Sauces and Dips Archives • Page 3 of 4 • The Traveling Epicurean

Caesar Salad

March 16, 2019May 6, 2014 by Michel

Caesar Salad

Caesar salads are probably my favorite of all time. So many wonderful flavors and textures in this combination from crunchy and garlicky with the Italian garlic croutons, to a sharpness from the shaved Reggiano Parmesano sprinkled on the top of the romaine and a creaminess with the grated Parmesan in the actual dressing itself. Then there is a tang from the lemon and Dijon, and an extra savory flavor in the undertones that you just can’t put your finger on but tastes delicious from the anchovie paste and Worcestershire sauce!

Wow, you will really like the simplicity of this recipe and you can make the croutons a day or more ahead of time and make the dressing the morning of your lunch or dinner. It makes for such a nice presentation if you can use a large shallow dish like the one in the photos. When I have friends over for dinner I often serve the Caesar salad in that large shallow bowl and then add slices of grilled or sautéed chicken breasts, or grilled salmon pieces going all around the outer edges and everyone loves it. Have fun with this and enjoy!

CAESAR SALAD DRESSING RECIPE:

1 large/2 medium cloves of garlic put thru garlic press
1 egg yolk farm fresh or organic brown eggs ONLY – EGG YOLK OPTIONAL
1 Tbsp Dijon – Grey Poupon or Maille
1 Tsp anchovie paste
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fine blk pepper
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar “seasoned” (this comes original or seasoned …I prefer seasoned)
between 1/3 – 1/2 cup good olive oil
1/4-1/3 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
2 good dashes of your favorite hot sauce (I use Siracha in this recipe)

DIRECTIONS for the CAESAR DRESSING:

In a medium bowl add garlic thru press, anchovie paste, salt, pepper and Dijon
Mash these items together with the back of a spoon to combine and form a paste in a wooden bowl
Transfer paste to a large glass bowl
Add in 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce, dash of Siracha and rice wine vinegar/ lemon juice mixture
Separate egg yolk from white and add to glass bowl and whisk immediately
Then very slowly whisk in olive oil so it emulsifies JUST DRIZZLE IN DROPS AT A TIME or IT WILL NOT EMULSIFY and you will have to start over
Lastly, whisk in 1/3 grated Reggiano Parmesan
Put the dressing into a canning jar for ease and pop it into the frig til you are ready to use
Be sure to take out 30 minutes before you use the dressing so it can come to room temperature
Will be good for a few days in the frig

Directions for Caesar Salad:

Cut ends off of romaine hearts then cut them in half length wise
Wash and spin leaves
Lay the leaves down on paper towels to catch any additional moisture
Put 3 or 4 pieces at a time layered on top of one another and slice into 1/2″ strips
Here you can put the cut romaine pieces into large freezer Ziploc baggies and into the frig til you are ready to assemble the Caesar salad OR
Put into a large shallow bowl, add dressing, and toss
Top with shredded Parmesan and Italian garlic croutons and mangia!

Seafood Stuffed Artichokes

March 17, 2019April 16, 2014 by Michel

Seafood Stuffed Artichokes

Artichokes, any way you cook them are simply a treat because they are a seasonal veggie here on the east coast. 100 percent of all artichokes that are commercially grown in the U.S. come from California where you can pretty much buy them year round. My artichoke recipe is a tasty concoction of shrimp, sea scallops, fresh spinach, mushrooms, onion, garlic, Reggiano Parmesan, bread crumbs, red wine, extra dry vermouth and chicken broth. They are a lot of work granted but it’s not like you make these all the time and once you taste them you’ll want to set aside time in the future to plan for these babies!

