Jalapeño BBQ Sauce

Another BBQ sauce recipe? Yes, I've posted sauce recipes before, but I'm always trying new variations. Adding jalapeños changes it enough for the better that I had to share! -Jake

Ingredients
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 tomato sauce can cider vinegar (yes, measure the vinegar in the tomato sauce can)
1 small can diced jalapeños
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Put tomatoes, sauce, vinegar, jalapeños, and garlic in a blender and purée together*. Place in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Once it starts bubbling, reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

* You can use an immersion blender and purée the ingredients directly in the saucepan if you would like.

Super Simple Enchilada Sauce

So last time, I gave a quick and easy recipe for enchiladas. But what if you don't have enchilada sauce? Well here you go!

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (14 ounces) plain tomato sauce
• 1 jar (16 ounces) salsa or picante sauce (thinner varieties are better here)
• 3-5 canned chipotle chilis with adobo sauce (1/3 to 1/2 a can). Warning - these are hot! Go easy if your palette is tender.

Directions

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If you roasted/stewed any meat for your enchiladas and there is drippings or juices left behind, add them as well!

Quick and Easy Pizza Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 can (14 ounce) diced tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  
• 1-3 garlic cloves
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
Since most food processors won't mince garlic very well, you should mince or press the garlic first. Then add everything to a food processor and pulse until everything is incorporated, leaving the tomatoes slightly chunky.

Popover w/ Lemon Chicken Sauce

Popovers are an interesting pastry. They're not leavened by yeast or chemicals, but by water evaporating into steam, so it's important to put them into a very hot oven so they poof up right. That poofiness makes for a large cavity that is great to fill with both sweet and savory sauces. In addition to the way described here, you could also pour the batter into a popover pan to make individual servings.

Ingredients

Popover

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup milk
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  

Filling

• 1 tablespoon butter
  
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup green beans, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
• 12 oz chopped cooked chicken breast
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
  
• 2 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

Popover:
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Put 2 tablespoons butter in a 9x9 glass baking dish and let it melt in the hot oven. Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter and add to a blender bowl with milk, eggs, and salt. Blend for 30 seconds on high until well combined and frothy. Carefully add flour. Blend on low for 30-60 seconds, just until there are no lumps left (over-mixing the flour will make for bad popovers). Pull the baking dish from the oven and swirl around so the butter coats the bottom. Pour in the batter and return to oven. Bake for 20 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until poofy and golden brown.

Filling:
Melt the butter in a large skillet on low heat. Sweat the carrots, onion, bell pepper, and green beans with a heavy pinch of salt for 10 minutes, or until the veggies are softened. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 minutes until cheese is melted and the sauce is completely mixed. Pour filling on top of popover, cut into wedges, and serve.

Soy Dressing (and salad)

We had egg rolls for dinner the other night (just frozen ones cooked in the oven - shocking!) and we wanted a salad. Michelle made a lovely salad with lettuce, carrots, sesame seeds, mandarin oranges, and chow mein noodles. However, we needed dressing for the salad and a dipping sauce for the egg rolls. I did a little thinking and came up with a single recipe that worked for both!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sushi vinegar (or 1/4 cup plain rice vinegar plus 1 tablespoon sugar)
• 1/4 cup salad oil (soybean, peanut, or canola oils work well - not olive oil)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 jerks Worcestershire sauce (about 1/2 teaspoon)
  

Directions

Wisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl until well combined. Drizzle over salad or use as a dipping sauce for egg rolls, pot stickers, sashimi, etc. You could also use it as a marinade for chicken or beef stir-fry.

Jalepeno Burger Surprise

The surprise is that the jalapenos are cooked right into the hamburger patties. This makes the heat more low-level and subtle than stacking the chiles on top. Also, as long as we're mixing in jalapenos, we might as well add some other ingredients as well, just to make things extra-flavorful.

Ingredients

• 24 ounces hamburger meat (I like a 50/50 mix of ground chuck and sirloin)
• 2-4 small jalapeno chiles, roughly cut into large pieces (remove the ribs if you want less heat) - you could use more powerful chiles to your liking if you want it hotter (such as Serrano, Thai, or birds-eye)
  
• 1/2 small onion, cut into wedges
• 1-2 cloves garlic
  
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tablespoon cumin
  
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chipotle chile powder
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (really!)
  

