Pineapple Habanero Salsa

This is the fabulous salsa I made for yesterday's football game. It's super spicy, so consider yourself warned! The only habanero peppers they had at the store yesterday were itsy, bitsy, tiny ones, each about the size of a dime, so I used three. Yowza! Those three tiny peppers packed a wallop! I really love the salty-sweet-tangy-spicy nature of this salsa.

I mentioned in yesterday's blog that I would like to try roasting the pineapple next time. I bet it would taste great!

Pineapple Habanero Salsa

1/2 medium pineapple, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
Reserved pineapple juice
1 small red or green bell pepper, diced
3 medium green onions, thinly sliced
1 habanero pepper, seeded and minced
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp agave nectar (can substitute honey, molasses or sugar), to taste

Mix all ingredients, including reserved pineapple juices, in medium bowl. Cover and let stand at least one hour at room temperature. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Korma Sauce

This is a little different from the korma sauce I made several weeks ago. We loved the other one, but this new one? Yeah, it kicks the old one's butt. It was heavenly! I served it with kofta and saffron rice, but it would be great with chicken, paneer, tofu, potatoes, or whatever your little heart desires. It would even be good in a bowl with some fresh naan to sop it up with. This stuff rocks.

Korma Sauce

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 14-oz can light coconut milk

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, cooking and stirring several minutes, until onion begins to soften. Add ginger and garlic, and cook and stir one minute. Add turmeric, garam masala, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir two minutes. Add tomato sauce and coconut milk; stir or whisk to combine thoroughly. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Pico de Gallo

We usually just use jarred salsa for our burritos, but today I wanted some yummy, fresh, pico de gallo. I think it really adds a lot to a burrito, much more so than your run-of-the-mill salsa, so I set off to make some.

The only tomatoes at the store were pathetic, but I didn't have a lot of choice. We had some crazy, wicked storms here over the last 24 hours, and it wasn't really the best weather for driving around in. That didn't stop us, however, from loading the kids into the car (school was closed because of the rain and flooding) and heading off to McDonald's to try a free chicken biscuit. Yes, we are idiots, but I told you I'm a food slut. A bunch of the roads in our subdivision were flooded, but we managed to make our way through, and got our chicken biscuits. We also stopped at the store on the way home to get some tomatoes, such as they were. And that's why my pico de gallo looks more pink, green and white, instead of red, green and white. Still tasty, though.

Pico de Gallo

2 tomatoes
1 medium white onion
2 fresh jalapenos
1 big handful cilantro
1 lime
salt & pepper

Dice the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeno in a fairly fine dice, about 1/4-inch. Coarsely chop the cilantro, and combine with previous ingredients in a medium glass or ceramic bowl. Juice the lime and add it to the mixture. Combine thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.

Red Enchilada Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, diced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
10 oz tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup water
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and flour, stirring constantly until flour is lightly browned. Add garlic and onion, cooking until soft and lightly browned. Add tomato paste, stirring to break up and combine evenly. Add oregano, basil, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for one minute. Add tomato sauce and water. Using an immersion blender, blend mixture until smooth. Increase heat to medium-high, stirring constantly until the mixture boils and thickens slightly. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Simple Marinara Sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1 bunch fresh basil, sliced into ribbons

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until onion is translucent. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in basil. Serve over pasta.

Hollandaise Sauce

3 egg yolks
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice
½ c butter, cut into pieces

Whisk egg yolks, salt and red pepper in top of a double boiler; gradually add lemon juice, stirring constantly. Add about one-third of the butter to the egg mixture; cook over hot, not boiling, water, stirring constantly with a wire whisk until butter melts. Add another third of the butter, stirring constantly. As sauce begins to thicken, keep adding pieces of butter, whisking constantly until smooth. Serve immediately.

Sarah's Tomato Pesto

1 c. chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. toasted walnuts

First, toast the walnuts (5 minutes at 350 degrees). In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and salt for a few seconds, until it is smooth. Add the walnuts and process until an even-colored and somewhat lumpy paste is formed. If using fresh tomatoes, you might need to add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water to the mixture.

Teriyaki Sauce

½ c soy sauce
¼ c honey
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Use to marinade steak or chicken.

Pesto

1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
a few tablespoons of fresh grated parmesan
1/4 - 1/2 cup of olive oil (use your judgment).

Put all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until the basil breaks down and it turns into a nice blend of chunky and smooth.

Basic White Sauce

Makes about 2 cups sauce

4 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp flour
½ tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 c milk

Heat butter in 2-qt saucepan over medium heat until melted. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Variations:
Thin White Sauce: Decrease butter and flour to 2 Tbsp each.
Thick White Sauce: Increase butter and flour to ¼ cup each.
Cheese Sauce: After boiling and stirring sauce 1 minute, stir in 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese until melted.

Peanut Sauce

2 tsp vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
3 clove garlic, minced
½ c chunky peanut butter
3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce
1 tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground red pepper
1 c unsweetened coconut milk
2 Tbsp lime juice

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender.

Reduce heat to medium. Add peanut butter, brown sugar, fish sauce, paprika and red pepper; stir until smooth. Slowly stir in coconut
milk until well blended. (At this point, the sauce may be cooled, covered and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance.)
Stir sauce constantly over medium heat until bubbling gently. Stir in lime juice.

Hot Lemon Sauce

½ c sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
¾ c water
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
¼ c lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter

Mix sugar and cornstarch in 1-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients. Serve warm or cool. This is delicious over gingerbread.

Mom's Amazing Hot Fudge Sauce

1 12-oz can evaporated milk
1 12-oz pkg semisweet chocolate chips
½ c sugar
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

Heat milk, chocolate chips and sugar to boiling in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in margarine and vanilla. Serve warm over ice cream. Refrigerate any remaining sauce.