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Sauces, Spreads, & Dips

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Basic Tomato Sauce to Freeze for Winter

This simple tomato sauce is indispensable during those cold winter months, when you want an authentic taste of warmer weather. Seeded organic tomatoes are roughly chopped and slowly cooked down into a luxurious sauce. Make it simply with olive oil and garlic now; you can always add more ingredients if you feel like it in the winter.

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October 3, 2007   |   0 comments
Tags: Food Preservation, Local, Sauces, Spreads, & Dips
Recipe
Shiso Salsa Cruda

Salsa Cruda is literally, "Raw Salsa".  This is a very simple salsa to make, involving very few ingredients.  The use of Shiso came about by accident, when we realized that we had every herb in the kitchen, minus cilantro.  Instead of wasting, we decided to throw in the shiso and see what it would be like.  We immediatly fell in love with the combination.  We find this salsa cruda to be very versatile, as it is perfect over salad, beans, rice, and of course, with chips.   You can make this 100% local as well, since many domestic farms now produce tomatillos and spicy peppers.

Ingredients:

12 tomatillos, husked (soak in warm water and then remove husk) 

1-2 serranos (roughly chopped)

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup shiso leaves (also known as sesame and perilla) (or cilantro of course!), roughly chopped

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

 

To make the salsa, simple blend all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor.  It is a good idea to roughly chop everything before hand, so that the blade can catch everything evenly. Makes about 2 cups. This salsa can stay in the fridge for about 1- 1/2 weeks. 

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August 12, 2010   |   2 comments
Tags: Antioxidant, Chiles, Condiments, Healthy, Latin America, Local, Mexican, Sauces, Spreads, & Dips
Recipe
Sauteed Grapes with Rosemary & Garlic

1 cup red grapes
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

Prepare the grapes by slicing them in half.
Heat up the olive oil in a saute pan, and add the garlic.
When the oil is nice and hot, add the grapes and saute briefly for about 1 minute. Reduce the heat and add in the rosemary.
Stir.
When the cut sides of the grapes are slightly brown and the grapes have cooked in their own juices a little, you can turn off the heat and add them to your desired recipe.

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October 11, 2009   |   1 comments
Tags: Fall, Healthy, Local, Sauces, Spreads, & Dips, Vegan, Vegetarian
Recipe
Sweet Tomatillo Sauce for Cakes

Our friend Adolfo suggested this recipe, as he compared the tartness of tomatillos to the tartness of plums. He is right- tomatillos can be easily swayed to the sweet side with just a touch of sugar. This sauce goes perfectly over a sweet corn cake with cape gooseberries as a garnish.

1 tablespoon butter
2 cups tomatillos, husked and roughly chopped
1 sprig of basil, rinsed
½ cup sugar

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped tomatillos and a few spoonfuls of water. Bring to a simmer and add the sugar. Cook over medium high heat and crush with a wooden spoon. Add the basil sprig, leaves and all, and keep cooking until the tomatillo is soft and cooked through, but not dry. Remove the basil, transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to the heat and keep warm until ready to serve.

This sweet tomatillo sauce is fun for kids, because of its green color. They will be pleasantly surprised by the sweet and sour taste of the tomatillos cooked with sugar.
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October 4, 2009   |   1 comments
Tags: Desserts, Mexican, Sauces, Spreads, & Dips
Recipe
Summer Peach Salsa

Peaches are a great texture to include in Latin recipes in the summer, as their texture is a good substitution for mango. And although they are sweet, they have a nice acidity that makes them go well in savory recipes also. The juices of the peaches and vegetables in this salsa mix together with the vinegar and oil to create a delicious mixture that is irresistible. We love this on grilled fish, with chips, or alongside quesadillas. It is best made 100% local.

Ingredients:
2 ripe peaches, medium dice
¼ cup cucumber, peeled, medium dice
¼ cup red onion, small dice
2 spring onions (white and pale green parts), thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, medium dice
1 tsp. jalapeno pepper, minced
Small handful of fresh herbs such as mint, cilantro, and parsley
Rice Wine Vinegar
Splash of Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Toss all of the peach, tomato, cucumber, onion, chile, and herbs together in a bowl. Pour in the vinegar and oil, and season to taste with salt.
Makes about 2 cups.
Fun additions: halved ground cherries, scallions, colorful bell peppers, and mint!

