sauces

7 Easy Ways to Preserve Your Early Harvest

Nick Wharton — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 15:00:36 +0000

The weather is warm, the days are long, and fresh veggies and fruits abound. Summertime is still in full swing and can feel blissfully endless. Unfortunately, cold weather will return before you know it, leaving you longing for these summer days. One way to prolong the season is to preserve its vibrant produce while at its peak. If you're not into canning — it can be involved and requires some special equipment — there are a surprising number of easy alternatives. Read on for seven methods for storing up tomatoes, berries, stone fruit, cucumbers, and the rest of summer's bounty.

1. Freezing

There's a good reason why freezing fresh foods is the tried and true method for preserving (beyond canning). When done right, you can really seal in the freshness, and have a taste of summer months after pool-worthy weather is gone. But in order to achieve ultimate flavor and texture, you need to follow a few freezing rules.

Smaller veggies like corn and peas can be frozen whole, while bigger items should be chopped up into smaller pieces. Quick blanch them first, ending with an ice bath, and then freeze them. For mushy veggies like tomatoes, cook them first — a marinara sauce will do nicely — and then freeze. Fruits like berries don't need to be blanched, and can be frozen right away. No matter what you decide to preserve, be sure to freeze at the peak of freshness for the best results.

Frozen fruits and veggies will last eight to 12 months in a 0℉ freezer.

2. Quick Pickles

You don't have to be a canning whiz or own a bunch of equipment to enjoy flavorful, homemade pickles. The quick pickling method is as simple as combining spices and aromatics in a jar, shoving in some summer-fresh cucumbers, boiling a water and vinegar mixture, and pouring it on top. After the pickles come to room temperature, they are stashed in the fridge and ready to eat in 48 hours. They'll last for two months in there — if you don't eat them long before then. You can use a variation of this technique for a number of pickled treats, like jalapeños and red onions.

3. Drying

Did you know that you can make delicious, high quality dried fruit without a bulky dehydrator? Small fruits like cranberries, cherries, blueberries, and more can be dehydrated with your oven and no special equipment. In a few hours and no hard work, you'll have a tray full of chewy and flavorful dried fruit. With a longer drying time and a few more steps, you can dry just about anything, from peaches to strawberries. It's a great way to enjoy the flavors of summer fruit for months after they're in season, and it makes a really tasty snack.

4. Fruit Shrubs

Shrubs — not the leafy green variety, but the vinegar and fruit variety — are making a real comeback. They've been used throughout history as a way of preserving fruit. Now they're back in fashion as a refreshing addition to a drink or cocktail. The fruit mingles with sugar to make a sweet and flavorful syrup, and vinegar is added to preserve as well as give a tangy kick. Shrub syrup will keep in the fridge for some time, and is great mixed with tonic, seltzer, or used as a cocktail mixer. Use different fruits to make different flavors, and line your refrigerator shelves with jars of colorful liquids for a taste of summer fruit in the dead of winter.

5. Flavored Oils

Summertime not only brings a bounty of fruit and veggies, it's also the season for vibrant fresh herbs like basil. Delicate greens like cilantro, basil, and parsley can be hard to preserve without losing their color and flavor. One way to successfully capture their fresh flavor is to infuse olive oil. Not only is it easy and will add tasty, herby notes to your oil, it will last for months, and you can mix and match flavors to your heart's content. Imagine drizzling green basil oil over crostini or pasta in the middle of January. You'll be transported to a warm summer day in a snap.

6. Compound Butters

Another totally delicious way to preserve bountiful summer herbs is by making compound butter. It's as simple as chopping clean, fresh herbs, mixing them into softened butter, shaping the mixture into a log, and chilling. It's simply delicious on bread, melted over steak, or cooked with a vegetable saute. You can use whatever herbs you like, and add in other spices or flavorings. Best of all, the whole wrapped log can be dropped into a freezer bag and frozen for several months.

7. Sauces

We hinted at this in the freezing section, but a great way to preserve some summer produce is by cooking it first and then freezing or jarring it. Tomatoes are an excellent example. Cook up a big batch of your favorite marinara sauce and freeze it in freezer bag servings. When you're ready to make pasta, just defrost a bag and heat through.

If you've got more tomatoes than you know what to do with, cook them down into flavor-packed tomato paste and freeze in small servings to flavor soups, sauces, and more. You can even slow-roast slices of tomato and pack them in olive oil to store in the fridge for a month or so. The sweet roasted tomatoes make a great pizza topping or appetizer.

How do you preserve your garden's production without canning?