The Artichoke is actually a relative of the thistle so if you ever see one fully mature they open into this incredibly gorgeous giant purple flower. That’s where the choke comes in because it’s a cluster of immature florets at the center of the artichoke which is not edible. This hairy-like choke in the center MUST be removed when you stuff them. I show you how to prep the artichokes and scrape out that choke in the photos below. This seafood stuffed artichoke recipe is delicious with my sun-dried tomato aioli sauce for dunking the leaf ends and heart and you can make this aioli dip a couple of days ahead. After these stuffed artichokes you may need a sweets recipe that you can make the day before like pavlova with fresh pineapple and berries, or chocolate-avocado mousse.

Ingredients – Serves 4 People at 1 Stuffed Artichoke Each:

1 recipe of sun-dried tomato aioli sauce
4 large artichokes
3 large sea scallops cut into 1/2″ pieces
10 lg shrimp cut into 1/2″ pieces (about 1/2 lb)
3 strips of Boars Head Bacon
6 button mushroom caps sliced thinly and then chopped
6 oz. fresh spinach leaves coarsely chopped (a handful less than a bag)
1/2 large spanish onion or Vidalia onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves put thru the garlic press
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp red wine (1/4 cup to deglaze onion/mushroom mixture and 2 Tbsp in the stuffing and 1/4 in baking dish with vermouth and chicken broth)
3/4 cup dry vermouth
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tsp salt (1 Tsp for boiling the artichokes)
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

Fill a large bowl with cold water and sliced up lemon
Cut the ends off of the artichokes
Cut 1 1/2 ” off the top
Using your thumbs in the center of the artichoke pull apart as much as you can to loosen the inner layers a little
Insert pointy spoon and begin to dig in to the center removing the purple pointy leaves and keep digging til you reach the hairy choke and then remove all of that too
Rinse the center holes of the artichokes to fully remove any left over choke
Always keep the all the artichokes in the lemon water bowl while working on them (it helps them from not turning too brown)
Pour the whole bowl of lemon water and artichokes into a large pan and add 1 tsp salt
Bring to a boil ( this will take about 15 minutes) and then simmer for 30 minutes
Drain Artichokes and turn them upside down in a baking dish to further drain
Cook up 3 pieces of Boars Head Bacon til crispy, chop and set aside
Sauté the chopped onion, mushrooms caps and garlic cloves put thru press in 2 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 Tbsp butter, and 1/2 Tsp salt til golden about 12-15 minutes
Add in 1/4 cup red wine to de-glaze pan, let reduce for 1 minute
Add in fresh chopped spinach and cover for 2 minutes
Mix spinach with tongs and take sauteed onion/mushroom/spinach mixture off of the stove and put into a fresh bowl to let cool
Wash, dry and chop sea scallops and shrimp to 1/2″ pieces
When onion/mushroom mixture is cooled add in scallops, shrimp, Gruyere, Parmesan, chopped bacon, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper and 2 Tbsp red wine
Mix items gently together
Turn artichoke over in baking dish, drain any water left over at the bottom
Stuff the artichokes with the seafood stuffing making sure to add in to all the layers of leaves going around the artichoke as shown in the photo
When the artichoke is stuffed add in 3/4 cup extra-dry vermouth, 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup red wine to the bottom of the baking dish
Cover the Artichokes with foil and bake for 35 minutes
Take Foil off and bake 5 minutes more
Serve with sun-dried aioli sauce on the side for dipping the leaves and dunking the heart …mangia!

Pasta Sauce 101

October 20, 2022April 7, 2014 by Michel

Pasta Sauce 101

Pasta sauce is such an essential part of any kitchen that I want to share with you my basic pasta sauce that I use for so many things. What I don’t use right away I freeze in small pint-like containers for futures uses. A basic slow cooked pasta sauce can be used for virtually anything from plain pasta’s to lasagna, manicotti, stuffed shells, vodka sauce, sausage and peppers, curry sauces and the list goes on.

