SAUCES, SEASONINGS, DRESSINGS, DIPS, RELISHES, GRAVIES & RUBS – Page 15

CARAMEL CHICKEN

I can’t say why this is called caramel chicken, but it doesn’t really matter since I can no longer eat sugar because of my health so anything with the name caramel in the name is A-OK by me 😀 In all honesty I assume it is the rich caramel sauce you start with, but the finished product tastes NOTHING like the caramel sauce you put on ice cream.

Now, while I can’t actually eat sugar, I can prepare it the normal way and then be sure let the sauce drain from my piece of chicken so hubby can still enjoy the REAL thing.

Most of the recipes I’ve seen call for using bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, but I like to make it with boneless pieces for easier

CARAMEL CHICKEN
3/4 cup dry Jasmine rice
1 1/2 cups water
pinch of salt

Prepare rice per package directions.
Remove from heat.

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons Fish sauce
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1+1 tablespoons avocado oil
2 tablespoons FRESH minced ginger
1 SMALL shallot, minced
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, angularly sliced
2 tablespoons torn Basil leaves

Over medium-high heat, melt sugar 5 minutes or so until the color of iced tea. Keep the pan moving like a jiffy pop popcorn tin 😀
Whisk together chicken broth and fish sauce.
Add fish sauce broth to sugar whisking until smooth. BE CAREFUL – SUGAR is REALLY HOT and will spurt AND BUBBLE.
Remove from heat.
In a separate skillet add 1 tablespoon avocado oil to heated skillet over medium-high heat.
Sear chicken on ALL sides.
Remove chicken to plate.
Add remaining tablespoon of oil.
Add shallots, mushrooms and garlic, cooking until soft.
Add caramel sauce, stirring to blend.
Add chicken and turn to coat.
Add basil leaves.
Simmer until sauce thickens.
Serve over prepared rice.
Garnish with green onions.

CREAMY BASIL CHICKEN

CREAMED BASIL CHICKEN
Skillet Basil Cream Chicken has always been one of my favorite recipes. Creamy sauce made with buttermilk and cheese, breaded chicken, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and more make up this super easy, delicious, and fool-proof chicken dinner. ADAPTED from Becky Hardin – The Cookie Rookie

¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons avocado oil
¼ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 cup heavy cream
1 shallot, sliced thin
1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced thin
1 (4 ounce) can pimentos, drained OR 2 small sweet peppers, diced
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained (optional)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons garlic & herb cheese, like Boursin
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place chicken breasts in a shallow dish and cover with buttermilk for 10-15 minutes.
Pour breadcrumbs in another shallow dish.
Heat skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon avocado oil.
Dredge chicken pieces in the breadcrumbs and place in the hot skillet.
Cook 5 minutes or until bottom side is crispy and golden brown.
Add remaining butter and oil and flip the breasts over.
Cook another 5-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add shallots to pan, cooking until soft.
Add mushrooms, cooking until starting to caramelize.
Add chicken broth and sherry to the skillet to deglaze, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Add the cream, pimentos or peppers and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat to low and add Parmesan cheese, garlic-herb cheese, basil and black pepper.
Simmer and cook until sauce reduces by half.
Add the chicken back into the sauce and heat through.
Serve over pasta with sauce.
Enjoy!

TOMATO SWISS STEAK

I recently ran across a recipe for “Swiss Steak en Casserole” from an old 1958 booklet of recipes that was quite similar and it reminded me of this recipe I make primarily in the winter because of its “comfort” quality of rib sticking goodness, which means I haven’t made it in a few years since it hardly gets cold here.

I have NO idea why this is called Swiss Steak. I just know my mom called it that and so did her mom. Grams said it had something to do with how the meat is prepared, but don’t quote me on that! That conversation was eons ago. But, as I typed this my curiosity got the best of me so I looked it up.