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This article is from Nick Wharton of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Better With Basil: 21 Uses for Jarred Pesto

Camilla Cheung — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:36:38 +0000

Don’t get me wrong, I love a from-scratch meal as much as the next person, but with time at a premium and an active child on my hands, I just can’t get my Julia Child on in the kitchen every night. Yes, there are nights when I pop a frozen lasagna in the oven, but when I’m in the mood for something semi-homemade, I’ve got a better weapon in my arsenal — jarred pesto. That miraculous combination of basil, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil packs a wallop in the flavor department, turning the simplest of meals into a genuine treat. What do I put it on? Why, pretty much anything. (See also: 8 Swanky Sauces to Glamorize Dinner)

The following ideas would also be a great way to use up the enormous batches of pesto you made over the summer with basil from your garden. I wish I could do that, but I have a singularly un-green thumb. Store-bought it is for me!

1. Grilled Shrimp

One of my favorite quick proteins is large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and butterflied, tossed in jarred pesto, skewered, and then thrown on the grill (broil them if the weather's not ideal). I look for frozen, uncooked shrimp on sale for this fast meal.

2. Pesto Pasta Primavera

Pesto tossed with pasta is a classic. Add some sauteed vegetables (a bag of spinach works in a pinch, and hey, you don’t even have to wash it), and you’ve got a light dinner. Add a piece of grilled or baked chicken to make the meal more complete. To doll up this simple dish even more, add some toasted pine nuts and fried slices of garlic.

3. Fancy Sandwiches

Turn a simple sandwich into something a little more posh by spreading a layer of pesto and mayo on crusty bread. Add some charcuterie (aka preserved meat like salami or prosciutto) and plenty of peppery arugula. For a vegetarian (and more frugal) version, roast a red pepper and some slices of eggplant, and put that in your sandwich instead of the meat.

4. Pizza Sauce

Try using pesto instead of tomato-based pizza sauce for a nice change. Or make two pizzas, one with each sauce, and see which one you like better.

5. White Lasagna

Instead of using Bolognese sauce to make lasagna, try mixing pesto with a Bechamel or cream sauce instead. Layer it with the pasta and grilled vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, spinach, or butternut squash and top with Parmesan.

6. Pesto Chicken

Toss chicken breasts or tenders with plenty of pesto. Top with cheese, and bake in the oven. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

7. Pesto Vegetables

Cook vegetables such as asparagus, green beans, or broccoli in boiling water until crisp-tender (or steam them). Toss with pesto and serve! Alternatively, toss the vegetables with olive oil and pesto and roast them in the oven (baby potatoes are delicious this way).

8. Soupe au Pistou

This Provencal vegetable soup is delicious with a dollop of pesto stirred into it. Try this simple soupe au pistou recipe from David Lebovitz — cook a variety of vegetables, add stock or water, and stir in some pasta and pesto for a comforting and classy soup.

9. Pesto and Cream Pasta

I order this dish almost every time I go to my favorite cafe — I really should make it at home more often. Heat a little heavy cream and pesto together, add Parmesan, and toss with cooked pasta. Top with toasted, buttery breadcrumbs. It may not be the healthiest meal, but it is simple and satisfying.

10. Pesto Pasta Salad

Toss cooked pasta with olive oil, lemon juice, and a generous amount of pesto. Mix in halved cherry tomatoes and cubed fresh mozzarella.

11. Compound Butter

Soften a stick of unsalted butter and then mix in a generous dollop of pesto. Roll into a log and wrap in plastic, and then place it in the refrigerator to firm up. Use this compound butter to saute vegetables, melt on corn-on-the-cob, or spread on bread before toasting; or place a few slices on a grilled steak.

12. Hummus

When you’re making your next batch of hummus, add a spoonful of pesto for a different flavor.

13. Salmon

Rub a few salmon steaks or a filet with pesto before baking or grilling (I put mine on a sheet of aluminum foil before grilling to avoid flare-ups).

14. Pesto Turkey Pinwheels

Spread pesto on flatbread or good tortillas. Add slices of turkey and roasted red pepper. Roll the flatbread up jelly roll-style and wrap in plastic. Chill for an hour, then slice crosswise into pinwheels. This makes a fancy-looking appetizer if you skewer the pinwheels with toothpicks and line them up on square white plates.

15. Cream Cheese

Mix pesto with your favorite cream cheese and spread on bagels.

16. Burgers or Meatballs

Add a layer of pesto as you assemble a burger, or better yet, mix it right into the meat. You can also mix pesto into your favorite meatball recipe for extra flavor.

17. Quiche or Frittata

Add pesto to your favorite quiche recipe to pump up the flavor. It goes particularly well with sun-dried tomatoes. Don't have time to make quiche? Add pesto to eggs and veggies in a simple frittata.

18. Scrambled Eggs

Mix pesto with scrambled eggs. That is all.

19. Spaghetti Squash

Toss cooked spaghetti squash with pesto for a delicious and healthy meal. Spaghetti squash can be quick and easy to cook — 12-15 minutes in the microwave, and you’re set. Just don’t forget to pierce it first lest it explode.