Directions

Put the jalapeno, onion, and garlic in the food processor. Chop in one-second pulses until a fine mince is formed (do not over-process, or it will turn to mush). In a large bowl, gently mix the jalapeno mixture with the remaining ingredients - your hands (with vinyl or latex gloves) are the best tool to mix thoroughly while avoiding over-mashed beef. Form into 6 patties and grill for 4-5 minutes, flipping once. Serve with normal burger fixings (including Monterrey Jack cheese added for ), also possibly including the recipe below!

Bonus Recipe - Chipotle Ketchup!

Place 2 cups ketchup (I like Hunts), 1 canned chipotle pepper and 1 teaspoon (up to 1 tablespoon if you like the heat!) of the adobo sauce from the can in a blender. Mix on high power for 10-20 seconds, or until smooth.

Sun-Dried Tomato & Meat Sauce

I've adapted this recipe from one I recently saw on PBS' America's Test Kitchen. I used sun-dried tomatoes because they add a really nice richness. I also personally can't make an Italian-style sauce without basil, so I added that as well. The bread & milk mixture is called a panade and it's frequently used to coat meat fibers with starch to protect them from overcooking. That, combined with the fact that you don't brown the meat before simmering it, makes for a very tender texture. Once you try this, you'll never want to go back to canned sauce again. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 5 days, and you can freeze it for a couple of months (great for a saturday afternoon when you've got extra time to make some for a rainy day).

Ingredients

• 4 ounces mushrooms (white, cremini, or shitake), cleaned, stemmed and minced as fine as possible (or pulsed in a food processor)
• 1 large slice white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
  
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  
• 1 pound ground beef, 85% lean (avoid using ground round if possible), if using frozen beef, make sure it is completely thawed
• 1 tablespoon plain olive oil
• 1 large onion, minced
  
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, minced fine (if using oil-packed tomatoes, drain and rinse well)
• 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained with the liquid reserved
• 1 tablespoon each fresh basil and oregano, minced (or use 1/2 teaspoon each of dried herbs)
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• balsamic vinegar (optional)
  

Directions

In a small bowl, mash together milk and bread with a fork until a paste is made. Mix bread paste, salt, pepper, and beef together in a medium bowl until well combined (your hands are the best tool for this, but you could also use an electric mixer, just make sure not to over-work the meat).

Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan (I use a big stir-fry skillet) over medium-high heat until the oil just starts to smoke. Saute onions and mushrooms with a large pinch of kosher salt, stirring frequently, until onion is mostly browned and a fond (stuck-on brown bits) has started to form on the bottom of the pan. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for a another minute. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, stirring frequently until the garlic becomes fragrant. Reduce heat to medium and add reserved diced tomato liquid, scraping the bottom of the pan to dissolve the fond (i.e. deglaze the pan). While deglazing, add half the fresh herbs (if using dried herbs, add the full amount). Add the meat and cook, breaking it up into small pieces. Cook to remove the raw red color (about 2-4 minutes), but do not let the beef brown (that would make it tough - reduce the heat if necessary).

Add both kinds of canned tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to a low, gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, until the flavors have married together, about 20-30 minutes. Add cheese and remaining herbs. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Optionally, add a little balsamic vinegar if you like your sauce a little richer. Serve over linguine or penne.

All-Purpose Tangy and Sweet BBQ Sauce

This makes a great dipping sauce, marinade, or basting sauce for ribs, chicken, brisket, or anything else you may want to grill, smoke, or roast. See, I wasn't kidding when I called it "all-purpose!"

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Directions

Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions with a pinch of salt until they have softened and browned slightly. Add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds, until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring constantly, until sauce boils with large bubbles and has started to thicken. If using as a dipping sauce, let cool slightly and serve warm. For marinades or basting, cool to room temperature before using.

Leftovers

I'm still on vacation, so you're getting a post by proxy. Are you trying to figure out what to do with the rest of your leftover turkey and such? Well the Food Network's Alton Brown had a whole show devoted to dealing with that stuff. I just hope you saved the turkey carcass for soup! Check out http://www.foodnetwork.com/good-eats/the-remains-of-the-bird/index.html

We'll be back to real recipes on Wednesday.

