White Wine Sauce and Shrimp Scampi

A delicious and simple sauce made with white wine and butter.  Used to flavor pastas and many other dishes.

*picture courtesy of  Pixaby.com (free images) 

If you have never tried white wine sauce you definitely need to.  The first time I made this for myself was when I made a Shrimp Scampi.  At once I was addicted.  It's a very simple sauce to make and takes very little time but the flavor is absolutely amazing.  The wine adds a very delicate and fruity flavor to the sauce and you just mix it with butter, garlic, and shallots.  Such simple and easy to find ingredients combine to make a delicious sauce that tastes luscious and is great with pastas and shellfish. 

Some things to keep in mind about White Wine Sauce (note that I'm no expert I know very little about wine but I know what I like and I love to experiment):

Use a wine that you would drink.  It doesn't need to be expensive (I'm no wine connoisseur I usually spend no more than 5-10 dollars on a bottle of wine) but it is reduced so the flavors are concentrated.

Use a dry white wine.  I prefer Pinot Grigio but a sauvignon blanc or even a chardonnay would be fine.  I have used sweeter white wines before, because that's what I had, and it's not bad (it will do in a pinch) but not as good as the pinot.

If you prefer not to use wine you could substitute a light broth like chicken or vegetable but keep in mind that the wine adds a fruitiness that broths won't.  

Also note that the wine is cooked and reduced so the alcohol is cooked off so it's not like you will get drunk or even buzzed from it (but I do understand some people prefer to abstain).

Click here to see how to make a white whine sauce and my Shrimp Scampi recipe. 

Linked to:  Two Cup, LouLou Girls, Teach Me, Cook Craft Share, Full Plate, Eat Create Party, Freedom Friday, Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, Show Stopper, Sat Night fever, Share it, See ya in the Gumbo, Much Ado

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Tzatziki

A deliciously cool and refreshing yogurt dip/sauce made with cucumbers and dill.

Tzatziki is one of my favorite Greek condiments.  Most often I've had it in gyros or with lamb and pita as a dip.  It is super flavorful and delicious with plenty of cool cucumber and yogurt.  This was my first attempt at making tzatziki and it was very simple and delicious.

One main component of tzatziki is Greek yogurt.  I didn't feel like buying yogurt so I used strained kefir ("a fermented milk drink"-wikipedia).  I always keep kefir on hand and mostly use it in smoothies or as a substitute for buttermilk in baking but it has many uses.  One of these uses is that it makes a great yogurt like substitute when strained.  You just line a mesh colander with a couple layers of cheesecloth or alternatively, I use an old, thin, white t-shirt rag (that's clean).  Then pour in about 3-4 cups of kefir and let it sit and drain until it is thickened to desired consistency.  I place the colander inside a large bowl to catch the liquid being drained off (this is whey and there are many uses for it too so no point in wasting it).  Usually by the time it is the right consistency it has drained off to about 1/2 to 1/3 the original volume and what you are left with is a thickened kefir of yogurt like consistency.  The flavor is a bit different, maybe more sour, but it works in a pinch.  For more information about kefir check out my Tutorial:  How to Make Kefir.

Tzatziki

Ingredients:

2 cups Greek yogurt or strained kefir
2 cucumbers, seeded and shredded
1 lemon
1-2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 tsp dried dill
salt

Place the shredded cucumbers into a cloth lined mesh colander.  Sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for about 10-15 minutes.  Then gather the sides of the cloth and twist it around the cucumber squeezing out even more liquid.

Stir together the cucumbers and yogurt with the juice of the lemon.  Add the garlic (I ran the cloves over a microplaine to make a very fine grate so you wouldn't bite into a big chunk of raw garlic) and dill and mix thoroughly.

Allow to sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.  Pour off any liquid that accumulates on top and serve as a dip or on sandwiches.

Makes about 6-8 servings.  Enjoy.