20. Goat Cheese Spread

Place a log of goat cheese on a plate and spread a thick layer of pesto over top. Serve with toasts or crackers.

21. Stuffed Chicken or Pork Chops

Make a slit in a chicken breast or pork chop and stuff it with a mixture of cooked spinach, pesto, and goat cheese. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes (at 375 F) or until juices run clear. Delicious!

What’s your favorite recipe using premade pesto?

This article is from Camilla Cheung of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

8 Swanky Sauces to Glamorize Dinner

Marla Walters — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:00:13 +0000

What I love about a great sauce is that it can transform an inexpensive dinner into something that looks and tastes pretty glamorous. think a lot of home cooks shy away from them, thinking that (1) they are hard to make or (2) are too expensive. My first money-saving trick is to use a sauce intended for one recipe on a cheaper cut of meat, poultry, or fish. My second trick is that I often cut the recipe in half. You don’t need a lot of sauce — just a couple of tablespoons, to enhance flavor. Here are some of my favorites sauce receipes.

Piccata Sauce

Lemons and capers are the hallmarks of this easy sauce. My recipe, from my mother’s recipe box, went over scallops. But have you priced scallops, lately? Try it over budget-priced tilapia or chicken. Here's great basic recipe for Piccata sauce .

Mustard-Chive Sauce

For a fancy dinner party, it’s hard to beat Pork Medallions with Mustard-Chive Sauce (Bon Appetit, October 2004). This meal has a huge wow factor. Guests have threatened to lick their plates. But pork loin, unless purchased on sale, tends to be pricey. Good news — the sauce is also terrific over chicken, firm white fish or a pork chop. This is another one I cut in half, because unless you are cooking for six, you really don’t need 1 2/3 cups of sauce.

Mom’s Teriyaki Sauce

This was one of my favorite things when I was a kid. Technically, this is also a marinade. My mother would marinate cubes of beef in this sauce, skewer them, and Dad would grill. The extra sauce is boiled and reduced to serve on the side. The best part is the leftovers. I actually prefer the skewers cold. She used flank steak, which is usually a less expensive cut, but I have also used chicken thighs and they are great.

½ C. Soy Sauce

¼ C. Salad Oil

2 T. Molasses

2 tsp. Ground Ginger

2 tsp. Dry Mustard

2 tsp. Chopped Garlic

Combine and add 1 pound of cubed flank steak or chicken thighs. Refrigerate and marinate three hours. Skewer and grill. Boil remaining marinade to pour over top of skewers.

Peanut Sauce

Check out Andrea Dickson’s Peanut Sauce post and you’ll find three wonderful recipes. I am always watching for cans of peanuts to go on sale so that I can make one of her peanut sauces on the spur of the moment. It is incredibly versatile.

Pesto Sauce

To be honest, I was not a huge fan of pesto until last year, when I planted basil in my vegetable garden. Freshly picked basil, to me, makes a huge difference in the quality of this sauce. Now I make it regularly. Rather than to cut this recipe in half, I freeze the leftovers in little cups (ice cube trays would work, too). That makes for a really fast dinner when you boil some pasta. The expensive ingredients in pesto are the pine nuts. Celebrity chef Ina Garten combines walnuts with pine nuts, which she claims enhances the flavor. I tried it, and I agree. It also reduces the cost.

Tonkatsu Sauce

Here in the Islands, some of us eat our weight in Chicken Katsu. It’s an integral part of a mixed plate lunch. It is traditionally served with tonkatsu sauce. If you don’t want to spring for skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, substitute thighs. This sauce would even be good with kids’ chicken fingers, out of the box. Check it out at allrecipes.com. It’s simple, delicious, and really inexpensive.

Tarragon-Caper Sauce

Doesn’t Chicken with Tarragon-Caper Sauce on Mixed Greens sound fancy? It is. This is a fantastic light supper. The sauce is tangy and refreshing. When it’s just for two of us, I cut this recipe in half. It calls for boneless chicken breasts, but hey, it’s also great on leftover turkey or rotisserie chicken.

Port Wine Sauce

I saved the flashiest sauce for last. I think the first time I made it, for a big dinner party, I went all out with a prime rib. The good news is it’s so tasty, you can put it over a chuck roast and people will still rave. I cannot always find dried cherries so have substituted dried cranberries, which worked fine. The extra-good news about this sauce is that the recipe comes from Carrie Latt Wiatt’s book, Portion Savvy: The 30-Day Smart Plan for Eating Well. That makes it a lower-guilt sauce.

My last money-saving tip: plant a little herb garden. Many sauce recipes call for a small quantity of tarragon, chives, rosemary, etc. Even if you are an apartment-dweller, you can grow herbs inside on a windowsill.

This article is from Marla Walters of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: