A Classic Basil Pesto

In my opinion, everyone's recipe box should include this easy and versatile sauce.  It takes just a few minutes to make and has so many uses.  I prefer to simply toss the pesto with some homemade pasta, but it's great on sandwiches, pizza, bruschetta, in soups, or whatever you want to use it for!

Try out different combinations of nuts, herbs and cheeses to create your own variations!  Does anyone have any interesting, tasty versions they'd like to share?

I've played around a bit with my recipe for the classic version and I find that this is my favorite combination, enjoy!

Classic Basil Pesto

Ingredients

2 cups packed basil

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2/3-3/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup shredded parmesan

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Place basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse until coursely chopped.  With the motor running, add oil in a thin stream until well incorporated.

2. Stir through parmesan and season generously with salt and pepper.  Be sure to taste as you season gradually.

To freeze, transfer to an airtight container, smooth the surface and cover with a thin layer of olive oil.  Thaw and stir to use. 

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Like I need another excuse to eat Mexican food...  In honor of my favorite Mexican holiday, we celebrated with slow cooked pork carnita tacos accompanied by avocado 3 ways.  I made my traditional guacamole, a roasted garlic and orange guacamole, and pomegranate and avocado salsa.  Yes, pomegranate salsa.  It's certainly not a salsa to be eaten with chips but went beautifully with the tacos.  The tangy pop of the pomegranate seeds was the perfect accent to the smoky pork and creamy avocado.  Thanks to our houseguest, we've been obsessed with all things pomegranate for the last month so I had to figure out a way to incorporate them. 

We gobbled up the tacos too fast to take any pics.  It's amazing that something that takes 8 hours to cook can be eaten up in a matter of minutes! 

Avocado 3 Ways

Traditional Guacamole

Ingredients

3 avocados
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp cumin
salt

Directions

1. Cut around each avocado lengthwise and twist halves apart. Stab pit with knife and dislodge. Scoop out flesh.

2. Combine all ingredients and coarsely mash together. Season to taste with salt.

Roasted Garlic and Orange Guacamole

Ingredients

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 small oranges
1 jalapeno
1 small red onion, diced
3 ripe avocados, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin
3 tbsp mint, chopped
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
salt

Directions

1. Roast the garlic in a dry skillet over medium heat until it is soft and blackened in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Squeeze out garlic and chop if necessary.

2. Supreme the oranges by cutting of the ends, standing orange up and cutting off all the rind and all of the bitter white pith.  Release segments by cutting along either side of each membrane.  Chop the oranges.

3. Cut around each avocado lengthwise and twist halves apart.  Stab pit with knife and dislodge.  Scoop out flesh. 

4. Combine all ingredients and coarsely mash together.  Season to taste with salt. 

Pomegranate and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

2 avocados, peeled and diced
1 lime, juiced
1 pomegranate, seeded
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tbsp honey
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and season to taste with salt. 

Why buy?

As I mentioned in a previous post, lately I've been all about making my own sauces, condiments, etc.  With minimal effort, I'm happy to say I have a fridge stocked with homemade jams, barbeque sauce, sweet chilli sauce, preserved lemons, homemade vinaigrettes, and a couple of marinades.  I love knowing exactly what's in my food and that is made with wholesome, fresh ingredients. 

I threw a bit of the sweet chilli sauce from last week into a stir-fry that I made last night, so much better than using store-bought!  You can use it as an accompaniment to barbecued chicken or shrimp, use it in a stir fry sauce, or as-is as a dipping sauce for spring rolls or dumplings.  Mine came out pretty spicy for a sweet chilli sauce so next time I might deseed a few more of the chilis to remove some of the heat. Either way, it's super easy, will last for months, and tastes great.

Sweet Chilli Sauce

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups caster sugar

2 cups white wine vinegar

2 cups water

3 lemongrass stems, peeled and sliced very thin

8 garlic cloves, peeled

15 long red chillies, 10 seeded, all chopped *

1/2 tsp salt

* The more chillies that you deseed, the less heat will be in the sauce

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, and water.  Bring to a boil

2. Meanwhile, puree lemongrass, garlic, chillies and salt in a food processor

3. Add to saucepan and simmer until reduced by half and thickened.

4. Cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months. 

My Go-to Salsa Recipe

This is a very simple recipe but I thought I'd post it since most people don't make their own salsa and opt for a readymade one.  It's super easy, cheap, and tastes fantastic.  I'm on a kick of wanting to make own sauces, rubs, salts, etc... especially those that will keep.  I'll have the satisfaction of knowing exactly what is going into them as well the convenience of having them on hand to throw together a quick and easy dinner on the barbie.  I have big plans this weekend to make homemade sweet chili sauce, barbeque sauce, nuoc cham, as well as an array of flavored salts.  I'll be sure to post my results, but in the meantime... enjoy this fresh and simple recipe.

