Pine Lime Pork with Coconut

Actually, this sauce is delicious with pork, chicken, fish or tofu. Pan fry the protein, and serve this over the top.

2 tblspn coconut oil

2 thick slices fresh pineapple, cut into 1cm pieces

½ white onion cut into 6 wedges

1cm ginger, julienned

1 small cucumber, cut into 1cm pieces

Juice 1 lime

1-2 tblspns sugar

1/3 cup coconut cream

4 kaffir lime leaves, very finely shredded.

½ cup mint and/or coriander, coarsley chopped.

Heat oil over medium heat and fry pineapple until it looks cooked.

Sprinkle with salt and sugar, raise heat and fry, stirring occasionally, until pineapple is caramelised.

Remove pineapple, leaving remaining oil.

Add onion with ½ cup water and  a pinch of salt. Continue to cook over high heat until water is evaporated and onion is nearly cooked. Add ginger and continue to cook until onion is finished cooking.

Continue cooking on high heat, add coconut cream and kaffir lime leaves. Simmer a minute or two until thickened slightly.

Add pineapple, cucumber, mint and coriander. Heat briefly.

Pour over pan fried chicken, pork, fish or tofu.

Sauce base from America's Test Kitchen

1 small onion, roughly, chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
250g mushrooms, halved
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
250g minced beef
1 tablespoon tomato paste
500mls red wine
1 litre beef broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 packages unflavored powdered gelatin (5 teaspoons)
Method
Process onion, carrot, mushrooms, and garlic in food processor into 1/8-inch pieces, 10 to 12 one-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until simmering; add beef and tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until beef is well browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add vegetable mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until any released moisture has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
Add wine and bring to simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits.
Add beef broth, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns; bring to boil.
Reduce heat and gently boil, occasionally scraping bottom and sides of pot, skimming fat from surface, until reduced to 2 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.
Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over small saucepan, pressing on solids with rubber spatula to extra as much liquid as possible (you should have about 1 cup stock).
Sprinkle gelatin over stock and stir to dissolve.
Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring stock to boil. Gently boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/2 cup, 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from heat and cover to keep warm. (Leftovers can be frozen for up to a month.)

Naomi's Favourite BBQ Sauce

1 onion finely chopped and fried with 

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup passata

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup rice malt syrup

2tbsp vinegar

1tbsp smoked paprika

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Finely chop onion and fry until softened, about 5 mins

Add 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped and fry until fragrant, 1 minute

Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes

Romesco

2 red onions

2 capsicums

4 tomatoes

4 tablespoons olive oil

40g ground almonds, (toasted optional)

2 cloves garlic

2 slices sandwich bread

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Vegetables after roasting. Some of the tomatoes have been peeled.

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Peel onions and cut in half.

Cut core out of tomato and cut in half.

Place onions, tomatoes and whole capsicums onto baking tray lined with baking  paper.

Put into oven at 250 C for 30 mins, or until cooked and charred.

Lift skins off tomatoes, remove cores from capsicum and peel.

Place all ingredients in food processor and process.

Check seasoning for salt and vinegar. Add more if necessary.

Serve as a sauce for meats, or as a dip.

Lemon Butter in the Microwave

·      200g caster sugar

3 eggs

250 ml fresh lemon juice

100g unsalted butter, melted

Zest of a lemon or two (optional)

Pour boiling water into glass jars to sterilise them.

In a microwave bowl, whisk together the melted butter, caster sugar and eggs until smooth. Stir in lemon juice.

Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.

Remove from the microwave, and pour into small sterilised jam jars. Store for up to three weeks in the fridge.

Salad Dressing - adapted from Neil Perry

This recipe is delicious and is worth doubling or even quadrupling!

2 coriander roots, washed and scraped

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons palm sugar

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

120ml grapeseed oil (Neil Perry uses best-quality extra virgin olive oil)

Crush the coriander roots, garlic and salt to a fine paste with a mortar and pestle.

Place the palm sugar with a splash of water in a small saucepan over low heat and cook for 5 minutes or until it becomes syrupy.

Add the sherry vinegar, and cook for 2 minutes, allow to cool.

Add the red wine vinegar, coriander paste and whisk in the oil.

Taste and maybe add a little more salt.

Whole Cauliflower

For me this dish ticks all the boxes. It's delicious, cheap, has stunning presentation and is healthy.

