Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens (25 page)

3 thyme stems (save the leaves in the fridge for another day)

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1 cup big red wine (Cabernet or Zinfandel)

2 cups prepared demi glace

1
Preheat oven to 400°. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise, and place skin down on a sheet tray. Drizzle the tomatoes with some olive oil. Put the tray in the oven for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are mostly black. Remove the tray from the oven and set it aside.

2
Place your 1-quart saucepot over medium heat, and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the shallot, garlic, and thyme. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and sweat them to release all their juices. Add the red wine and turn the heat to high, allowing it to reduce to syrup, which should take about 5 to 10 minutes.. Once most of the liquid is gone remove the thyme stems, and add the demi glace.

3
Reduce the heat to medium and add all the tomatoes along with their juices. Stir them gently into the reduction until well combined, which should take about 10 minutes.

4
Puree in your blender. Strain the mixture through your fine strainer, and then season it to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm drizzled around the My Personal Wellington (p. 126) or as a flavorful dipping sauce for bruschetta (p. 28).

Mandarin Orange Sauce

Yields 3 cups

Usually paired with roasted duck in my house, any wild or gamey bird would benefit from this sauce's sweet and tangy goodness. You don't have to worry about breaking this sauce if it gets too hot, so give it a try.

2 cups duck or chicken stock

cup red wine, preferably a Pinot Noir

1 shallot, thinly sliced

6 whole black peppercorns

8 fresh mandarin oranges, juice plus zest

1 tablespoon orange liqueur

½ cup red currant jelly

Sea salt, to taste

1
Place your 1-quart saucepot over high heat, and add stock, red wine, shallot, and peppercorns. Allow this mixture to simmer until it reduces by half, and then strain out the shallot and peppercorns, returning the liquid to the pot.

2
Add the juice and zest from the oranges and the orange liqueur to the reduction, and return the pot to the heat. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the currant jelly. When this comes to a simmer, remove it from the heat, and season to taste with salt. Serve warm with wild roasted birds such as quail or pheasant. You can also baste your Thanksgiving turkey or holiday goose with this sauce in the last 15 minutes of roasting to aide in the browning.

Pretty Peverada Sauce

Yields 4 cups

The ultimate fish sauce, peverada contains every element that any fish has ever cried out for: garlic, anchovy, pork, bread crumbs, parsley, lemon, and cheese. Peverada will stand up to a strong fish like tuna or salmon but will also amplify the mild flavor of fish like halibut or trout. My favorite pairs for this sauce are the intensely rich buttery monkfish or sea bass. Just like my crappy kitchen, a little bit of this goes a long way, so drizzle on just enough to coat the top of the fish.

1 cup olive oil

1½ tablespoon minced garlic

4 anchovy fillets, minced

1. cup minced hard salami, about 6 ounces

¼ cup plain bread crumbs

½ cup Italian parsley

¼ cup lemon zest

1. cup vegetable stock

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1
Place your 1-quart saucepot over medium heat and add the olive oil and garlic, cooking until softened. Add the anchovy, salami, bread crumbs, parsley, and lemon zest. Cook 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and reduce slightly.

2
Remove the pot from the heat and finish the sauce by adding the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Taste the sauce because it won't need much salt, but it will certainly need some black pepper. Serve warm.

Citrus Beurre Blanc Sauce

Yields 1 cup

A traditional beurre blanc sauce is a classic French white sauce made from an acidic reduction and butter. This rendition goes especially well with freshly blanched spring and summer vegetables or as an additional sauce for the Barbequeless Barbequed Salmon (p. 106).

½ cup pineapple juice

½ cup lemon juice

½ cup dry white wine

2 shallots, sliced

1 garlic clove, smashed

¼ cup heavy cream

1 pound unsalted butter

Sea salt, to taste

White pepper, to taste

1
Place your 1-quart saucepot over medium-high heat and add the pineapple juice, lemon juice, and wine. Allow the liquid to simmer and add the shallot and garlic. Let this simmer for 10 to 15 minutes as it reduces to syrup. When only a few tablespoons of liquid remain, whisk in the heavy cream, lower the heat to medium, and continue reducing for 10 more minutes until large bubbles form, at which point the cream has become a syrup.

2
Lower the heat again to medium-low, and begin slowly whisking the reduction to disperse some of the heat. Drop in 1 tablespoon of butter at a time, whisking to integrate each pad of butter; and don't add the next tablespoon of butter until the last is completely incorporated. As you continue to add butter, piece by piece, you'll notice the sauce begin to emulsify and the color will lighten slightly. Once all the butter is incorporated, remove it from the heat.

