Tag: Sauce

Honey Ginger Teriyaki


I could talk about sauce/marinade all day, and personally, I tend to favor them more on the sweet side than the spicy. Here’s an easy recipe that can be whipped up in no time and add quite a nice flavor to fish, meat, vegetables and chicken.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger (use garlic press)
  • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp powdered onion
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
  2. Refrigerate in an air-tight container.

If you want an amazing store-bought teriyaki, I highly recommend East-West Specialty Sauces. My personal favorite, Sweet Ginger Teriyaki  🙂 They have some great sauce recipes on their site, so check ’em out.

Ragù alla Bolognese (Bolognese Sauce)


My friend, Peter, asked if I could post a good Bolognese sauce and this one is much better than good; it’s excellent. For those that are not familiar, Bolognese sauce is a thick, full-bodied meat-based pasta sauce, originating from Bologna, Italy. After years of research, the Italian Academy of Cuisine and the Associated Brotherhood of the Tortellino filed an official recipe for “authentic” Ragù Bolognese which contains beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, meat broth, white wine, and milk . Among the particularities of classic Ragù Bolognese, the most important one is the cut of beef used. Thin flank – a cut rich in both fat and flavor is traditionally used, however most today prefer a to use leaner cuts in their Ragù. Also, the traditional use of pancetta is now sometimes replaced with extra virgin olive oil instead of the fat from the pancetta. In addition, the small amount of milk in the “authentic” recipe is not widely used by everybody today. Instead, tomato has been used more often in comparison to the original recipe, yet Bolognese Ragù is really not considered a tomato-based sauce. So, I’ve made some changes to update to a more modern recipe, but I assure you, this will not disappoint.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 slices bacon, cut up into small pieces
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 carrots, shredded
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 (28 oz) can Italian plum tomatoes
  • 6 oz tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tsp fresh basil
  • 2 tsp fresh oregano
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In a large skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat and cook bacon until it is browned & crisp.
  2. Remove bacon from pan and set aside.
  3. In the same skillet, using the bacon fat, fry the onions, celery and shredded carrot.
  4. When those become soft, add the beef, pork and garlic.
  5. Once brown drain off excess fat and add remaining ingredients.
  6. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Crazy For Cranberries


Here’s a simply amazing recipe for cranberry sauce that you can whip up in no time for the holidays!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar (1/2 cup white, 1/2 cup brown)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 4 cups cranberries (1 12 oz pkg)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp allspice

Directions

  1. In a saucepan, bring water, orange juice and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.
  2. Add cranberries and return to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.
  4. Add spices and stir well.
  5. Remove from heat and cool completely at room temperature.
  6.  Chill in the refrigerator. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

Got Sauce? Now You Do!


Here’s a quick, easy & delicious recipe for pizza/pasta sauce that doesn’t require cooking.

Ingredients

  • 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tbsp oregano
  • 1/2 tbsp basil
  • 1/2 tsp rosemary, crushed
  • 1 tbsp sugar

Directions

  1. Mix tomato paste, water & oil – mix well.
  2. Add the rest of ingredients and let stand for several hours to let flavors blend.
  3. If you’re short on time, you can heat the sauce in a small saucepan.

A Light Take on Hollandaise Sauce


I don’t know about you, but I’m all about sauces! Here’s a tasty, light version of the traditional Hollandaise sauce you can use on your eggs benedict or veggies.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 3/4 cup Buttermilk*
  • 1 tbsp Cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • Pinch Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice

* If you don’t have buttermilk, take 1 cup of milk and add 1 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice to make sour milk, let stand 5 minutes.

Directions

  1. Melt butter in small pan, then set aside.
  2.  Whisk 1/4 cup of buttermilk, cornstarch, salt & cayenne pepper in heavy, medium saucepan until smooth.
  3. Whisk in egg and remaining buttermilk.
  4. Set pan over medium-low heat and cook the sauce, whisking constantly until mixture comes to a simmer.
  5. Cook, whisking an additional 15 seconds.
  6. Remove from heat and whisk in lemon juice and reserved butter.

Note: I like to add 1 tbsp dijon mustard or honey dijon to add a little more flavor.

Enjoy!

1 g fat / 17 cal / 1 g carb / 1 g protein per tbsp