On the previous post I gave you a list of things that make life easier for me when I'm doing pastry work, now here's a few recipes for other basics that are a must in my kitchen.
Oils
For Flavored oils, take a handful of your chosen herb including the stalks and place in a pan with about a pint of olive oil and warm through on a low/moderate heat.When the herb starts to wilt slightly remove from the heat and allow to sit for a good couple of hours. This allows the oil and herb to infuse further while it cools down. Then pour the oil into your chosen container and its ready for use. I use fresh herbs (but you can use dried) which can then be processed to a paste. placed in the fridge and used in sauces/dressings or mix with breadcrumbs to make a coating.
Cajun Spice Mix
2tbsp each of basil, oregano, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
1tbsp each of Thyme and crushed chillies
5tbsp Smoked Paprika (regular is fine if you don't have smoked)
4tbsp Salt
This is a fairly hot mix so reduce the chillies by half to make it milder
Chinese Five Spice Mix
Equal quantities of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fennel seeds and szechuan peppercorns.
place all into a grinder and grind to powder, place into an air tight container. If you don't have a grinder then use the already ground spices but I find these lack the intensity of flavor that you get with grinding your own.
Homemade Basil Pesto
2 handfuls of Basil leaves
1/2 cup of Extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup of pine nuts or walnuts ( leave out for nut-free version)
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano /grana padano or your choice of hard cheese
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped (use roasted garlic for a more subtle flavor)
salt and pepper to taste
In a blender process the basil, pine nuts and garlic. Add the olive oil in a steady stream with the blender running. Scrape down the sides, add the cheese and pulse again til well combined. Season to taste. Pour into a jar or bowl and refrigerate til ready to use.
Making your own pesto means you can adapt the recipe to your own liking, omitting what you don't
like.
To make Red Pesto Sauce add about 1/2cup of chopped sun-dried Tomatoes to the mix
Tomato Sauce
1 med Onion chopped
2 cans Peeled plum tomatoes
2tbsp tomato puree
3-4 cloves garlic chopped
handful of fresh basil stalks, chopped
6 cloves
salt and pepper to season
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp sugar
Fry the onion, garlic and basil stalks in the oil until soft and transparent, meanwhile squash the tomatoes with your hands. Add all the ingredients to the onion mix, leave to simmer until you have a thick sauce. Cool and refrigerate (you can blend the sauce to get a smoother consistency) until required, can last for about a week in the fridge.
I always add a handful of fresh basil leaves just before serving
Homemade Stock
Making your own stock is so easy, that you will never use store bought again. I make my stock on a sunday when I'm making my sunday dinner or when I have a cook day normally about once a month.
You need to start by keeping all your vegetable trimmings and peelings, place into a freezer bag and freeze, as and when you have them. Remember to wash your vegetables before peeling especially things like carrots, potatoes etc. Don't use vegetables that are likely to color your stock i.e beetroot. Keep your herb stalks, peelings from garlic,
Keep trimmings and bones from your Meats, Poultry and Fish, again place into separate bags and freeze. If your meats /fish was frozen before hand then don't refreeze, use to make the stock in the next few days.To get a less fatty and clearer stock you should roast all your trimmings. You can also use the leftover bones from your roast joints,
There are no measurements or ingredients list just fill up a pot with your trimmings add water to cover and leave to simmer on a low/moderate heat for a minimum of 2hrs. Strain to remove the vegetables etc and then double strain. Place back on the heat and reduce by half. I then place this into individual 1/4 cup portions and freeze. They will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer and can be used straight from the freezer.
When using limes, lemons and oranges just for the juice, I always peel them and keep the peels once I have removed the pith. Lemons and limes can be used chopped in breadcrumb crusts, in marinades and dressings. Orange peels can be used in dressings, drinks and sauces.
You can also use all of them as a garnish for a number of desserts.
With these staples in your kitchen you will be able to create quick and easy meals when your pushed for time but will also provide you with unlimited number of possibilities to get more creative.
There is a very long list of other basic recipes that I have and use regularly, however to post them now would take an eternity and give me sore fingers!!!!!! So as I post future recipes I will let you all know, which you can make in advance and the storage procedures.
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