Recipes for Sauces, Gravies, Salsas, Marinades and Glazes

Recipe courtesy of Kelsey Nixon - © 2011 Cooking Channel, LLC, All Rights Reserved

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups hot whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or an oven-safe skillet. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, avoid browning, about 2 minutes. Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring the sauce to a boil. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper, to taste. Reduce the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat.

Recipe courtesy of Daisy Martinez - Food Network TV

Daisy used this Pesto to serve with her "Humitas" (Creamy Corn Empanadas) - For recipe, Click Here.

• 1 packed cup coarsely chopped cilantro (stems and all)
• 1 packed cup flat-leaf parsley
• ¼ cup marcona almonds or blanched almonds
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• Kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

This is particularly good with shrimp skewers or short ribs, but it would be at home with any simple fish steak or fish fillet off the grill. I went with a straightforward white wine vinegar here, but you can fine tune this to your own taste by using sherry vinegar, lemon and/or lime juice, or balsamic vinegar.

1 cup extra-virgin olive oilPour the oil into a blender jar. Add the cilantro, parsley, almonds, and vinegar and blend until the herbs are finely chopped and the mixture is fairly smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. The pesto can be made up to a day in advance. Scrape into a storage container and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent the pesto from turning dark. Refrigerate until ready to use. Bring the pesto to room temperature before serving.

To make Dulce de Leche with Sweetened Condensed Milk:

1. Take one or two cans of sweetened condensed milk, remove the labels, and put them in your crock pot.
2. Completely submerge the can(s) in water.
3. Set to low and wait eight hours.
4. Wait for the cans to come to room temperature and open the cans.

The Dulce De Leche Backstory from Cupcake Project

When I last made dulce de leche, I boiled milk and sugar on the stove top. You, my readers, flooded me with suggestions on alternate ways of making dulce de leche. Many of you suggested that I use a pressure cooker to make dulce de leche. That's a great idea, but I don't own one (it's one of the few kitchen gadgets that I don't own).

Someone suggested that I use a slow cooker!

• 8 tablespoons butter (preferably Kerrygold)
• 8 ounces (about 1-¼ cups) light brown sugar
• 1 cup cream
• ¼ cup brandy
• ¼ cup sweetsherry

Place butter, sugar and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring throughout. Boil 4 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. Remove pan from heat, let cool 1 minute, then add brandy and sherry. Makes 1-¾ cups.

Rehydrate Dried Chile Pods (New Mexico, Pasilla, California). Use whole chiles that are of good color and they are dried and have no tears or broken pieces. Rinse off any excess dust or grime under cool water. Pat dry and then cut the top off of each chile and then slit it down the middle. Shake out the seeds, using your fingers or a spoon to dislodge any seeds that want to stick. Peel off any excess dried veins that are lighter in color and run in a line down the inside.

Heat a comal (or griddle) over medium/high heat and roast the dried chiles for 2-3 minutes. Turn them often to avoid burning them. Set the toasted chiles in a glass heat-proof bowl and cover with very hot water. Let them soak for about 30 minutes. You can anchor them down with a plate to keep them submerged in the hot water while soaking. Remove the chiles from the water and place them in a blender with about ¼-cup of the soaking liquid and puree until smooth. You can add your garlic and spices to the chiles while blending them. The finished puree is what you will use for the Enchilada Sauce. Add more chile water if puree is too thick, you may add more soaking water.*

*If you wish to skip this process of processing the dried chile pods, you may use chile powder to make your sauce.**

Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a skillet and add 1 Tablespoon flour; mix well, stirring continuously until flour is browned and toasty. Add pureed chile sauce a little at a time, incorporating into the flour mixture; making a nice thick, smooth gravy. Use some of the soaking water to thin the gravy, if desired. If you have not added the garlic and spices to the chiles in the blender, then add now with a little salt. Stir well and let cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning.

**If you use chile powder to make your sauce: Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in skillet and add 1 Tablespoon of flour; mix well, stirring continuously until flour is browned and toasty. Add ¼-cup of chile powder, spices and salt to flour mixture; incorporating well. At this point you will need to add liquid, whisking in to make your "gravy"; you can use water or chicken broth. After sauce is blended well; let cook for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for seasoning.

