe which can be adapted to any leftover vegetable you might have available.

I am taking this to Fiesta Friday #103. I’m late to the party but this will be good with the leftovers.  You will find the fiesta at the Novice Gardener hosted by Angie. The co-host this week are Sonal @ simplyvegetarian777 and Petra @ Food Eat Love.

December – Easiest Ever Applesauce
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December – Easiest Ever Applesauce

My friend Linda in Fort Bragg gifted me a huge bag of apples from her backyard tree. These were organic, and wonderfully sweet Gala apples.

Gala Apples

Gala Apples

There were too many for our small family to eat before they went bad and the apples were too delicious to go to waste. I decided to make applesauce. The sauce would be delicious later in the year with roast pork or simply with yogurt for breakfast. They were so sweet I wouldn’t need to add much sugar or honey. To make things even easier for myself, I decided to keep the skin. It’s good for you, isn’t it? If you are not convinced, see the notes at the bottom of this post. By the time the apples cooked down the skin had melted into the apples, it  was not noticeable. What the skin did do was gave the applesauce a gorgeous pink tint, helped by a small handful of cranberries. I froze this sauce (the canner was in the garage and I didn’t feel like all that “to-do”) to keep the freshness (yes, it did do that). This is the easiest ever applesauce but you could also call it lazy woman’s applesauce!

Easiest Ever Applesauce (recipe makes 2 quarts)

  • 5-6 lbs. of apples, each washed, cored and cut into 7 pieces, unpeeled
  • 3 tablespoons of honey
  • handful of cranberries (optional)
  • 2 inch piece of lemon rind
  • 2 vanilla beans
  • 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
  • 1/2-1 cup of water
Gala Applesauce

Gala Applesauce

  1. Sterilize 4 pint or 2 quart heat-proof jars by running them through the dishwasher on the hot cycle or filling with boiling water.
  2. Add the apples, cranberries (if using), lemon, vanilla, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of water to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and turn the heat to medium.
  3. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning and checking to see if you need to add additional water.

    Gala Applesauce with Cranberries

    Gala Applesauce with Cranberries

  4. Using a potato masher, mash in the pan until your desired chunkiness. Taste and add honey to taste, these apples didn’t need much. I’ve seen a recommendation in other recipes for 1/8 cup of sugar to each quart of sauce.
  5. Fill the jars leaving 1 inch at the top to allow room for expansion.
  6. Screw on the lids and and let the jars cool on the counter before placing in your freezer.
  1. Gala Applesauce

Gala Applesauce

If you have an abundance to apples from your own backyard tree (or a kind neighbors), I recommend this easy recipe. Adjust the amount of honey to the sweetness of the apples. A serving of this applesauce has the goodness of fresh apples with very little added sugar, with the extra benefit of keeping the skin. Doubtful? Here is more about the important nutrients contained in the peel:

The peel is home to ursolic acid, an important compound in the obesity-fighting ability of apples. Ursolic acid seems to increase muscle and brown fat, which in turn up calorie burn, thereby lowering obesity risk, at least in mice, according to a 2012 study.

In addition to the higher doses of certain nutrients, the apple skin offers several other health advantages. Eating the apple skin might reduce your risk of certain types of cancer, including liver, breast and colon cancers, according to Cornell University. The peel contains compounds called triterpenoids that have the power to destroy cancer cells, as well as prevent new cancerous cells from growing, Cornell University reports. A 2009 article published in the “Journal of Food Science” reports that the antioxidants in apple peels can help protect your heart health by preventing the oxidation of polyunsaturated fats. Oxidation of fats increases your risk of heart disease. – See more at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/470237-does-the-apple-skin-have-the-most-nutrients/#sthash.C4zhbiLi.dpuf

Lastly, an unpeeled apple has 5.4 grams of fiber, a peeled one only 2.8. Your microbiome will thank you for the peel.

Moral of the story, eat the peel. Wash it well if the apples aren’t organic, but it is still better to eat the peel even if they are not.

Applesauce with Vanilla Yogurt

Applesauce with Vanilla Yogurt

This post is part of the monthly link up party Our Growing Edge. This event aims to connect food bloggers and inspire us to try new things. This month is hosted by Jazzmine at A Dash of Jazz and the theme is nostalgia.

Our Growing Edge

Our Growing Edge

October – Yum or Odd Flavor Sauce
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October – Yum or Odd Flavor Sauce

Have you heard of Lucky Peach? It’s a quarterly journal of food and writing. Each issue focuses on a single theme, and explores that theme through essays, art photography, and recipes. They are scheduled to release their first cookbook on October 27th.