When making an authentic slow cooked pasta sauce it’s important that one of the base layers of flavors come from some kind of meat like sausages, pork chops, meatballs or braciole, thin cut flank steaks rolled and stuffed with herbs and parmesan and then sauteed like the sausages. This method is something my family has been doing for generations. I happen to love the homemade fennel sausages from Liuzzi Cheese, an Italian delicatessen located in North Haven, CT. If you haven’t been there yet you really should check it out especially for their homemade cheeses like ricotta, mozzarella, and my favorite scamorza. Scamorza is an Italian cow’s milk cheese similar to mozzarella but dryer and a little saltier with better melting qualities…my kids love it! Liuzzi also has homemade pasta’s and their own delicious line of canned tomatoes and olive oils.

One of the best things about making this sauce is that your kitchen will smell amazing all day long. It would be wise to keep a crusty loaf of Italian or sourdough bread for dunking every now and then…you know, just to check and make sure every thing is going well! An appetizer dish that goes great with pasta and sauce is zucchini torta, baked asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto, baked coconut shrimp,wrapped, smoked salmon with cream cheese-caper spread on crostinis, clam puffs, or how about a roasted beet salad with mint and feta, or a refreshing fennel and citrus salad with tangerine dressing. Then there always dessert to plan for like a fresh fruit pavlova, or chocolate-avocado mousse.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. fennel sausage (your favorite) my favorite is Liuzzi in North Haven, CT
5 28 oz. cans of whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup red wine
3 Tbsp olive oil
6 lg. garlic cloves (crushed)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp black pepper
2 Tsp Italian seasonings (ground in spice grinder)
1/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
3 slices pesto butter log or handful of fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Slice up the sausage links into 3″ pieces
Smash the garlic cloves with a large knife to release the cloves from it’s wrapper
Add 3 Tbsp olive oil and 6 smashed garlic cloves to a large pan (this will be your sauce pan)
Put the heat on low and sauté garlic til lightly golden … This will take about 7-10 minutes
When the garlic is slightly golden remove from pan and set aside
Add in sliced sausage links to the same sauce pan and turn heat up to medium/high
Sauté sausage links turning every 5 minutes or so until they become golden on all sides…this will take about 20-30 minutes
Put the 1/2 of the whole peeled tomatoes into a food processor (this will take 2 rounds with this large can) and then add the golden sauteed garlic cloves
Puree for 40 seconds and add to the sautéed sausages
Add the rest of the whole peeled tomatoes and puree for another 40 seconds and again add to the pot of sauce
Add in the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes to the sauce pan (no need to purée these) and the cup of red wine
Add in all the spices and turn heat to medium to bring to a simmer
Cover the pan, leaving a little opening at the edge to let condensation escape during the cooking process
Turn down right away to low heat and keep a low simmer for 2 1/2 hours
When you take the pan cover off to check on sauce be sure to NOT let all this condensation drip back into the sauce from the inside of the lid
Stir every 45 minutes or so to make sure bottom isn’t burning
Towards the end oil will accumulate from the sausages on the top layer of the sauce so just skim this off with a spoon
Serve and take off stove to let cool
Put into frig or into container for the freezer

Pesto Butter Log

March 18, 2019March 31, 2014 by Michel

Pesto Butter Log

Even though they have been far and few in between having those few warm days has inspired me to bring out one of my spring recipes for fresh basil pesto butter logs which I love because it’s so versatile. Really simple to do and when you combine the pesto and butter to form the log you keep it in the freezer like the Challah bread croutons taking the pesto butter log out to slice off what you need and then back into the freezer. How easy is that? Try a slice of pesto butter on grilled filet mignon served on a bed of perfectly mashed potatoes and red onion, sautéed chicken breast and spinach, on a piece of Sea bass or put a slice of pesto butter inside a turkey or beef burger when you are forming the patty. Cook it on the grill or stove top and when you bite into it lovely garlicky pesto oozes out! Another creative thing to do when you are cooking pasta sauce and you want to add in some basil flavor just throw in a slice from your pesto butter log!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks of a quality butter – room temperature
1 recipe of pesto