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August 12, 2009   |   1 comments
Tags: Latin America, Local, Mexican, Sauces, Spreads, & Dips, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian
Recipe
Avocado, Cannellini & Preserved Lemon Dip

1 Hass avocado, halved, pitted and skin removed
2 cans cannelini beans (14 ounces each), drained and rinsed
1 preserved lemon, roughly chopped
2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
2 sprigs of mint, thinly sliced
Good pinch of cumin
Good pinch of paprika
Salt to taste

Blend together the cannelini beans, avocado, and preserved lemon in a food processor. Add the olive oil to keep the mixture going in the machine. Add the herbs and spices and process a bit more. Taste it for salt. You can add a tablespoon of water if it needs to be smoother. You can also add a teaspoon or so of the preserved lemon juice for more of that distinctive pickled flavor.
Makes about 2 cups.

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August 3, 2009   |   1 comments
Tags: Appetizers, Avocado, Beans & Legumes, Mediterranean, Meze & Small Plates, Middle East and North Africa, Sauces, Spreads, & Dips
Recipe
Homemade Harissa (Moroccan Spice Paste)

You can use a variety of dried chiles for this recipe. The proportions of chile and spice is totally up to you. In Morocco, every family has their own version of this spice paste. The roasted red pepper adds a sweetness that tames this one down a little bit.
You can also purchase Harissa from Alili, a purveyor of Moroccan products.

3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 Ancho Chiles
3 New Mexico Chiles
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and deseeded
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
1 ½ teaspoons coriander
pinch cinnamon
pinch ground mace
Lemon zest and juice (Optional)

Lightly toast the chiles in a dry skillet, transfer to a bowl, and cover with very hot water.
When they are soft and tender, drain them of the soaking liquid and remove their stems. Roughly chop them.
In a food processor, mince the garlic. Add the roughly chopped chiles and salt and continue to process.
Roughly chop the bell pepper and add to the mixture. Pour in the olive oil to keep the mixture moving.
Add the spices, lemon zest, and juice, and process until the mixture is smooth.

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August 3, 2009   |   0 comments
Tags: Chiles, Condiments, Healthy, Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa, Sauces, Spreads, & Dips, Vegetarian
Recipe
MaROC the Guac

The addition of preserved lemons to a classic guacamole gives this dip a surprising kick!

1 preserved lemon, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon lemon brine
2 large hass avocados, pitted
½ lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
1 sprig mint, roughly chopped
Pinch of smoked paprika

Pulse all of the ingredients in a food processor, until all of the ingredients are combined but not completely smooth. Makes about 2 cups.

So, preserved lemons and avocado end up being a match made in heaven; the tangy pungency of the preserved lemons is the perfect compliment to the creaminess of the avocado. This is a dip that people can simply not stop eating... so go ahead, MaROC that guac!
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July 25, 2009   |   2 comments
Tags: Appetizers, Avocado, Condiments, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, Sauces, Spreads, & Dips
Recipe
Peach Dipping Sauce

This is a simple sauce made with fresh juicy peaches. We use it for our Vietnamese Summer Rolls, but you can also use it for shrimp and other fish dishes in the summer. It goes really well with smooth avocado!

2 peaches, pitted and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Blend the ingredients together in a blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

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July 8, 2009   |   0 comments
Tags: Sauces, Spreads, & Dips, South East Asia, Summer, Vegetarian
Recipe
Chocolate, Chipotle & Tomatillo Salsa

This salsa is a step up from a basic roasted tomatillo salsa, but much simpler than mole. You can find Mexican drinking chocolate in the international sections of grocery stores. The heat comes from the chipotle en adobo sauce, so if you would like less, just use the 1 teaspoon adobo sauce.

Olive oil
½ cup white onion, medium dice
10-12 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and roughly chopped
2 cloves roasted garlic
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 chipotle en adobo + 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
3 pieces Mexican drinking chocolate bars
1 small handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
salt

Heat up 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium sized sauté pan. Add the onion and sauté until translucent and lightly browned. Add the tomatillos, along with a large pinch of salt, and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the tomatillos are soft and cooked through.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Blend the onion and tomatillo with the remaining ingredients until completely combined.
Pour back into the sauté pan to keep warm.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

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June 27, 2009   |   2 comments
Tags: Mexican, Sauces, Spreads, & Dips, Vegetarian