Method

Microwave a whole cauliflower covered on high for about 5 minutes. Stand for a further 2 or 3 minutes.
Place in a heated serving dish and cover with pesto, either bottled or homemade.

Homemade Pesto

• 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in a dry frypan for 4 to 5 minutes

• 4 medium cloves of garlic, toasted in their skin for 7 minutes in the same frypan as the pinenuts 

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves

• 1/4 cup of flat leaf parsley

• 100mls extra virgin olive oil, salt (to taste)

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

• 1/2 tspn salt

• Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Cranberry Sauce

500g fresh cranberries, washed and dried

500g granulated sugar

2 tablespoons port

1 cinnamon stick

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 orange, zested and juiced

In a medium pot, combine all ingredients and simmer with lid off for 10 mins.

Some of the cranberries will burst and some will remain whole.

Allow to cool before serving.

Ham Jam

This is an amazing sauce for ham.

1 bottle redcurrant jelly
1 bottle St Dalfour cherry jam

½ bottle St Dalfour marmalade

¼c ham stock, optional (left over from glazing the ham)

2t seeded mustard

1t hot English mustard

1t grated ginger

Cloves and cinnamon to taste

2T brown sugar

Mix together mustards, stock, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Heat to release flavours.

Add redcurrant jelly and warm to melt. This takes longer to melt than the jam and marmalade.

Add jam and marmalade.

Warm to melt together. 

Wasabi Lime Dressing

This is so simple, yet so delicious. Serve with fish - raw or cooked.

Combine
1/2 teaspoon wasabi
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon mirin
Salt to taste

Tomato Sauce with Anchovies and Thyme

(Anchovies are high in ‘umami’, the Japanese savory taste. They don’t leave a fish taste, but deepen the flavour of the sauce.)

Chop 1 onion

Boil on high with

½ t salt

1T olive oil

1t brown sugar

Boiling water to cover

When water has evaporated turn heat to medium/low and cook until slightly coloured, stirring often.

(This is a quick, low fat way of frying onions. Alternatively cook on low for 30 mins without water.)

Add

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 anchovies, whole (they disintegrate in the sauce)

Small pinch thyme

1 cup passata, or tin of crushed tomatoes

Simmer uncovered until thick

Satay Sauce

Fry 1 chopped onion until brown.
Add  
3 cloves garlic chopped coarsly
1 tbspn Thai red curry paste (preferably Mae Ploy brand)
150g peanut butter
2 tbspns fish sauce
6 tbspns brown sugar
Juice 1/2 lemon
1 cup water

Simmer together for 10 mins until the starch in the peanut butter thickens the sauce.

Taste and adjust flavour to your liking with extra salt, sugar, chilli or lemon juice.

Tamarind Sauce for Chicken

This sauce is delicious served with steamed or fried chicken.

First make the tamarind water.
Pour 100 mls water over 1 tablespoon (30g) tamarind from a block. Leave to soak then strain, pushing down on the tamarind to extract as much flavour as possible.

Fry 1 diced onion until brown
6 thin slices ginger, shredded

Add tamarind water
2 tablespoons kecap manis
½ teaspoon bottled chilli (or to taste).I use Masterfoods, but you could also use fresh.

Simmer a few minutes to combine the flavours, then serve over chicken.

Kobe Jones Imitation Sauce

Miso 40 grams
Sugar 40 grams
Cupie 60 grams
Sour cream 100 grams
Mirin 20 grams
Cream 60 grams
Egg yolks to thicken 2
¼ packet bonito flavoured seasoning
Pinch hot english mustard powder

Mix all together well and heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly, until thickened. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Some ideas for using this sauce

Toss through lobster or scallops. Place on top of avocado tossed with lemon, olive oil and salt.
Slice and cook mushrooms. Add uncooked sauce to hot mushrooms and heat until thickened. Serve over soba noodles.

Spoon a little over oysters in the shell, and brown briefly under a hot grill.

See also Chicken in Honey Mustard Sauce adapted from Cook's Illustrated 

http://shannonfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/07/chicken-with-honey-mustard-sauce-based.html

Granny's Caramel Sauce

Combine in a saucepan

1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons butter

Melt together, then add
1 cup cream.

Granny's Mayonnaise

1 tin condensed milk
2 eggs
1teaspoon dry mustard or hot English mustard.
Salt and Pepper
½ c vinegar
1 c oil (not olive oil)
Process first four ingredients in food processor
Add vinegar
Pour oil in slowly