Directions:

Make a fresh batch of pesto and combine it with room temperature butter using a spatula
Tear off a large piece of saran wrap and place down going horizontally on a cutting board that will fit in the freezer
Scoop out the combined pesto-butter mixture and place in a 2″ wide line going down the center of the saran wrap… it should be about 12″ long log
Pull up both sides of the saran wrap and this will help round the mound
Fold over the 2 pieces of saran going in the same direction so there isn’t any air in it and begin to roll the pesto log
Pinch the ends, twist and roll again to get a good roll log shape …still holding on to the pinched ends
Place the newly formed log on the cutting board and pop it into the freezer til frozen about 1 1/2 hrs – 2 hrs.
Once the log is frozen you can remove the cutting board and place the log into a Ziploc baggy and back into the freezer
Slice off 1/4″ slices when ever you need and pop the log back into the freezer to keep

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

March 14, 2019February 27, 2014 by Michel

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Usually I make these stuffed peppers with beef but a good friend has me converting to turkey and I am really loving it. I don’t even wish for the flavor of beef in the stuffing because the turkey hold its own! These peppers are juicy, tender and sweet made with sautéed mushrooms, onions, fresh chopped parsley, rice, grated Reggiano Parmesan, pinot noir and a porcini red sauce. My porcini sauce gives this recipe a really nice flavor but if you don’t have time for it you shouldn’t let that stop you from making these savory stuffed peppers. You can buy a favorite store sauce for convenience or use one of your own. I have you slice the mushrooms paper thin here and then cut those in 1/2 and that keeps the flavor delicate and the mushrooms very tender not chewy …. they almost melt into the stuffing when baking. The onions are finely chopped so I love to use my vegetablehand chopper because it saves a ton of time when you are doing all this prep work unless you have a sous chef that is. Now you of course can use any color pepper you like. I like using the green ones because I like the strong flavor they render, but here I went with the pretty colors and the peppers are a little sweeter when you go to the reds, oranges, and yellows. I don’t believe in using “instant rice” ever because it doesn’t have a great texture. Making rice is a simple process …see “TIP” below. These stuffed peppers are a few step process so it’s a good idea to get some of the work done the day before like making the porcini red sauce and the rice. This dish is so worth the effort …. It just may become your go to Sunday dinner and you can even end this delicious dinner with a bang making a quick and easy German pancake recipe or chocolate-avocado mousse!

Ingredients: For Porcini Red Sauce:

1 large can whole peeled tomatoes (I use Sclafani)
4 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 cup water for the porcini mushrooms
1/3 cup pinot noir wine
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp pepper
1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

Put the dried porcini mushrooms in 1/4 cup water and let sit for 1/2 hour.
Sauté 4 large garlic cloves in 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium sauce pan until golden.
Add whole tomatoes and golden garlic cloves to food processor and purée for 1 minute.
Add this back to the pan.
Take the soaked, softened porcini’s out of the water and coarsely chop.
Add the porcini’s and their juice to the sauce pan along with 1/4 cup pinot, salt, pepper and sugar.
Bring to a simmer, lower heat and keep simmering for 1/2 hour.
Remove from the stove and cool.

Ingredients – For Stuffed Peppers – Serves 6 people:

1 lb. ground turkey
6 large bell peppers, 2 red, 2 orange, 2 yellow
2 1/4 cups porcini red sauce (1 c. in the stuffing, 2 1/4 c. in the bottom of baking dish)
1 cup cooked Basmati or Jasmine long grain rice
1 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
1/3 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
8oz. pkg of baby bella brown mushrooms (finely sliced)
1 large spanish onion FINELY chopped
1 1/4 cup pinot noir (1/4 c. for mushroom/onion mixture, 1 c. for baking dish)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp pepper
2 Tbsp live oil (for sautéing)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350º.
Cut 1″ off of the top of the peppers, pull out the centers with your hands and clean out the inside white part of the pepper.
Place into baking dish.
Clean your mushrooms with either a damp paper towel or a mushroom brush … you should NEVER wash your mushrooms or submerse them in water because mushrooms are porous.
Pop out the mushroom stem and finely slice them and then slice that pile in 1/2…don’t need to be neat about it.
Finely chop a large spanish onion…I’m all for using one of those choppers for this!
Add onion and mushrooms to 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté on medium heat for 10 minutes…add 1/4 cup pinot, let evaporate.
Remove from the stove and let cool.
Add Turkey, grated cheese, 1 cup cooled sauce, 1/3 cup pasley, and all of cooled mushroom/onion mixture to a large bowl and gently mix.
Fill the peppers gently with the stuffing, don’t pack it down.
Add the rest of the porcini sauce (approx. 2 1/4 cups), 1 cup pinot, and 1/2 cup boiling water to the bottom of the baking dish.
NOTE: If the porcini sauce was refrigerated you should warm it a little to room temperature so it doesn’t prolong the cooking process of the stuffed peppers.
Sprinkle with a little Parmesan, cover with foil and bake at 350º for 1 hr.
Remove the foil after 1 hour and continue for another 15 minutes at 350º (check the tenderness of the pepper… You don’t want them mushy just tender).
Then up the heat to 400º for another 20 minutes uncovered
Keep an eye on it at this point so the tops don’t blacken too much (everyone’s oven is a little different)
Total cooking time approx. 1 hour/ 35 minutes
Take the peppers out of the oven, cover back up with foil and let them sit for 10 minutes.

TIP: RICE- To make Basmati or Jasmine rice measure 1 cup rice and put into medium pan. Run cold water over rice and drain using your hand to hold back the rice. Then add 2 cups water (1:2 ratio or water level is 1 knuckle over rice), cover and bring to a boil, turn down heat IMMEDIATELY to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep covered letting it sit for another 10 minutes and voilà. Fluff with a fork

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Pesto

November 11, 2022February 13, 2014 by Michel

Pesto

Now there’s making pesto by means of mortar and pestle…..I admit I have spent many a day making it this way, but there’s another way which I will show you here that saves you time and energy which we all seem to run low on by the end of the day. If it’s the weekend and you have some time on your hands then be my guest and knock yourself out with the mortar and pestle. It is truly is a lovely way to make this paste, and useful in so many other ways like grinding spices for instance not to mention being therapeutic. Back to reality, being able to use my food processor to make pesto really is a wonderful thing! The pesto tastes the same and you still put all the love into it using good ingredients. You can play with this recipe also when it comes to amounts like adding a little more Parmesan if it’s too thin or drizzling in a tad more olive oil if it’s too thick. Making pesto is a very forgiving process…. just trust yourself and be sure to taste as you go along to see if you need to add a sprinkle more of salt and or pepper.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. 3.0-3.5 ounces of fresh basil leaves
1/2-3/4 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
1 lg. garlic clove put thru garlic press
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
dash of Tabasco

Directions:

Remove basil leaves from stems and place them into the food processor with the grated garlic, s & p
Begin to pulse while drizzling in all of the olive oil thru the top opening of the food processor
Once you finish adding the oil you may need to stop and scrape the sides with a spatula
Add in the parmesan and pulse once more (this is where you can add a little siracha)
The pesto is ready to use
If you want to save the pesto put it into a plastic container, drizzle about 1 tbsp. of olive oil right on top. Then lay a piece of Saran wrap right on top of the new layer of olive oil so there isn’t any air touching (This will keep the basil from oxidizing and turning brown)
At this point you can either keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or put it into the freezer
When you are ready to use the frozen pesto take it out the night before and let it thaw in the refrigerator
Now that you have this delicous pesto you can easily make the Crostinis with Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto and Roasted Tomato appetizer.