This chile sauce can be used in a number of recipes in addition to Enchiladas - like Chile Colorado, Menudo, Tamales.

Spices used: ½ teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground oregano, ¼ ground allspice.

Recipe courtesy Aarti Sequeira - Food Network TV

• ½ cup cloves garlic, whole
• ½ cup fresh ginger, peeled, ½-inch slices
• ¼ cup canola oil

1. Throw the garlic, ginger, and canola oil in a mini-food processor and let it go until it forms a semi-smooth paste. There will still be tiny little pieces in there, but overall, it should resemble a paste.
2. Save what you don't use in a small glass jar. It should last in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks. It's a delicious addition to marinades, pasta sauces, stir fry sauces, slow-cooker recipes, gravy etc. We always had a jar of this stuff in our fridge growing up.

• ¼-pound stick of butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Pinch of white pepper

Melt the butter without browining it and keep it warm over very low heat. Combine the eggs yolks, lemon juice,s alt and pepper inthe container of an electric blender. Cover the jar and blend at high speed for about 2 seconds. Then remove the cover and, still blending at high speed, slowly pour inthe hot butter. For a finer sauce do not pour in the whey (or milky solids on the bottom of the pan), although it willl not be disastrous if you do. Taste for seasoning.

Working quickly, remove the poached eggs from the bowl of water and drain them on a kitchen towel. Place an egg atop each slice of ham, pour Hollandaise Sauce over each of them, and serve at once.

©1968 Time, Inc. Time-LifeBooks "Foods of the World: Recipes: American Cooking"

Contributed by Dexter Murphy, Stonington, Connecticut

You need a double boiler for this; so that you don't burn anything.

• 4 squares of bitter chocolate
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• ½ stick butter(or margarine; but butter is better!)
• optional: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler.

Once melted, add sugar and milk and stir until sugar melts and makes a sauce consistency.

This is truly a great dessert treat, especially with kids. Much better than commercial sauces. Get good vanilla ice cream; a can of whipped cream and cherries for the top and do it up extra! Old style hot fudge sundaes!

How to make the perfect Mint Sauce.....

• 4 Tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 fld. oz. (1 cup) malt vinegar

Bring sugar and vinegar to the boil in a large saucepan; cook, uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Allow to cool. Add the mint.

Mole Enchilada Sauce

Just notes jotted down 1/25/10 by phone for Genie Corral's Enchilada Sauce: Genie Corral is my cousin from Danville, California and this Enchilada Recipe is always a hit.

To make sauce:

1. In a large Dutch Oven, brown 3/4 cup flour in oil with some garlic cloves (remove garlic cloves before adding rest of ingredients). Pour in 1 jar of Gerhardt's Eagle Chile Powder; 1 large can Las Palmas enchilada sauce, 1 can tomato sauce + 1 can water; 1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon powder or 1 cup chicken broth. Spices: brown sugar and salt to taste; 1 tsp. cumin; 1 tablespoon cocoa powder; 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter. If too thick, add more water.
2. Fry corn tortillas in oil until soft and place on cookie sheet lined with paper towels.
3. Brown ground turkey with chopped onions and garlic (or garlic powder); add salt and pepper and cumin to taste.
4. Dip tortillas in enchilada sauce and fill with a little of the ground meat, grated Monterey Jack Cheese. You can add sliced black olives at this point if you wish to each enchilada.
5. Roll up and place, seam side down, in casserole dish.
6. Pour any left-over sauce over all rolled enchiladas and top with more grated Jack cheese. Keep warm in oven until ready to serve.

When Genie made a similar recipe at Norrine & Raymond Valderrama's house in West Virginia, Norrine jotted down these measurements (no chile powder or cocoa powder here):

• 6 Tb. flour
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2-3 cans tomato sauce (8 oz. size)
• 1 can Las Palmas Enchilada Sauce (28 oz. size)
• 3 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth
• 1-1/2 Tb. peanut butter
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1-½ Tb. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. oregano (optional)
• 1 tsp. cumin(Optional)
• 1/8 tsp. allspice (optional)

Reprinted from England's Sunday Express Magazine March 2006.