Super-Duper All-Purpose Meat Sauce

Face it: much of the time, we're too busy to cook. Between jobs, kids, and dishes, we'd rather spend our precious free time with a good book while we wait for the pizza to come instead of slaving over a hot stove. Next week, I'll show you how you can use a little bit of advance preparation (like on a weekend when you have nothing going on) to yield several almost-instant meals. It's like convenience food without the extra price! Today, you get the recipe for a sauce that acts as the base for a myriad of other recipes, making those other meals quick and easy. As an added bonus, this recipe can be doubled or tripled (or even quadrupled or quintupled if you have a large enough pot), making that great deal on hamburger at the bulk club look even better.
(Sorry for no pictures this week, I'm on vacation!)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean or extra-lean ground beef
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 cans (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 1 can (4 ounces) tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions
Put beef in a large skillet or dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat until it starts to brown, about 5-8 minutes. Add onions, salt, and pepper and continue to cook until onion is completely cooked, another 5-10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened, about 1 hour. Cool to room temperature before putting into two 48-ounce freezer containers. Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months. When using, place frozen container in microwave on high for 3 minutes, then stir (or break up) the sauce with a large wooden spoon, and repeat until thawed.

Stay tuned here over next week to see what you can do with this incredibly convenient stuff!

• Taco Salad
• Anti-Lasagna
• Sloppy Joes

Mayonnaise

My 4-year old boy is allergic to soy. Have you ever tried to find a mayonnaise at the store that has no soybean (or "vegetable") oil in it? There's only one brand, and it tastes funny. Fortunately, I discovered that homemade mayonnaise is really easy and tastes much better than store-bought.


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vinegar (white wine /champagne vinegar works well)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh-squeezed, please)
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon fine or "pickling" salt (I don't like table salt because of the iodine-metallic taste)
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups canola or safflower oil

Instructions
Put all ingredients except the oil in the work bowl of your stand mixer or food processor. Use a hand whisk (or the whisk attachment of the mixer in your hand) and mix until well combined. Put the bowl on the mixer with the whisk attachment and turn it on its highest setting (if using a food processor, put in the blade, put the lid on, and turn it on). Slowly drizzle in the oil over about 90 seconds. Pour the mayo into a jar and let it sit on the counter for about 2 hours. This lets the acids in the lemon and vinegar kill any bacteria that may have been (unlikely, but possibly) present in the eggs (alternatively, use pasteurized in-shell eggs). After the those 2 hours, keep refrigerated and use within 2 weeks.

Eggs Benedict (With Hollandaise Sauce)

My absolute favorite brunch item to make at home. It seems like a lot of work, but it's well worth it! One requirement is that you must make the Hollandaise sauce from scratch (the recipe is included here) - canned Hollandaise is not really worth eating.

Ingredients

• 3 English muffins, split and toasted (keep them warm in an oven set to low)
• 6 slices Canadian bacon or ham
  
• 6 fresh eggs
• water for poaching
• white vinegar
• Hollandaise Sauce
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon water
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¾ cup unsalted butter (1½ sticks), chilled and cut into small pieces (about 1-2 teaspoons in size)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt - kosher tastes better though)
• the juice of 1 lemon (about ¼ cup)
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)

Instructions

Eggs
Bring one inch of water to boil in a large, non-stick, straight-sided skillet with one teaspoon of vinegar per cup of water (don't overdo the vinegar, it makes the eggs rubbery). Crack one egg into a small custard cup or prep bowl (about 1 cup in size), then carefully pour the egg into the boiling water (as gently as possible). Repeat with remaining eggs then remove from heat and cover the pan. The eggs should be set in 8-10 minutes (you may want to include a "test egg" for sampling). Using a slotted spoon, carefully move the eggs to an ice-water bath and set aside.

Hollandaise Sauce
Bring an inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, in a medium metal bowl whisk together the eggs and 1 teaspoon water for about 90 seconds, until the eggs lighten in color. Add the sugar and whisk for another 30 seconds. Turn the pan of simmering water down to low and place the bowl with the egg mixture over it (the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk constantly for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened enough for the whisk to leave a clear trail in the bowl (or the mixture will coat the back of a spoon). Remove the bowl from the pan and gradually whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, until fully incorporated. As the butter cools down the sauce, move the bowl back to the simmering water just long enough to keep the butter melting in as you whisk (be careful not to overheat it - completely melting the butter will break the sauce). Once all the butter is in, mix in the salt, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Pour the sauce into a thermos, or place the bowl on a heating pad set to low to keep warm until ready to serve.

