Smoky Spiked Tahini Sauce

1/2 cup tahini
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ – 2/3 cup water (or more for a thinner sauce, if desired)
1/4 tsp (lightly rounded) smoked paprika (see note)
¼ tsp (rounded) sea salt (about 1/4 + 1/8 tsp)
3/4 – 1 1/4 tsp pure maple syrup or agave nectar (or more to taste, see note)

Using a standing blender or an immersion blender and deep cup or jar, puree all the ingredients (starting with 1⁄2 cup of the water, 1⁄4 teaspoon of the paprika, and 3⁄4 teaspoon of the agave) until smooth. Add additional paprika and salt to taste; maple syrup to balance any bitterness, if needed; and water to thin, as desired.

Ingredients 411: I like the amount of smoked paprika at just a lightly rounded 1⁄4 teaspoon, but you can try adding more if you love the flavor. Try 1⁄2 teaspoon and see how it works for you.  I always like a touch of sweetener in tahini sauce to offset the slight bitterness of the tahini. The amount you use depends on personal preference and also the brand of tahini used. Start with 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 teaspoon, and add more if needed.

QUICK TOMATO SAUCE

 

Makes 3 cups, enough for 1 pound of pasta.   Published May 1, 2009.   From Cook's Illustrated.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

To cook this brightly flavored, complex tomato sauce recipe in the time it takes to boil pasta, we chose minimally processed crushed tomatoes, which have a fresh taste but are already pureed. A few ingredients added essential flavor compounds to our tomato sauce recipe. Minced onion sautéed in butter (rather than olive oil) greatly enhanced the flavor of the tomatoes. Adding sugar, garlic, and oregano to the cooked onions further boosted our sauce’s flavor, as did adding chopped basil and olive oil just before serving.

This full-flavored tomato sauce takes only 15 minutes to prepare. High-quality canned tomatoes will make a big difference in this sauce. Our preferred brands of crushed tomatoes are Tuttorosso and Muir Glen. Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater.

INGREDIENTS

• 2tablespoons unsalted butter (or olive oil for vegan)
• 1/4cup grated onion , from 1 medium onion (see note)
• 1/4teaspoon dried oregano
• Table salt
• 2medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (see note)
• 1/4teaspoon sugar
• 2tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve.

New York Style Pizza Sauce

Serious Eats: Recipes

Posted by J. Kenji López-Alt, October 7, 2010

This creates a slightly sweet, intense tomato sauce typical of New York-style slices. It's also good served with pasta. 

Ingredients

(makes enough for 2-4 12-inch pies, depending on how much sauce you like)

active time 15 minutes, total time 2 hours

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 medium cloves garlic, grated on microplane grater (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• pinch red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• 2 six-inch sprigs fresh basil with leaves attached
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and split in half
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Procedures

1. Process tomatoes and their juice through food mill, pulse in food processor until pureed, or puree with hand blender. Puree should not be completely smooth, but should have no chunks larger than 1/16 of an inch. Set tomatoes aside.
2. Combine butter and oil in medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Add garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, and large pinch salt and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil sprigs, onion halves, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to lowest setting (bubbles should barely be breaking the surface), and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by 1/2, about 1 hour. Season to taste with salt. Allow to cool and store in covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Cheese Sauce for Nachos

Note: This cheese sauce is gooey and tangy. For a spicier version, substitute half the cheddar cheese with Pepper Jack and add 2-3 minced pickled jalapeños, or to taste.

To reheat the sauce, microwave it on high heat, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds until it's fully melted.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups), active time 15 minutes, total time 15 minutes


Ingredients

8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese (or a mix of cheddar and pepper Jack—see note), grated on large holes of a box grater
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 teaspoons Franks Red Hot or other hot sauce


Procedures


Add cheese and cornstarch to large bowl. Toss to combine. Transfer to medium saucepan. Add 1 cup evaporated milk and hot sauce. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with whisk until melted, bubbly, and thickened (about 5 minutes). Mixture will look thin and grainy at first but will thicken and come together after heating. Thin to desired consistency with additional evaporated milk. Serve immediately with fries, tortilla chips, burgers, or hot dogs.

Homemade Mayonnaise

The food processor excels at many things, but none more than mayonnaise. Equipped with a smallish work bowl, an egg, a cup of oil, a dash of vinegar or lemon juice and pretty much anything else you can imagine, you can make unbelievable, mind-blowing mayonnaise while you’re washing the dishes.


The basics are below. But before getting to them, I want to share my latest triumph: pesto mayonnaise. I know this sounds like the sandwich spread offered by a casual dining operation but it is precisely a combination of pesto and mayonnaise, spurred by the abundance of basil in my refrigerator.
You start with mayonnaise, as below. With the egg and vinegar in the work bowl, add a big handful of basil — a loosely packed cup, say — a small handful of walnuts (maybe 1/4 cup, maybe 1/3); two medium cloves of garlic and the usual salt and pepper (leave out the mustard). Make the pesto with olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning and eat with fish or poached vegetables, or … as a sandwich spread. Just awesome.
It’s worth noting that any mayonnaise (including store bought) can be seasoned (see this Minimalist column from 2007), or thinned — with warm water (just stir a little into the food processor), cream or sour cream; this will make it saucier.