How to make the perfect onion gravy.

• 4 red onions, each cut into 8 wedges
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 900ml (1½ pints; or 3 cups) fresh beef stock
• 300ml (½ pint; or 1 cup) red wine
• Salt and ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350³F/Gas Mark 4

Place the onion wedges in a large roasting tin. Add the thyme and drizzle over the olive oil.

Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Remove from the oven and place on the hob over a medium heat. Pour in the stock and wine; bring to the boil and cook gently, reducing by a third.

Serve with sausages (Bangers and Mash) or liver.

• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 4-5 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped small (yellow or red)
• 3 Serrano chiles,* seeded and minced fine
• Juice from ½ fresh lime (about 3 Tb.)
• Cilantro, chopped (about ½ cup)
• Pinch of Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Chop onions and peppers very fine.
2. Seed tomatoes, and chop very small.
3. Combine onions, tomatoes, chiles and cilantro. Add lime juice and mix well.
4. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Can be made up to 4 hours ahead.

*Serrano chiles are small, fresh, green chiles - slightly hotter than jalapeños. Can substitute jalapeño if you wish, for a milder version.

Pico de Gallo literally means "hot rooster sauce". Salsas made with red tomatos, white onions, and green chiles are sometimes called "salsa Mexicana" or "salsa bandera", because the colors represent the colors of the Mexican flag.

Pomegranate Raita

• 1-½ cups natural yogurt (preferably Greek)
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 pomegranate, to give ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• Scant ½ teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, reserving some pomegranate seeds for garnish. Add a squeeze of pomegranate juice from the husks of the seeded pomegranate at the end.

Stir everything together, and serve in a bowl scattering the reserved pomegranate seeds over as a garnish.

Recipe courtesy of Nigella Lawson - Food Network

Recipe submitted by Denise Hinojos (granddaughter of Margaret Alvarez), as given to her by her mom, Marlene Pacheco....

Red Chile:

• 3 oz. Chili de Arbol
• 1- ½ t garlic powder
• ¼ t cumin (comino)
• 1 t onion powder
• 1-¾ t salt
• 2 lbs. tomatillo
• 1 cup fresh water

Rinse chili and roast in 350F oven for 18 minutes. Stir every 4-5 minutes so chili does not burn. Meanwhile, boil tomatillo in water about 10 minutes.

Place chili, tomatillo, spices and water in blender. Blend 3-4 minutes. Makes about 3-4 cups. Can be frozen. (Tips: Roast 6 oz of chili at a time, save half for another batch.)

(Do not use water from the tomatillo, as it may be bitter) Marlene (my mom)

Recipe courtesy of the Neeley's - Food Network TV

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Dash hot sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce in a small bowl until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

• 1 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ teaspoon finely minced garlic
• 4 pieces (about 6 oz. each) salmon filet, skin on
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1. In a 1- to 2-quart pan, mix soy sauce, honey and garlic. Stir often over medium-high heat until glaze is reduced by about a third, 7 to 10 minutes.
2. Pour 3 tablespoons glaze into a small bowl and reserve. Pour remainder into a shallow 2- to 3-quart baking dish. Set salmon pieces in dish, skin side up; let stand 15 minutes. Turn salmon pieces over.
3. Bake in a 450°F oven until salmon has turned opaque at the edges, but is still translucent in the center (cut to test), 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven.
4. Increase oven heat to broil. Brush salmon evenly with about half the reserved glaze and sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds. Broil 6 inches from heat until sesame seeds are toasted and salmon is opaque, but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Drizzle salmon with remaining reserved glaze. Use a wide spatula to transfer pieces to plates.

This recipe given to my mom by George Pangilla, a friend of the family from Chile.

• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Recipe Contributed by Denise (Alvarez) Hinojos (daughter of Robert Alvarez)

• 3-4 Jalapenos
• 1 can tomatoes, diced or whole
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 bunch green onion
• salt
• 1/2 bunch cilantro

Place all ingredients in blender; blend for about 30 seconds.