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Easy Pulled Pork Sliders

July 22, 2018February 3, 2014 by Michel

Easy Pulled Pork Sliders

I love my easy pulled pork slider recipe because it works in an oven or in a crock pot! There are so many different versions of pulled pork out there but this one is super easy because we use pork tenderloins instead of a pork shoulder. You just have the moist and delicate meat of the tenderloin pulled apart in seconds and mixed with a homemade BBQ sauce made in mere minutes that’s sweet and tangy!

The Easy Pulled Pork Sliders are made with tenderloins instead of a giant pork shoulder. The reason I love to do this is it’s so darn EASY! The tenderloins are cut in 1/2 then coated with a mixture of light brown sugar, Colemans Dry Mustard, onion & garlic granules, s & P. Placed into a large baking dish with a small 7.5 oz. can of cola poured into the dish. The Coca-Cola helps to keep it moist and gives it a little caramel flavor. It’s baked for 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 hours, cooled and shredded apart. At that time the Bourbon BBQ Sauce has finished simmering and just waiting to be poured of all the pulled pork and warmed thru…YUM!

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins about 2.75 lbs.
1 cup Light brown sugar
1 tsp. garlic granules
1 tsp . onion granules
1 tsp Colemans dry mustard
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups Homemade Bourbon BBQ sauce
1 cup Coca Cola or Root Beer
Green Goddess Sauce
Broccoli Slaw

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 325º
In a medium size bowl whisk together the light brown sugar and all the dry spices
Wash and dry pork tenderloins, cut in 1/2 – across and place in baking dish
Rub the brown sugar mixture all over pork tenderloins
Add 1 cup coke to the baking dish and put into the oven, leave uncovered
Bake tenderloins for 1 1/2 -1 3/4 hour until falling apart
Remove from oven and let pork cool to touch
Begin to pull apart pork in the same bake dish with 2 forks to the desired size
Add the pulled pork tenderloin to a med. size pan and mix with BBQ sauce
Add 1/2 cup BBQ sauce at a time until you have the desired amount for the consistency you want
Pulled pork sliders are incredible with a little crunch from some broccoli slaw
Serve on dinner or Hawaiian rolls w/Broccoli Slaw & a drizzle of my Green Goddess Sauce

FOR PULLED PORK WHILE YOU SLEEP:

INGREDIENTS: NOTE – If you have extra brown sugar/spice mix because you’re making 1 pork butt just store in Ziploc baggie for next time!

14 lbs. (approx 2 6-7 lb.) Boneless Pork Butts
2 cups light brown sugar
1 tbsp garlic granules
1 tbsp onion granules
1 tbsp SMOKED Paprika (Spanish)
1 tbsp Chipotle spices
1 tsp Colemans dry mustard
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp finely ground pepper
1tsp finely ground Italian seasonings
2 cups coke & rootbeer OR 2 coke OR 2 rootbeer
1 lg vidalia onion sliced into 1/2″ slices
1 stalk celery cut up into 3″ pieces

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-Heat oven to 275º
Add all dry spices and sugar to a bowl and mix thoroughly
Place onion and celery pieces in the bottom of a lg 18″ x 13″ x 3″ approx. and place the pork butt(s) on top
Rub brown sugar/spice mix all over pork butt(s) and lay the pork so the fat side is facing up
Cover tightly with foil for 8 hrs. WHILE YOU SLEEP!
In the morning remove from oven and let cool so you can handle the meat
Remove all the fat and place in a bake dish
Skim fat off pan juices and add 1-2 cups of the juice back to pork to desired moistness
Add Homemade BBQ Sauce to desired texture ….enjoy!

