Category Archives: sauce

Tomato Chutney – Makes 1 cup

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2 cup grape tomatoes — halved
1/4 cup red onion — minced
3 tablespoon golden raisins
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ginger — freshly minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Simmer all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until tomatoes have broken down, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Off heat, puree half the chutney in a food processor, then fold into the remaining chutney.

Recipe Notes – This chutney is perfect with Curried Potato and Pea Somasas. But it’s also trrific spread on crackers and served with warm Brie.

Mushroom Gravy

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1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sherry (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons unbleached flour
1/4 cup plain soymilk
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium-sized non-stick saucepan, saute the onion until light brown, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of water, and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, for another minute.

Add the vegetable broth, herbs, nutritional yeast, sherry, and soy sauce. In a bowl, whisk or blend (with a hand blender) the soymilk and flour together until smooth. Add it to the saucepan and stir well.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Spaghetti Puttanesca – Tina – Serves 4.

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The pasta and sauce cook in just about the same amount of time. If you like the fruitiness of extra-virgin olive oil, toss 1 tablespoon into the sauced pasta before serving.


4 medium cloves garlic , minced to paste or pressed through garlic press (1 packed tbsp)

table salt

1 pound spaghetti

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 teaspoons minced anchovies (about 8 fillets)

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes , drained, 1/2 cup juice reserved

3 tablespoons capers , rinsed

1/2 cup black olives (such as Gaeta, Alfonso, or Kalamata), pitted and chopped coarse

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil in large Dutch oven or stockpot. Meanwhile, mix garlic with 1 tablespoon water in small bowl; set aside. When water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta; stir to separate pasta. Immediately heat oil, garlic mixture, red pepper flakes, and anchovies in large skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8 min.

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, then return pasta to pot; add 1/4 cup reserved tomato juice and toss to combine. Stir capers, olives, and parsley into sauce. Pour sauce over pasta and toss to combine, adding more tomato juice to moisten if necessary. Adjust seasonings with salt; serve immediately.


Spicy Avocado Sauce – Donna Maroni

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1/2 – 1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 fresh japapeno or serrano or anaheim, stemmed and minced
1/4 c. milk

Pulse avocado with mayo, lime juice, salt, sugar and 1/4 of the chile in a food processor until chile is finely chopped. Add milk and puree until smooth. Add more chille if desired. Transfer to a bowl and chill, covered.

Deep, Dark Salted Butter Caramel Sauce [Sauce au Caramel au Beurre]

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Makes about 1 1/3 cups
1 cup sugar
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) salted butter, the better you can get, the better it will taste
1/2 cup plus two tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature

Melt the sugar over medium to moderately high heat in a larger pot than you think you at least two or three quarts, whisking or stirring the sugar as it melts to ensure it heats evenly. Cook the liquefied sugar to a nice, dark copper color. Add the butter all at once and stir it in, before turning off the stove and pour in the heavy cream (The sauce will foam up quite a bit when you add it; this is why you want the larger pot.), whisking it until you get a smooth sauce.

You use it right away or pour it into a jar and store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. When you take it out, it will likely have thickened a bit but 60 seconds in the microwave brings it right back to pouring consistency.
Serve over everything.

This is from checkout the blog for photos and further instructions.

washington post spaghetti sauce

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Andrea’s All-Purpose, All-Natural, Thick ‘n’ Tasty Tomato Sauce
The Washington Post, August 13, 2008

2008 Top Tomato Recipe Contest winner

* Course: Condiment
* Features: Meatless

Summary:

A bounty of overripe, bargain-priced tomatoes at her local grocery store prompted Reston resident Andrea Okwesa to come up with this recipe. The sauce is chunky and luscious, with lots of sauteed onion.

Makes about 2 quarts
Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 large red onions, cut in half, then cut into 1/4-inch slices
* 6 medium cloves garlic, minced
* 5 pounds very ripe, but not soft, unbruised tomatoes (vine-ripened and plum varieties or a combination), washed, cored and cut into 1/2-inch to 1-inch chunks, with juices
* Leaves from 10 stems basil, stacked, rolled tightly and cut crosswise into thin strips (chiffonade)
* Leaves from 8 sprigs oregano, finely chopped
* Leaves from 8 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped
* Leaves from 8 sprigs marjoram, finely chopped
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until the oil shimmers.
Add the onion and garlic, stirring to combine; cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have softened and start to caramelize.

Add the tomatoes and mix well to incorporate, then add the herbs. Stir to combine, and cook for a few minutes until the mixture starts to bubble. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, until a thick sauce has formed. When the sauce is almost done, season with salt and pepper.

Transfer to containers, preferably glass, to cool, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week; or place in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months.