Toast dried Japones (6 small) or New Mexico (2) chile pods. Remove stems and seeds and place in a blender and pulse to make chile flakes.

If using a molcajete, place 5-6 peeled garlic cloves in bottom of molcajete, cover with a teaspoon of salt and let sit for about 10 minutes. Grind up garlic and salt into a paste; add chile flakes and pound some more until paste is incorporated all together. Add 1 small can tomato sauce and mix all well. Add a little water if too thick.

You can use powdered oregano and cumin if you want a nice kick. Also you can add chopped cilantro for more flavor.

If you're not using a molcajete or mortar and pestle, blend all in a blender or food processor. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Great salsa to use for tacos, tostadas; or as a dip for tortilla chips.

This recipe is from Toni and Stella

Use these sauces for pouring over Christmas Pudding:Recipe Offered to Toni by Margaret Thomas of Wales

Brandy Butter: Mix equal parts of softened butter and ground almonds. Mix thoroughly with brandy and place in butter dish and refrigerate for 4 days.

White Sauce

• 1/2 pt. milk
• dessert spoon cornflour
• add sugar to taste
• Cook until custardy and add brandy or rum to taste.

Recipe from Budgetbytes.blogspot.com

Total Recipe cost: $5.15 Servings Per Recipe: 13 (1/2 cup each) Cost per serving: $0.40 Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 8 hrs. Total: 8 hrs. 10 min.

• 2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
• 1 medium yellow onion
• ½ Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 whole bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• ½ Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• to taste salt & pepper

1. Cut the onion into a small dice and mince the garlic (or use pre-minced garlic from a jar). Place both in the slow cooker. Also add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves, basil, oregano, and freshly cracked pepper. Stir well to combine. If your slow cooker tends to lose moisture and dry things out, add ½ to 1 cup of water as well.
2. Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.
3. Remove the lid on the slow cooker, stir the sauce, and remove the bay leaves. Season with salt to taste (I added about 1 tsp). Enjoy over your favorite pasta!

Now how easy was that? You can also try adding other ingredients like sliced mushrooms, Italian sausage (cook separately and add to the sauce after it has cooked), crushed red pepper, olive oil (for a richer sauce), bell peppers... the sky is the limit.

The first time I made this sauce, I served it over homemade gnocchi and almost died and went to heaven

Recipe Courtesy of Aida Mollenkamp - Cooking Channel TV

• 1¼ cups mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1 medium lime)
• 8 cilantro sprigs, stems trimmed
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

In a blender, combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup drained sweet-pickle relish
• 1 Tablespoon drained capers
• 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon grated onion
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise with lemon juice, sweet pickle relish, capers, parsley, onion and salt; mix well. Refrigerate, covered, until sauce is well chilled and flavors are blended - at least 2 hours.

If making Tartar Sauce for FISH TACOS, you can add a dash of cayenne pepper, chopped cilantro, or chipotle sauce.

Recipe printed from McCall's Magazine April 1977

Recipe contributed by Denise Hinojos (Margaret Alvarez's granddaughter)...

• 8-10 medium size tomatillos
• handful of serrano chili
• 1 small onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• salt to taste
• 1/2 - 3/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

Cut tomatillos, chilis, onion to fit in blender. Add a little water, garlic and salt, then blend approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute. Cook in pan 8-10 minutes, until tender. The color will change to a lighter green. Let cool, than add chopped cilantro.

Yoli Oliva (Denise's good friend)

Green salsas are almost always more mild than red salsas. The main difference between regular salsa and salsa verde is that tomatillos are used instead of red tomatoes. Due to the tomatillos, salsa verde has a tangy, zesty flavor with the underlying tastes of hearty roasted green chiles and onions.

• 12-15 tomatillos, husks removed, quartered
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, skin removed, coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed
• 3 large green chiles, (such as Poblano, Ancho, Anaheim or Hatch) roasted and skins removed
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Add onions, jalepeno and tomatillos into a food processor and pulse 4-5 times. Add in remaining ingredients and pulse until desired consistency.

Salsa verde can be served immediately, but is better when it sits in the refrigerator overnight to let the flavors meld.

Chelsea Kenyon About.com

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