Yield 1 cup
Time 10 minutes
Adapted From "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman


Ingredients
1 egg yolk or whole egg
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice or sherry or white wine vinegar
1 cup neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, or extra virgin olive oil, or a combination

Method

Put the yolk or egg, mustard, salt, pepper and lemon juice or vinegar in the container of a food processor and turn the machine on. While it's running, add the oil in a slow, steady stream. (Your food processor should have a teeny hole you may never have noticed in the insert -- the "food pusher" -- in the top; if it doesn't, you might want a different food processor.). When an emulsion forms you can add it a little faster. (Again, the little hole makes this unnecessary.) Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Garlic Mayonnaise (Aioli) — Add 2 or more (as many as 8) cloves of garlic, to taste. Oil should be made up of at least half olive oil.

Chile Mayonnaise — Add 1 or 2 dried chilis, like ancho, Thai, or chipotle, soaked in warm water until soft, then drained, patted dry, and stemmed and seeded. (Or use 1 canned chipotle and a little of its adobo sauce.)

Roasted Pepper Mayonnaise — Add 1 roasted red, yellow or orange bell pepper.

Green Sauce, French-Style — Add 1 sprig tarragon, about 10 sprigs of watercress (thick stems removed), 10 chives and the leaves of 5 parsley stems.

Cold Mustard Sauce — Use 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon-style or whole grain mustard. Thin with a tablespoon or two of cream or sour cream to desired consistency.

13 More Ideas for Flavoring Mayonnaise

Add any of the following ingredients, alone or in combination.

1. A pinch of saffron.

2. Up to 1 tablespoon minced strong fresh herb leaves, like rosemary, oregano, tarragon, marjoram, epazote or thyme.

3. Up to 1/4 cup mild fresh herb leaves, like parsley, cilantro, chives, chervil or basil.

4. Up to 1/4 cup minced sweet pickles.

5. 2 tablespoons soy sauce, or to taste.

6. 1 teaspoon wasabi powder, or to taste.

7. 1 teaspoon or more grated citrus zest.

8. At least a teaspoon prepared horseradish.

9. A few dashes of Tabasco, Worcestershire or other prepared sauce.

10. Up to 1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans.

11. 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger.

12. Up to 2 tablespoons chili powder.

13. 2 or 3 anchovies, blended in at the very end; be sure to omit the salt.

Inner Beauty Hot Sauce

From a Q&A in the NYT with Chris Schlesinger


Q. Why can’t we get Inner Beauty Hot Sauce any more? It was my favorite! Can you share a home-brew recipe?

A. For the first time in culinary history, I will release the original recipe for your summer grilling pleasure. Remember to warn your guests. It looks a little like mustard. Recipe will keep two to three weeks in the refrigerator.

1 pint Scotch-bonnet peppers, stemmed and chopped, seeds O.K.
1 cup cheap yellow mustard
1 ripe mango chopped
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon curry
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Purée all ingredients in a food processor.

Perfect Shrimp Cocktail

Note: the stock can be saved and used with risotto, stove top rice, or for braising fish steaks. You can purchase a 5-lb block of frozen shrimp, cut it into smaller pieces, and then place the pieces back in the freezer for later use. If you do not have all of the herbs on hand don't let that stop you. The shrimp will turn out just fine.


1 1/2 lbs extra large shrimp (16-20 count), peeled and deveined (the tail portion of the shell can be left on, if desired) and shells reserved
1 tsp salt
1 cup dry white wine
1 small bay leaf
1 large or two medium shallots, coarsely chopped
6 springs parsley
1 sprig fresh tarragon
6 peppercorns
1 TBSP. fresh lemon juice

1. Bring reserved shells, 4 cups water, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Strain, pressing on the shells to extract all liquid. Meanwhile, place s shallow baking dish or pie plate in the freezer.

2. Place the shrimp stock in a medium saucepan (the diameter should be at least 8 inches) along with the wine, bay leaf, shallots, parsley, tarragon, peppercorns, and lemon juice, and bring to a boil for two minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the shrimp. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes. Drain and place shrimp onto chilled baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled. Serve with cocktail sauce (see below).


Cocktail Sauce

Note: Heinz chili sauce works just fine in this recipe.

1 cup chili sauce
2 1/2 tsp to 1 TBSP prepared horseradish, to taste
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 dashes hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco
Freshly ground pepper

Stir all ingredients together and refrigerate until well chilled. Adjust seasonings and serve with prepared shrimp.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 roasted red pepper (jarred is fine)
1 tsp. garlic (pressed or finely minced)
1/4-1/2 tsp Emerils creole seasoning (https://www.emerils.com/120057/emerils-essence-creole-seasoning)
1/2 tsp. curry powder
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all in a food processor or stick blender and process until smooth. scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Source of recipe unknown