The cookbook Lucky Peach Presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes contains a lot of tempting and unusual recipes (such as miso clam chowder and fish sauce spareribs), I found one of the most intriguing a sauce they call Odd Flavor Sauce. I’ve renamed it Yum Sauce because it is delicious and I don’t think the flavors are odd at all. I wanted a savory sauce for a simple bowl of rice with roast vegetables and a rice porridge. Yum sauce looked like the perfect counterpoint to jazz things up. The ingredients aren’t really that odd: soy sauce, tahini or peanut butter, black or regular red wine vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and salt. A few other ingredients—chopped scallion, ginger,  garlic, chili flakes, and Sichuan peppercorns—briefly hit a hot skillet before mixing it all together.

There is a lot of flavor packed into a spoonful of this sauce. There is heat from the chiles, punch from the peppercorns, tartness from the vinegar, umami from the soy sauce, and nuttiness from the peanut butter and sesame oil. The combination is perfect!

Yum Sauce

Yum Sauce

Yum Sauce (makes about 1/2 cup)

  • 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of tahini, almond butter, or peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon black Chinese vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon of sesame oil (dark, roasted)
  • 2 teaspoons of sugar (1 teaspoon if using nut butter with sugar)
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil (canola or other vegetable)
  • 1 small scallion, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed Sichuan peppercorns
  1. Combine the soy sauce, tahini or other nut butter, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and salt in a small heatproof bowl and mix until emulsified and the sugar is dissolved.
  2. Heat a small skillet over medium heat, add the oil. When shimmering add the scallions, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, and crushed peppercorns.
  3. Remove from the heat and stir for 10 seconds. Pour the contents of the skillet into the bowl with the liquid seasonings and whisk until blended.
  4. Once cool, refrigerate. It will keep in the fridge for about two days.

Use to add flavor to a rice bowl, soup, or any other bland dish.

Jook with Yum Sauce

Jook with Yum Sauce

Rice bowl with a fried egg and Yum sauce

Rice bowl with a fried egg and Yum sauce

This sauce has many uses, I recently purchased some baby lobster tails at Costco, it made a wonderful sauce to brush on them before roasting. Brush the lobster tails with about 1 tablespoon of sauce, wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil, bake at 450 degeees for 22 minutes.

IMG_3758

October – Mandarin Aigre-doux
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October – Mandarin Aigre-doux

Aigre-doux is a French term and translates to sweet and sour. In Italian cuisine you will see it called by term agrodolce, translated as “agro” (sour) and “dolce” (sweet). In any language the term refers to a delicious sweet and sour sauce or relish. The sweet is usually provided by sugar or honey, and the sour by vinegar and wine.

Mandarins

Mandarins

Mandarins are in season and I’ve been curious to try Mandarin aigre-doux from the book “The Preservation Kitchen” by Paul Virant. The book has more than a half dozen recipes for aigre-doux based on a wide variety of ingredients. Blueberries, pears, butternut squash, grapes, Meyer lemons, mulberries, and even cranberries are included. I’ve made the recipes for grape, Meyer lemon, and cranberry aigre-doux; I recommend them all to you. Grape aigre-doux is fantastic as a Waldorf salad ingredient, I use the Meyer lemon aigre-doux as a sauce for asparagus or in a salad dressing, and cranberries…well what can I say? Thanksgiving is coming.

I do have a complaint about the Mandarin recipe though, the picture in the book shows the Mandarins sliced into rounds which include the peel; however, the recipe calls for peeled, segmented Mandarins. On the other hand, the Meyer lemon aigre-doux uses lemon wedges with the peel, so perhaps you could successfully do the same with the Mandarins. The editors should have caught this before it was published and asked for clarification.

Red wine goes very well with the orange flavor. A sauce made from the Mandarins would be wonderful with duck. Use white wine if you would like to use it with seafood or a milder chicken dish. That’s next on my list.

This is a very simple recipe, the most tedious part is peeling the Mandarins. It’s helpful if you have a chatty person to help, or a backlog of episodes of Castle to watch while you peel and segment.