Green Goddess Sauce

March 23, 2020February 1, 2014 by Michel

Green Goddess Sauce

I love to make sauces especially this green goddess sauce. Sauces are one of my favorite avenues of cooking and I’m always mixing things up to find the perfect one. The inspiration for this sauce came from a food truck episode on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives a couple of years ago. I have tried since then to find the recipe but cannot so this is one of my versions of a green goddess sauce. I remember her sauce having a mayo base and maybe other herbs. I really like the tang you get from using Greek yogurt in this one. You can use this sauce with so many dishes….fish, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, re-fried beans and the list goes on!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup mayo (I use Hellmans)
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove put thru press
1/2 jalapeño diced
1 tsp. grated vadalia onion ( or yellow onion)
1 tbsp each lime juice, sugar & “seasoned” rice wine vinegar
2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
s & p
dash of Siracha or Tabasco (Siracha is a hot chili sauce sold next to Tabasco at the store)

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients into a blender an purée and you will probably need to stop and stir everything a couple of times to get it going but do not add any more liquid (you will see that once it gets going it will be just right).
When you begin to purée start to drizzle in 2-3 tbsp of olive oil, it will help the sauce to emulsify and become fluffy and smooth
You can make this ahead of time and keep sauce in a plastic container and refrigerate. It stays nicely for days in frig. Yum!
This green sauce is absolutely delicious on so many things …… be creative.
Try it with Sautéed Chicken Breasts and Spinach or on Crock Pot Pulled Pork sandwiches, BBQ Pork Wraps, Sautéed Chilean Sea Bass or as a dip for Baked Coconut Shrimp!

Baked Yukon Potato Fries

April 20, 2015January 30, 2014 by Michel

Baked Yukon Potato Fries

My kids are so picky about eating. They actually love all meat and fish. For example they have been eating lamb lollipops since they were 2 years old and they are 11 and 9 now! Lamb lollipops are a rack of lamb seared and slightly baked, then sliced and served with the bone wrapped in a folded over piece of paper towel for the handle….hence “lollipop”. I have the difficult time of getting them to the vegetables! So when I make these baked fries it makes me really happy to say they love them. I know they’re not greens but they do eat them with ketchup and that’s a vegetable, right? Ok, don’t go there ……I know how much sugar is in ketchup….baby steps ok? These fries are delicious…..you’ll love them too and they are nice and easy. See my Greek Yogurt Remoulade Sauce to dip these yummy fries into!

Ingredients:

4 Med. size Yukon potatoes sliced and pat dry with paper towels
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp onion granules

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 450º.
Slice potatoes in 1/4″ sticks or wedges
Dab with paper towels to dry excess potato moisture (starch) IMMEDIATELY or they will turn brown and layer cut up potato fries in between layers of paper towels while you are cutting
NOTE: if any of the fries do turn brown just quickly rinse and blot dry
Toss all the cut up fries onto a cookie sheet
Drizzle with 1/4 cup olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp garlic, onion and salt
Mixed with hands and then spread out into even layer on cookie sheet
Bake for 35 minutes BUT check at 30 minutes…No need to flip because the bottom gets cripsy….just leave them alone til the end.

Greek Yogurt Remoulade

March 3, 2016January 29, 2014 by Michel

Greek Yogurt Remoulade

Having a homemade gourmet dipping sauce as tasty as this and made with greek yogurt is pretty much a no brainer for me. This sauce has the tang from the yogurt, a little sweet from the ketchup and a nice spice from the fresh garlic and Siracha…..yum. You need to try this sauce with the Baked Yukon Potato F ries recipe. It’s such a nice combination and a change up from plain ketchup! The gourmet remoulade sauce is outrageous on sandwiches too.

You may want to try this on jumbo crab cakes too:

INGREDIENTS:

- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup Hellman’s mayo
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. ketchup (6 tbsp)
- 3 dashes of Siracha – OPTIONAL (Siracha is a hot chili sauce sold next to the Tabasco at the store or what ever your favorite hot sauce is!)
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- 1 lg. garlic clove (put thru press )
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar (I use “seasoned” rice wine vinegar)
- Freshly chopped chives to sprinkle on top of finished remoulade

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk all of the ingredients except the chives in a mixing bowl, then top with chopped chives.