Serving
Bring the poaching water back to a boil and remove from heat. Meanwhile, put each English muffin half on a plate with a slice of bacon on top. Using a slotted spoon, take the eggs from the ice water and reheat in the poaching water (it should not be boiling now). Place an egg on each muffin and add sauce. Serve immediately.

Gyro Sandwiches

There are 4 steps to this recipe:

1. Thicken the yogurt for the Tzatziki sauce (see the toppings section)
   
2. Make the pitas (optionally, buy pitas from the store, but they won't taste as good)
3. Prep the toppings & sauce
   
4. Do the meat

Pitas
Ingredients:

• 1 package yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1½ cups warm (110°) water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting & rolling)
• Non-stick spray
  
• 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil

Combine yeast, sugar, and water in the work bowl of a standing mixer with a dough hook. If not using instant yeast, wait 5-10 minutes for the yeast to bloom and become frothy. Turn the mixer on low and add the salt. Slowly add the flour, a little at a time, reserving the last ½ cup. Turn off the mixer and feel the dough. If it is very sticky to the touch, add reserved flour. Slowly power up the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

On a lightly floured clean work surface, roll the dough into a tight ball. Place in a clean bowl or bin that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, rolling the dough around to coat the top of the ball with the spray. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 1-2 hours, until the dough doubles in size.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and lightly punch down to redistribute the gasses. Divide into 8 equal portions, keeping each dough ball covered under a damp tea towel. Let rest under the towel for 15 minutes. Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium-high heat or heat a pizza stone in a 500° oven. If using a griddle/skillet, lube very lighly with oil to prevent sticking. With a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball into a thin circle 8-10 inches across. As each pita is rolled out, cook on the griddle or pizza stone for 3-4 minutes as you roll out the next one. If using a griddle/skillet, flip each pita halfway through cooking time. As the pitas finish cooking stack on a plate and keep covered under a sheet of aluminum foil. Keep in a warm oven (i.e. not 500° any more) while you work on the rest of the Gyro stuff.

Toppings
I like the following on top of my Gyros:

• sliced onion
• chopped cucumber
• sliced tomato
• shredded lettuce
• sliced olives (I like green, but black work too)
  
• crumbled Feta cheese
• Tzatziki sauce (recpie follows)

Tzatziki Sauce
This recipe makes a lot of sauce. You may want to make a half batch.
Ingredients:

• 16 oz plain (unflavored) yogurt
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped fine.
• Kosher salt
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced fine or pressed
  
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 5-6 fresh mint leaves, finely minced OR 1-2 teaspoons dried mint (to taste)

Pour yogurt onto the middle of a clean tea towel. Gather up the corners and suspend the yogurt over a bowl (use a skewer or a mesh strainer) so excess moisture can drip out. Thicken in the fridge for 2 hours.

Spread out the chopped cucumber on a couple of layers of paper towel on a sheet pan. Lightly sprinkle with kosher salt. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Add more paper towels on top and press with another sheet pan to squeeze out water. Put drained cucumber and thickened yogurt in a medium mixing bowl and combine with remaining Tzatziki ingredients. Add additional salt to taste. This will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Gyro Steak
Although lamb is the traditional Gyro meat, steak is much easier to find where I live. I like flank steak because it is very flavorful, inexpensive, and is already a thin cut from the butcher (making it cook quickly and slice easily).
Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon each dried rosemary leaves and whole peppercorns
• ½ teaspoon each fennel seeds, dried oregano and dried thyme
• Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil
  
• 2-4 lbs steak such as flank steak, skirt steak, fajita steak, or stir-fry steak, about 1-2 inches thick
  

Finely grind the rosemary, oregano, thyme, and peppercorns together in a spice grinder or coffee mill. Lightly sprinkle both sides of meat with Kosher salt. Spread a thin dusting of the herb/spice mixture onto both sides of the meat, patting it down to ensure good contact and adhesion. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat or prepare grill for direct heat. Rub both sides with oil. Cook 5-7 minutes on a side, or until internal temperature reads 125° for rare, 145° for medium. I guess you could go until 160 for well-done, but why would you? Rest the meat off-heat for 10-15 minutes under a tent of aluminum foil and bias-slice thinly across the grain.

Whew!
It looks like we did it! To assemble, place a few slices of steak on half of the flat side of the pita. Add other toppings as desired. Fold the pita over and eat. Yum!