Mandarin Orange Aigre-Doux (makes 5 pints)

  • 5 teaspoons of black peppercorns
  • 9 cups of peeled and sectioned Mandarins
  • 1 750 mL bottle of red table wine
  • 3/4 cup of red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
  1. Sterilize five pint canning jars, lids, and rings in a large pot of boiling water.
  2. Peel and section the Mandarin oranges.
  3. Combine red wine, red wine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a pot and bring to a boil.
  4. Remove jars from boiling water. Place right side up on a folded dish towel.
  5. Put a teaspoon of black peppercorns in each jar and fill with Mandarin orange segments.
  6. Cover the Mandarin oranges with hot aigre-doux, leaving ½ inch of space at the top of the jar. Wipe the edge of the each jar with a clean towel.
  7. Remove lids and rings from the boiling water.
  8. Place the lids on top of the jars; screw the rings into place—but not too tight.
  9. Add jars to a boiling water canner; they should be covered by 1 inch of water. Process for 15 minutes.
  10. With tongs, remove jars from the water bath and place on a heat proof surface covered with a dish towel. Jars will be very hot.
  11. Check to make sure the lids are sealed (the top should have a small indention after 10 minutes or so).
Mandarin Aigre-Doux

Mandarin Aigre-Doux

Let the Mandarins cure for at least one week, up to one year.

To make a sauce, drain one pint of the aigre-doux liquid into a small pot and simmer until reduced by half. In a blender puree the reduced liquid with the Mandarins until smooth. Fold the puree into about 1/2 cup of creme fraiche and add 1/2 cup of sliced chives. The book uses it with a simple cream of parsnip soup.

September in the Kitchen – Carrot Habanero Sauce
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September in the Kitchen – Carrot Habanero Sauce

‘Tis the season for peppers…sweet peppers, hot peppers, small peppers, large ones, and all colors…green, red, yellow, purple and orange.

Sweet peppers

Sweet peppers

But the season is short, much too short here in Northern California. This bright orange hot sauce using habaneros will bring back the taste (and heat) of summer on a dull winter day. What’s the best part? You can save a bit of summer in a jar and it is easy to make even for a beginner.

Habaneros

Habaneros

Use the sauce on grilled cheese sandwiches, tacos, or scrambled eggs…anywhere you need a touch of spicy heat. The carrots add sweetness and a lovely orange color. Plus it’s a wonderful hostess or Christmas gift.

I recommend using small (4-ounce) jars. This sauce is potent and a little goes a long way. If you prefer less heat, use more Serrano chilies or jalapeños and less habaneros. The habaneros are one of the hottest of the chilies.

Use a hot water canner if you have one, or a large pot if you don’t. Please refer to a good book on canning for more detailed instructions if you are not familiar with the basic techniques.

Carrot Habanero Sauce

  • 1 1/2 pounds of carrots (orange), peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds. A food processor will make short work of this.

    Carrots

    Carrots

  • 1 large white onion
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons of kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
  • 4 habanero peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 2 jalapeño peppers (red if you can find them), seeded and chopped
  • 5 cups white vinegar
  • Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
  1. Combine the carrots, onion, water, lemon juice, salt, garlic and ginger in a medium non-reactive pot over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer until the carrots are very soft. This could take 30 minutes. If the mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon or two of water.
  2. Once the carrots are soft, add the peppers and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, lime juice and zest.
  3. Either blend the mixture with an immersion blender or transfer in batches to a standing blender or food processor. (I prefer the smoother texture you get with a blender, you might like more texture.) Blend until smooth.
  4. Optional (I don’t do this as I prefer the color and texture of the unstrained sauce. Your yield will also be higher): Strain the sauce through a strainer, using a rubber spatula to press the liquid through. Discard any chunky bits.
  5. Pour into a large container and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors blend.
  6. The following day, blend the sauce again. Return it to the pot and bring it to a simmer, cook for about 25-30 minutes until it is thick and glossy.
  7. Ladle the sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Check for air bubbles, wipe the rim, and seal. Process for 10 minutes.

This recipe makes approximately 6 pints of sauce. I use 4 oz. jars, so you will have plenty for both your own use and gift giving.

Carrot Habanero Sauce

Carrot Habanero Sauce

Recipe adapted from Tart and Sweet by Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler.

And what is my personal favorite way to use it? Grilled cheese with a sharp Canadian white cheddar. I was recently in Seattle where grilled cheese is big business, here you see a food truck parked in from of Tesla. “Gourmet Grilled Cheese”… I think this could hang in there with their offerings.

Grilled Cheese is Big Business

Grilled Cheese is Big Business

Grilled cheese on Focaccia with Carrot Habanero

Grilled cheese on Focaccia with Carrot Habanero