According to Wikipedia, “Swiss steak is meat, usually beef, prepared by means of rolling or pounding, and then braising in a cooking pot of stewed tomatoes, mushroom sauce, or some other sauce, either on a stove / log (cooker) or in an oven. In England and in some parts of the United States such as the Deep South, it is also called smothered steak. The dish does not stem from Switzerland, as the name suggests, but from the technique of tenderizing by pounding or rolling called “swissing“. So that was clear as MUD 😀

Mom used to add sliced green peppers and I ALWAYS picked them out so I don’t bother to add them now. Green peppers and I are NOT friends – never have been, never will be especially now with no stomach tolerance. I do use quite a bit of FRESH ground tri-color peppercorns instead. I remember it sometimes being served with mashed potatoes, but I prefer the sliced potatoes cooked in the sauce. I cannot be sure of the original measurements or even the original ingredients as I have adjusted it over an over through the years to suit our tastes. I know the original recipe called for water, but I love using the buttermilk as it makes a thicker, more flavorful gravy.

I also remember a similar recipe using a brown style gravy with mushrooms that was using this same cut of meat like a faux stroganoff.

TOMATO SWISS STEAK

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 to 2 pounds of tenderized round steak
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon FRESH ground sea salt
1-2 teaspoons FRESH ground tri-color pepper
1 large shallot, sliced
1 can Campbell’s Tomato Bisque Soup
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 Yukon potatoes, sliced thin
1-2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cut the round steak into 6 to 8 serving-size portions.
Add flour into a shallow bowl. Season well with salt and pepper.
Generously season each piece of meat on both sides.
Dredge each steak in flour mixture, pushing down to secure flour to meat.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Quickly brown each piece of meat and the remove it.
Add the shallot and bell pepper if you are using it, stirring to sauté for a few minutes, scrape up bits from bottom as you go. Scoot shallots and peppers to the edges of the pan.
Alternately layer potato slices in the middle of the shalllots.
Whisk together the tomato bisque and buttermilk.
Add meat pieces over top of the potatoes.
Pour tomato soup mixture over everything.
Cover and bake 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

NOTES:

Using the vinegar makes a tangier sauce – just depends on your mood. 😀
In the winter I like to make this with sliced carrots also which add some GREAT color.
I also sometimes make this with sliced baby red peppers instead of green peppers.

Linking to FULL PLATE THURSDAY at Miz Helen’s Cottage.

NEW CLASSIC CAESAR SALAD with or without Chicken

NEW CLASSIC CAESAR SALAD

2 cloves garlic, minced
4 anchovy fillets, minced
1/2 Meyer lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup olive oil (I like to use a lemon olive oil)
large egg yolk, beaten
Fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste
Torn Romaine lettuce
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
grated Parmesan cheese
Croutons

In a small food processor combine 7 ingredients until well blended. Garlic and anchovies should become one with the liquid ingredients.
Fold olive oil mixture into beaten egg until well blended.
Season to taste with fresh ground salt and pepper.
Pour over torn lettuce and sliced green onions.
Top with croutons and Parmesan cheese.
Toss well and serve immediately.

NOTE: When I use chicken I use chicken tenders with salt and pepper browned in a little butter and then shredded into the salad.

Linking to SOUPER SUNDAY at Kahakai Kitchen and FULL PLATE THURSDAY at Miz Helen’s Cottage.

YUMMY HOMEMADE CELERY SEED DRESSING

CELERY SEED DRESSING
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard (optional for me as I’m allergic)
2 green onions, finely minced
2 teaspoons celery seed
1 cup avocado oil (I use a lemon olive oil bu a vegetable oil works too)
1/3 cup champagne vinegar (I sometimes use a flavored rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)

In the bowl of a food processor mix together the sugar, salt, dry mustard, celery seed and onions until well mixed.
Gradually add in the oil and vinegar alternately.
Chill before serving, but us also good heated.

GRILLED PORK CHOPS & RASPBERRY BBQ SAUCE

When I went to the grocery store February 25, 2010 I ran across some awesome meat deals and these pork chops were perfect for a new BBQ sauce I wanted to try. Dave over at My Year on the Grill has been raving about a raspberry chipotle sauce that I can’t get here either, but left me craving raspberries and at $4.99 a small box that craving was going to go unsatisfied until I ran across this raspberry vinegar at $3.99 a bottle – a much better deal and it made an awesome sauce. So this recipe was developed on February 26, 2010, but is so worth the rerun!

