Condiments

            Condiments are a type of sauce and are made like sauces.  Condiments are used to add flavor to a dish or moisture to a sandwich.  We have already covered mayonnaise.  Condiments are often bought prepared and bottled, but many can be made at home. 

 

Dipping Sauce are also condiments.  Every culture has its own dipping sauces. They are used with vegetables to meats to sweets.  The right dipping sauce should enhance the dish, not cover it up.

 

Salad Dressings are sauces or condiments for salads. The purpose is to enhance the flavor of the salad.  But again dressings should not overpower the salad. 

 

 

This Week’s Challenge - Make a from salad dressing of your own creation

 

            Choose an oil, an acid, and seasonings for your dressing.  You may want to choose ingredients that you have never used or rarely use.   Think about how the flavors will go together.  Think about the salad.  I like to use walnut oil in dressings and you can complement it with walnuts in the salad.  You may want to use raspberry vinegar in the dressing and fresh raspberries in the salad.

 

Tip for this Week - Homemade is better

 

            Learning to make your own condiments, dipping sauces and dressings can be very rewarding.  You know exactly what goes into your sauce.  There is no need for preservatives and chemicals.  The taste is fresher and clean.  I think it is healthier to make your own. 

 

 

This Week in Punkin’s Kitchen

 

Papa’s Tartar Sauce

 

Baked cod with tartar sauce with
cauliflower and cheese and oven
roasted acorn squash and a dill pickle.

            This is great made with homemade mayonnaise.

 

1 C      Mayonnaise

1 T       Green onions, minced

1 ½ t    Dill pickles, minced

1 t        Sweet pickle juice

 

The Ingredients

1.    Finely mince all the ingredients and blend into the mayonnaise. 

 

Half a Kosher dill pickle, cut into strips

Dill pickle diced.




Green onions should be used, but I used
chives this time.

 

Add to the mayonnaise and stir to blend.

 

 

2.    It is best if this sets a little while before using. 

 

The finished sauce ready for the fridge.

 

3.    Garnish with a little chopped dill, if you like.

 

The completed dinner of baked
cod, cauliflower and acorn squash

 

Soup of the Week

 

            This is great to serve on St. Patrick’s Day.  What makes it Irish is the Irish beer and cheese. It is a sharp soup.  Serve it with more Irish beer and Irish Soda Bread, posted on March 12, 2016.

 

Irish Beer Cheese Soup

 

Irish Beer Cheese Soup, served
chunky with Soda Bread

32 oz              Irish beer, Harp’s is recommended (3 bottles)

12 oz.             Vegetable or chicken stock

1 T                   Onion powder

1 t                    White pepper

1 lb.                 Potatoes, peeled and diced

1 T                   Cornstarch

¼ C                 Water

1 lb.                 Irish cheddar cheese, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

 

The ingredients

1.    Add the beer, stock, onion powder and pepper to a large soup pot.

 

Beer, stock, onion powder, sand white
pepper added to the soup pot.

 

2.    Over medium heat bring to a boil.

3.    Add the potatoes and cook until soft.

 

Add the potatoes and cook until soft.

 

4.    Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to the soup and reduce the heat.

 

Mix the cornstarch with the water and
let it stand a few minutes.  This should
remove lumps.  Add to the soup.

Cornstarch added.

 

5.    Add the cheese a handful at a time.

 

Cheese added.  At this point the
soup is ready to serve or it can be
 pureed until smooth just before serving.

 

6.    Ladle into serving bowl and serve with Irish Soda Bread.

I left this chunky and served it with soda bread.

 

 

Also this Week

 

            Lent started this week so for the next few weeks we will be looking at fish dishes and vegetarian food.  People celebrate Lent with different types of fasting.  I don’t eat meat on Friday and Wednesday.  I do have fish or vegetarian meals on those days.  I eat normally the rest of the week.  So I hope you look forward to more fish dishes and some vegetarian meals.

 

Happy Cooking!