• MINT SIMPLE SYRUP
Rough-chop a bunch of mint combine it with about 2:1 sugar to water mixture in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until the syrup has thickened a bit, stirring now and then, until the sugar is dissolved. Run it through a fine sieve and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
You can make simple syrup with flavoring of almost any herb–basil, rosemary–whatever strikes your fancy.• WALNUT PASTE (from “Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen” by Donna Klein)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 c. flat leaf parsley
2 T olive oil
1 T tomato paste
2-3 large cloves garlic
1/2 t coarse salt, to taste
Blend everything in a food processor until smooth. Enjoy as a vegetable or pasta sauce, dip, spread, or pizza sauce. Use smaller amounts and add water to attain a sauce-like consistency.
• ARUGULA PESTO…WITHOUT THE CHEESE
3 c. arugula leaves (loosely packed)
6 T. pine nuts
2-4 garlic cloves
6 T. olive oil
salt, to taste (start with about 1 t)
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Rough-chop the arugula. Put everything in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Adjust the salt. Use within a couple days or freeze.
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(adapted from Donna Klein’s “The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen”)
• BASIC GUACAMOLE
If you are one of those people who mashes up an avocado and then dumps a jar of salsa in it–stop. It’s an insult to the avocado. Plus, real guacamole is so simple to make and traditionally only requires 3 ingredients: avocados, lemon juice, salt. That’s it. Of course, that is for die-hard purists–if you want to take things up a bit, you can go with 5 ingredients: avocados, onion (or shallot), garlic, lemon (or lime) juice, and salt. And really, the garlic is pushing it.
Slice the onion paper-thin–you want the onion to blend in with the guac and you don’t want to bite into a chunk of raw onion when you eat it–and add it to the avocado (start with maybe 1/4 of a shallot for 2 avocados as you may always add more). Mince a small garlic clove (again, start with a small clove because you can always add more later). Guacamole is about the proportion of its ingredients, so you’ll have to taste and adjust, taste and adjust. Then add your lemon juice (avocado loves lemon, by the way) and salt to taste. This will make a basic, but nevertheless delicious guacamole. Everything else people add is elective and you can spice it up according to taste, adding any one of the following:
-Cilantro, which provides a fresh green taste
-Jalapeno, for a little heat
-Tomatoes, which don’t really do anything for flavor, but add nice shots of color
-Cumin, for some spice
-Worchestershire sauce or hot sauce, which adds a little bit of smokiness
Oh, and for the love of everything holy, please do not add any more oils or fats to your guacamole. No mayonnaise, no sour cream, no olive oil. I envision these traditions originate from the back of a 1960s bottle of Kraft Miracle Whip and such and have just been passed down because “that’s what Mom did.” But you’re a grown-up now; act like it, gosh darn it.
• CLASSIC CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
1 cup of packed Italian/flat-leaf parsley (remove thick stems)
4 garlic cloves
• SHALLOT SAUCE
Shallots, like garlic, are the sort of thing that you can throw anywhere, so there are a million recipes involving them. However, this sauce from The Splendid Table is divine. They have relegated to an accompaniment for roasted asparagus–which is unbelievably delicious–but this can be thrown on fish, broccoli, artichoke…Or licked joyfully off one’s fingers, as I do.
1 medium shallot, minced
1/2 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 T red, white wine, or cider vinegar
s+p
2 t coarse dark mustard
5 T heavy whipping cream
Blend the shallot and vinegars with s+p to tate. Mix in the mustard and heavy cream. Adjust the seasonings and enjoy.
(from Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift’s The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper)
• CHIVE PUREE
This is a basic puree that’s essentially a pesto, using chives. It will yield something pretty pungent, but the taste mellows a bit when mixed in or eaten with other foods. Might require more salt when you taste it.
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Combine equal parts chopped chives and olive oil in a blender (use 1/4-1/2 c. each) with about 1/8-1/4 t. salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. This will make roughly 1/2 c. puree.
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You can use this puree on top of pasta (adds a fresh kick to whole wheat spaghetti tossed with butter and sauteed mushrooms), in plain yogurt to make a dip, or to make your baked potatoes a little fancier. It can also make a nice sauce to a strong meat like lamb.
• TARRAGON CREAM
The French use tarragon, oh everywhere, but especially on fish. This is a great sauce for salmon or tuna, or you can thin it with water for a salad dressing.
1/2 c. double (heavy) cream
1 T. cider vinegar
1/2 t. fresh lemon juice
s+p
1 T. fresh tarragon, minced
Pour the cream into a bowl and whisk in the extra ingredients. Whisk to combine and set aside. The cream will thicken and curdle in 4-5 minutes.
Serves 2
From Williams Sonoma
• PANIOLO MACADAMIA NUT DIP
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T. milk
1 (2 1/2 oz jar) dried chipped beef, shredded
1/3 c. finely chopped green pepper
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 t. onion flakes
2-3 t. horseradish
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. chopped macadamia nuts
2 t. butter
Preheat the oven to 350. Blend the cream cheese with the milk. Add the beef, green pepper, seasonings, onion flakes, and horseradish. Fold in sour cream. Spoon into a shallow baking dish. In a small frying pan, glaze nuts in butter. Sprinkle over cream cheese. Bake 20 minutes and then serve with crackers.