GRILLED PORK CHOPS & RASPBERRY BBQ SAUCE
6 tablespoons Alessi raspberry blush vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons grandma’s molasses
1 teaspoon Frank’s Red Hot Pepper Sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 thin pork chops
skewers

Soak skewers in water for 30 minutes.
Whisk all the ingredients (except pork chops) together until well blended over a medium heat.
Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally until thickened and reduced to 1/2 cup.
Skewer each pork chop with 2 skewers (this helps them lay flat).
Generously salt and pepper each side.
Bring your grill to temperature.
Brush each side with sauce.
Spray grill surface with PURE.
Place chops on grill, grilling uncovered for 2-3 minutes total, turning once.

Linking to FULL PLATE THURSDAY at Miz Helen’s Cottage.

ALOHA BBQ PORK RIBS – revisited

I originally wrote this back in 2015 and it is still our FAVORITE recipe for ribs. I made them again recently and wanted to update that I used orange marmalade instead of the apricot pineapple jam and hubby thinks they are even better.

“We had the most amazing dinner tonight if I do say so myself. I was missing a few ingredients for my normal BBQ sauce so made a few substitutions and we have a new “NORMAL” in this family. I added fresh pineapple slices topped with some of the BBQ sauce during the last 30 minutes of bake time and they were so juicy, tender and flavorful. We added a fresh steamed artichoke and there were NO leftovers! I will use the rest of the sauce on chicken later in the week.”

ALOHA BBQ PORK RIBS
2-4 pounds baby back pork ribs
Fresh ground salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 325°.
Bring ribs to room temperature.
Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs.
Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Line a large cookie sheet with heavy duty foil.
Arrange ribs bone side up and cover with the foil.
Bake for 2 hours undisturbed.
Uncover, add pineapple slices and top with sauce and bake another 30 or minutes until the meat pulls away from the bone easily.

SAUCE
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup Smucker’s apricot pineapple jam (orange marmalade works well too)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon QUALITY honey
3/4 cup Tabasco Jalapeno ketchup
Fresh ground salt and black pepper

In a large sauce pan whisk together all the ingredients and bring to a SLOW boil, stirring frequently.
Reduce heat to as low as possible and simmer while the ribs bake. Sauce will thicken during this simmering so stir frequently.

CRISPY ONION CHICKEN with CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE

Fried onions are the star of the show here. These fried onions give you the crunch you expect of fried chicken whether it be grandma’s Sunday dinner or the good old colonel in a pinch on a week night, but leaving you with a healthy, juicy piece of chicken you can eat with a knife and fork. And then the creamy rich mushroom sauce round you right back towards grandma’s Sunday dinner with the comfort food feel of home.

CRISPY ONION CHICKEN with CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE – serves 2
6 oz. Cremini button mushrooms washed
1/2 pound green beans, washed, dried and trimmed
Crispy Fried Onions (I use French’s but you could make your own crispy shallots)
2-6 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened to less than 1/2 inch
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup light cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon avocado oil
Fresh Ground salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425°.
Cover baking sheet in foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Dice 2 of the larger mushrooms into 1/4 inch pieces.
Cut remaining mushrooms into 1/4 inch slices.
Chop crispy onions into small pieces.

Pat chicken breasts dry.
Generously season both sides with salt and pepper.

Coat chicken breasts in sour cream.
Place the chicken breasts on your baking tray.
Sprinkle the crispy onion pieces evenly over the sour cream on the top of the chicken breasts.
Gently press the onion pieces down into the sour cream.
Place baking tray in hot oven and roast chicken 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

In a medium skillet pan melt butter and avocado oil over medium high heat.
Add sliced mushrooms, stirring occasionally until browned and caramelized.
Add green beans, seasoning to taste and stirring 5-8 minutes until green beans are tender.
Remove vegetables to platter with a slotted spoon.
Add 1 tablespoon avocado oil and diced mushrooms, cooking until mushrooms are slightly brown (3-5 minutes).
Add cream and bring to a SLOW boil, stirring frequently and cook until thick enough to coat spoon.
Adjust seasoning.
Remove from heat and plate immediately.

MAPLE GLAZED DUCK , ROSEMARY FINGERLINGS & BLOOD ORANGE SALAD – a review

Because of the flu epidemic and my risk of infection still, I have been staying home and this week I ordered from both Hello Fresh and Home Chef for meals. I always make their recipes the way they are written the first time with the exception of allergy ingredients like the mustard in this one. I split the ingredients and did the mustard version for hubby and NOT for me since I’m deadly allergic.