Linked to:  Two Cup, Teach Me, Lou Lou Girls, Whimsy Wednesday, Wednesday Roundup, Cook Craft Share, Full Plate, Eat Create Party, Freedom Friday, Pretty Pintastic, Best of the Weekend, See ya in the Gumbo, Much Ado, Tasty Tues, Yuck Stops Here, Plant Based Potluck


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Classic Barbecue Sauce

A sweet and spicy ketchup based sauce that tastes great on just about everything.

I love barbecue.  I think it is very important to know a basic, classic barbecue sauce which can be altered to suite individual tastes.  It is so easy to make home made barbecue sauce that I almost never buy it.  This way I know it tastes just how I like it, and I don't have to worry about too many weird ingredients.  All you need to make your own barbecue sauce is ketchup and some common spices.  This barbecue sauce is simple and a good starting point.  Just add or subtract ingredients to make it your own signature sauce.

Classic Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp dried minced onions
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp mustard
hot sauce, hot pepper, chilli flakes, or cayenne pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over low heat for 10-20 minutes until heated through.

All of these ingredients can be altered to your own preferences.  I like spicy and sweet so I usually add plenty of cayenne, sometimes habanero, and a little extra sugar.

• You can use fresh minced garlic and onion, just saute them (in a little oil) before adding everything else.
• Some places use more mustard.
• In eastern North Carolina  barbecue sauce has little to no ketchup and is mostly vinegar.
• You can add some bourbon.

• Sometimes I add a dash of liquid smoke for a slight smokiness.
• For a change try using different sweeteners like maple syrup or molasses they both add their own flavor.
• Be creative and add fruit purees for new flavors, you probably don't need as much sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit, maybe less or no ketchup.

I think the reason I love barbecue and barbecue sauce so much is that you can be as creative, or not, as you want.

I hope this inspires you to try making your own barbecue sauce.

Enjoy.

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Simple Pasta Sauce

A simple tomato pasta sauce with many variations.

I do not like to buy pasta sauce.  I have in the past and there is nothing wrong with it, but it is so easy to make your own sauce with whatever you want in it.  I also believe that this method is a bit less expensive. All you have to do is open a couple of cans.

I know that most people use stewed whole tomatoes (canned) to make pasta sauce, but I use canned, diced tomatoes.  There are so many other uses for diced tomatoes, besides pasta, that I always have them in my pantry (and when you buy them in bulk they are very inexpensive).  I also use tomato paste in my sauce for the same reasons.  As you can see in the ingredients I don't really measure the spices I just throw in what smells good and what I like.  This recipe is easily alterable and you can modify it to your tastes.  If you are interested in a simple pasta sauce for when you make pasta for dinner, read on.

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 palm full garlic powder (1-2 Tbsp)
1 palm full dried minced onions (about 1/4 cup)
1 palm full dried bail (1-2 Tbsp)
several shakes dried oregano (1/4-1/2 tsp)
several shakes dried Thyme (1/4-1/2 tsp)
red pepper flakes, to taste
2 cups frozen chopped spinach (optional)
1 cup garbanzo beans (optional)
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium to large sauce pan, over medium heat, drizzle in the olive oil.  Then add the tomatoes, paste, and spices.

Next, add the spinach and beans (if using); then, pour in the red wine.  Stir until well mixed and add the water until the sauce becomes the consistency you want (you can omit the wine and just use more water, or use a chicken or vegetable broth). Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste.

When sauce begins to simmer lower the heat and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.

Pour or spoon over favorite pasta, makes about 4-6 servings.  I added spinach and garbanzo beans to this sauce but you can omit them and/or add your own extras (the serving size will change with additions or subtractions).

Variations:

Meat sauce:  Brown ground beef, chicken, or Italian sausage and drain before adding the tomatoes and spices.
Roasted Garlic Sauce:  Add some roasted garlic, as much as you like (I would add a whole bulb)
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:  Add a roasted red pepper or two, diced or pureed.
Vegetable Sauce:  Add diced zucchini and/or eggplant, cook them in the olive oil until tender before adding every thing else.

These are just a few variations.  The ideas are endless just be creative or use what you have on hand.  Enjoy.

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