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From The Honolulu Junior League’s A Taste of Aloha
• PAPAYA MANGO SALSA
This is a great salsa for eating with chips, wrapped in lettuce or in salad, or with chicken and fish. Or with a spoon. You may also choose to add avocado with a little lemon or lime.
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3 T. sugar
1 1/2 T. vinegar (red wine, cider, balsamic recommended)
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of cumin
1 medium papaya; seeded, peeled, & diced
1 c. mango; seeded, peeled, & diced
1/2 small red onion; diced
3 T. red bell pepper, diced
2 T. cilantro, chopped
Mix vinegar, chili, and cumin with the sugar until sugar dissolves. Fold in the other ingredients.
Serves 6
From Jean Watanabe Hee’s Hawaii’s Best Local Dishes
• KIWI CILANTRO CHUTNEY
Admittedly, this recipe will taste more strongly of cilantro, but I was just so excited to find a recipe that used kiwi for something other than fruit salad or a drink. The recipe recommends this chutney for mahi mahi, but it makes a wonderfully easy and fresh sauce for any firm, lean fish, so you can substitute swordfish, tuna, or catfish.
1 c. packed chopped cilantro
1 lg. kiwi, peeled & cubed
1/4 c. unsweetened coconut milk
1 lg. garlic clove, minced
2 t. jalapeno pepper, minced
2 6-7 oz mahi mahi filets
ground cumin
s+p
olive oil
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a blender. Adjust to taste with s+p. Sprinkle the filets on both sides with s+p and cumin. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook the filets for 3-5 minutes per sides or until opaque. Transfer to plates and top with the chutney.
Serves 2
From Bon Appetit
• TZATZIKI SAUCE
One of my favorite dips, especially when eating hot stuff, is tzatziki–a cool, herbed cucumber dip, perfect for accompanying a summer barbecue. Recipes for tzatziki abound; this one is from Martha.
3 med cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1/2 in.
chunks
2 t. salt
2 c. plain yogurt (I like Greek)
2 t. minced garlic
2 T. dill, finely chopped
1 T. fresh mint, chopped
1 T. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
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1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/2 sm. green bell pepper, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 c.)
1-2 green jalapeno peppers or serrano chilies, seeded
1 scallion, white and green parts, coarsely chopped
1 t. grated fresh ginger
salt (to taste)
1 packed c. cilantro sprigs with short stems
1 packed c. fresh mint leaves (spearmint is recommended)
Puree the yogurt, green pepper, chilies, scallion, and ginger in a blender. Add 1/2 t. of salt, the cilantro, and the mint and puree until smooth. Add salt to taste.
2-3 med. cloves garlic, sliced
3 c. chickpeas (2 15.5oz cans, rinsed and well-drained)
6 T tahini
6 T fresh lemon juice
3/4-1 t salt (to taste)
a large handful of parsley*
2 scallions, sliced*
Place the garlic, parsley, and scallions in a food processor or blender and mince. Add the chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and salt, and puree to a thick paste. Season to taste.
*I always made my hummus with only chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, garlic and salt. The parsley and scallion appears to be Katzen’s variation, but it’s good. You can also add a bit of cayenne or cumin to spice things up further
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2. TAHINI-LEMON SAUCE
You can thin this down for salad dressing or keep it thick as a dip.
3/4 c. tahini
5 T fresh lemon juice
1 sm.-med. clove garlic
3/4-1/2 c. water (depending on desired thickness)
1/2-1 t. salt (to taste)
a handful of very finely minced parsley
optional: cayenne, to taste
Place tahini, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor fitted with the steel blade (or blender). Begin to process. Keeping the motor running, slowly drizzle in the water until you get to your desired thickness. Turn off the machine, transfer to a small bowl or container, and season to taste with salt, parsley, and, if desired, cayenne. Cover and refrigerate.
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BABA GANOUJ (eggplant dip)
olive oil
1 med. (7in) eggplant
2 med. cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. tahini
1/2 t. salt
black pepper & cayenne, to taste
olive oil (for garnish)
freshly minced parsley (for garnish)
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise, and place face-down on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until very tender. Cool until it’s comfortable enough to handle.
Scoop out the eggplant pulp and discard the skin. Place the pulp in a food processor or blender, and add the garlic, lemon juice, tahini, and salt. Puree until smooth (you can also mash by hand which will make the baba ganouj chunky). When you are ready to serve, drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle minced parsley before serving. Serve with crackers.
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All from Mollie Katzen’s The Moosewood Cookbook, one of the awesomest vegetarian cookbooks of all time.
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1 1/3 c. good-quality pitted black olives (Nicoise, Gaeta, or kalamata)
1/4 c. drained capers
2 T olive oil
1 T brandy (optional)
2 lg. cloves garlic, chopped
1 t. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. herbes de Provence (or 1/2 t. dried rosemary)
black pepper (to taste)
Combine the olives, capers, oil, brandy (if using), garlic, mustard, herbes de Provence, and pepper to taste in a food processor fitted with the metal blade or in a blender. Process or blend just until a coarse-textured paste is formed. Serve at room temperature, acommpanied with toasted baguette.
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Makes about 1 1/2 cups (or 6-8 servings)
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1 1/2 plums, pitted and chopped
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. honey
2 T. blueberry juice (optional)
Cook the plums, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, honey, and blueberry juice in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the plums are soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the sauce to the saucepan and simmer until reduced and thickened to the consistency of apple butter, about 5 more minutes.
[...] RECIPE: Black Olive Tapenade [...]