3
Run it through your strainer to remove the shallot and garlic. Use a heat resistant spatula to push the sauce through your strainer if it needs any help, as this step will make your sauce velvety smooth. Season to taste with sea salt and white pepper. If you need to keep the sauce warm for a significant amount of time before you serve dinner, heat 2 cups of water in a small saucepot over low heat, pour the sauce into a heat resistant bowl, and place the bowl over the warm water. Turn off the burner, and stir occasionally. Serve warm.

Mighty Marinara Sauce

Yields 3 cups

A truly traditional marinara is made with fresh Roma tomatoes at the peak of their season, with the addition of only garlic, sea salt, and maybe fresh herbs. Because juicy ripe tomatoes aren't always available, I make mine with canned plum tomatoes, which are sealed at the height of freshness in their own juices. This recipe makes a wonderful gourmet pasta sauce, and all you need is one crappy pot!

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 shallots, minced

5 garlic cloves, minced

35 ounces crushed plum tomatoes, canned

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Red pepper flakes, to taste

3 tablespoons finely chopped thyme leaves

3 tablespoons finely chopped oregano

1
Place your 12-quart stockpot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic, cooking until softened and lightly browned.

2
Add the can of tomatoes and allow it to come to a boil. Season the sauce to taste with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Lower the heat to low and allow it to cook slowly for 45 minutes. Add the herbs and cook another 5 minutes. Serve warm tossed through or slathered over No-Space Meatballs (p. 34) as an entrée or even as a beautiful warm sandwich.

Spicy Pomodoro Sauce

Yields 3 cups

This utilitarian sauce holds together sheets of lasagna, vegetables, and cheese or serves as the perfect topper for pizza crust. It's quick and easy to make but tastes as though it took all day. Try it as a quick sauce paired with a more labor-intensive dish such as Fried Green Tomatoes (p. 38) or homemade pasta, or whip it up if you're just in a hurry.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ cup chopped shallots

4 garlic cloves, crushed

35 ounces crushed plum tomatoes, canned

2 teaspoons red pepper flake

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1
Place your 12-quart stockpot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the shallots and garlic, cooking until softened and lightly browned.

2
Add the can of tomatoes, allowing it to come to a boil. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, lower the heat to low, and allow it to cook slowly for 20 minutes, stirring often. Add the basil and remove from the heat.

3
Pour the mixture into your blender, and puree the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

I'm a Maniac for
Mexican Mole Sauce

Yields 4 cups

A spicy Mexican sauce, mole usually contains onion, chilies, nuts or seeds, and unsweetened chocolate and is served with meat or poultry. In this recipe, fresh tomato provides color as well as an appealing texture to the sauce, while the chocolate smoothes out any bitterness from the dried chiles and brings depth to the flavor.

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup chopped shallot

4 garlic cloves

½ cup blanched almonds, toasted

4 cups vegetable stock

2 ancho chilies

2 guajillo chilies

4 Roma tomatoes

½ banana

1 cinnamon stick

4 whole cloves

1 ounce Mexican chocolate, chopped

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1
In your 12-quart stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and add the shallots, garlic, and almonds. When the shallots have begun to brown, pour the mixture into your blender. Rinse the pot, and return it to the heat and add the vegetable stock.

2
Add the chilies to the stock and simmer until soft, about 15 minutes. Pour the stock, along with the chiles, into the blender with the shallots, garlic, and almonds. Gently pulse the entire mixture until pureed, then use your strainer to strain the sauce back into the saucepot, and use a heat resistant spatula to push the sauce through your strainer if it needs any help. Place over low heat. Add the tomatoes, banana, cinnamon stick, and cloves to the saucepot, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently. Pour into your blender, pulse gently until smooth, and then strain one last time, just as before.

3
Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with your Mushroom Tamales (p. 138), or make traditional chicken mole by simmering chicken quarters (legs, thighs, and breast still on the bone) in the finished sauce.

Classic Bolognese Sauce

Yields 6 cups

The gourmet trick in this recipe is to use tomato puree instead of crushed tomatoes. The puree not only increases the richness but it also allows the meat to take center stage in the sauce. Try it tossed with fresh pasta first, and then, once you've seen the possibilities, use it tossed with steamed mussels or as the meat sauce for lasagna. Feel free to make a double batch and freeze half into 3-quart-size freezer bags. Lay the bags flat in your freezer to save space and for easy defrosting for Bolognese on demand in your Crappy Little Kitchen. Just pull a bag out of the freezer the night before you'd like to serve it, and the next day it should be thawed enough to be reheated inside a saucepot.