Salsa Fresca

Ingredients

6 ripe tomatoes,
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, minced
small handful cilantro sprigs, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
3/4 tsp salt

Directions

Core and remove seeds from tomatoes.  Process to desired consistency, I like it a bit chunky.  Combine all ingredients, let them share their flavors for a bit, and enjoy.  Couldn't be easier.

This is just a starting point.  If you like it spicier, add more jalepeno.  If it's too tangy, use less lime juice.  Not a fan of cilantro?  Leave it out or add a different herb.  If you want more of a 'pico de gallo' texture, chop the tomatoes instead of processing them. 

Outside of this standard salsa, there are unlimied variations... usually involving fruits and/or vegetables, chili, and herbs.  Use uncooked ingredients for a light and fresh salsa or you can roast them if you want a rich, smoky flavor.  Play around!  What are your favorite renditions?

One of those burger days...

Something about a Sunday spent getting things done around the house just calls for an early dinner of burgers on the grill!  Served with some crispy potatoes and charred corn, it's a perfectly satisfying meal.

Since I always like to a little bit of originality, I made a quick-cooking tomato relish to replace ketchup and added some chili and lime to the butter to give the corn a kick! 

All-American Burgers

Ingredients

3 slices white bread
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 1/2 1bs beef mince
1 1b pork mince
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp parsley, chopped
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
S&P

Directions

1.  Remove crusts, tear bread, and toss in a bowl with the milk.  Let break soak up the milk as you combine the rest of the ingredients for the burgers.

2.  In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, onion, garlic, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, and eggs.  Squeeze excess milk from bread and add to mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Thoroughly combine but do not overwork mixture.

3.  Form into patties of equal size and refrigerate until you are ready to grill. 

4.  Make sure your grill is prepared for cooking at high heat.  Brush patties with oil and grill on cooked as desired - approximately 4 minutes per side depending on size.  Add your favorite fixins and enjoy your juicy burger! 

 

While I generally like to make tomato relish using all fresh ingredients, vinegar, and sugar and slowly simmering down, I wanted a quick fix for an easy meal.  I used tomato sauce (ketchup) as a base to speed up the process and added some fresh ingredients to intensify the flavor.

Quick Tomato Relish

Ingredients

1 tbsp EVOO
1/2 onion chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
1 chili, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
S&P

Directions

1.  Heat pan over medium heat.  Add oil and turn pan to coat.
2. Add onion, garlic, and bay leaf and cook for a few minutes until onion begins to become translucent.  Add chili, cook for 1 minute and add red bell pepper.  Once peppers have softened, add tomatoes.  Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer.
3. Cook until desired consistency and cool to room temperature. 

It's great on burgers, served with cold meats, or add a dollop to a casserole if you like!

On the 6th Day of Christmas, the Recipe Diva made for me...

Cranberry, Pear, and Ginger Chutney

If you aren't familiar with chutney, it's an accompaniment that is similar in consistency to a relish or jelly.  Almost always consistenting of fruit, sugar and vinegar, a chutney will fall into the category of sweet or hot... or both.  They work very well served with cheeses, meats such as ham and pork, and are very common in Indian cuisine. 

With all of the holiday parties this time of year, a jar of homemade chutney makes a perfect hostess gift.  In the spirit of the season, I chose to use cranberries and seasonal spices.  The combination of hot and sweet with the savory holiday spices worked perfectly. 

Ingredients

2 - 8 oz. bags of fresh cranberries
2 pears, peeled and cubed
1 large orange
1 onion, chopped
1 cup golden raisins
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp ginger, grated
1 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
   
Add all ingredients to large saucepan and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 30 minutes until cranberries have burst and chutney has thickened. 
 

The chutney will keep for 3 days, but to jar for gifts, pack the chutney into sterilized jars and process in hot-water bath for 10-15 minutes. If you are unfamiliar with the canning process, make sure to look up more detailed instructions. 

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to make these boring jars gift worthy?