All in all, this was a fantastic recipe! I’m not normally fond of rosemary and will try it with tarragon the next time. I will probably use a spring mix instead of arugula also. The arugula is just a bit bitter for my tastes and since I no longer have any “EMPTY” bites, I want to make them ALL count. If it’s out of season, I believe the blood orange can be substituted for ANY sweet citrus.

MAPLE GLAZED DUCK , ROSEMARY FINGERLINGS & BLOOD ORANGE SALAD serves 2
2 duck breasts, 6 ounces each, scored criss cross on the fat side
3/4 pound fingerling potatoes, washed and halved lengthwise
several sprigs FRESH rosemary, leaves picked from stems (discard stems)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 blood orange, zested (reserve), peeled and sliced crosswise into rounds
2 ounces arugula (a handful)
2 tablespoons PURE maple syrup
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
Fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste
Avocado oil

Place potatoes in a large pot covered in salted water by 1 inch.
Bring to a boil and cook 15 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.
Drain thoroughly. Return drained potatoes to pan. Set aside.
While potatoes are cooking, pat duck dry with paper towel.
Generously season duck with salt and pepper.
Place skin side down in skillet over medium heat, cooking 12-15 minutes until most fat has rendered and skin is crisp. (Lower heat if skin is beginning to burn)
Pour off and reserve the fat as it renders.
Roughly chop rosemary leaves until you have 1 tablespoon.
Return potatoes to medium high heat.
Add just enough of the rendered duck fat to the pan to coat the bottom.
Add 2 teaspoons of the rosemary, cooking and tossing until potatoes are crisped and browned.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant a few minutes more.
Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Combine the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of mustard, orange zest and remaining chopped rosemary in a small bowl.
When duck is crisped, flip the duck over.
Spoon maple syrup mixture over duck and cook until duck reaches desired doneness, 2-5 minutes.
Remove duck from pan and set aside to rest.
Pour remaining sauce from pan into a small bowl.
In a salad bowl toss together the arugula, orange rounds and drizzle with avocado oil and 1 teaspoon of the mustard.
Season with salt and pepper.
Stir 1 teaspoon of the mustard into the reserved sauce from the pan along with any pan juices.
Slice duck crosswise.
Plate duck, potatoes and salad.
Drizzle sauce over duck.
Serve immediately.

PAN SEARED SEA BASS with LEMON GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE

PAN SEARED SEA BASS with LEMON GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE
2-6 ounce sea bass fillets
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 + 1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 LARGE lemon
1 lemon, sliced
Fresh ground sea salt and pepper, to taste

Over a medium high heat heat 1 tablespoon butter in large skillet.
Coat each fillet with avocado oil and generously season with the fresh ground salt and pepper.
When sizzling, add each fillet to hot oil and cook for 5 minutes before flipping and cooking on the other side for 4 more minutes.

While fillets are cooking melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small sauce pan.
Add garlic, sautéing about 2 minutes.
Whisk in lemon juice.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add lemon slices, cooking until slightly thick.

Plate fillets and top with sauce.
Serve immediately.

MOZZARELLA CHEESE STICKS

MOZZARELLA STICKS
12 egg roll wrappers
12 string cheese
avocado or cocnut oil
Marinara sauce

Start in the corner of the egg roll wrapper and roll cheese half way.
Fold in at the corners
Brush remaining open edges with water and continue rolling until well sealed.

Heat 1/2 inch of oil to 375˚.
Fry sticks a few at a time until golden brown all the way around.
Drain on paper towels.
Serve with marinara.

Submitted to FULL PLATE THURSDAY @Miz Helen’s Country Cottage.

COWGIRL KISSES with RASPBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE

COWGIRL KISSES
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons Foothill Salad Seasoning
1 slice bacon per pepper
Jalapeno Peppers
Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (see below)

Mix cream cheese and Foothill Salad Seasoning until well blended.
Clean and remove seeds from peppers.
Fill peppers.
Wrap each pepper with a slice of bacon.
Bake or grill over low heat until bacon is crisp.
Serve with raspberry chipotle sauce.

RASPBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE
1 cup Raspberry Jam
2 tablespoons diced chipotle peppers
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider or rice wine vinegar

Whisk all ingredients until well blended.
Chill until ready to serve.
Warm before serving.

Category: SAUCES, SEASONINGS, DRESSINGS, DIPS, RELISHES, GRAVIES & RUBS