CarolCooks2…Week 13…in my Kitchen…made from scratch…Sauces and condiments…

Welcome to my kitchen where I cook almost everything from scratch…Just in case you missed it one of the reasons why I cook from scratch…

So easy to say “make everything from scratch” HOWEVER…let’s be realistic here…and break it down a little.

Look at what you eat often...if it’s something that is a rare treat and time-consuming to make, there is often no point unless you want to make it…Your time is far better spent making food from scratch, which you and your family actually eat on a regular basis.

Sauces and condiments…I always thought it was a peculiarity of the Brits but now I am more knowledgeable about world cuisine I don’t think so but today I am concentrating on the sauces and condiments my mother made and served with her dinners…

It is also as you know because I don’t like chemicals in my food and also I don’t like being fleeced an example of this are the Colemans sauces…I am just using one as an example…Horseradish Sauce…

Spirit vinegar, horseradish (33%), turnip, rapeseed oil, water, sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, flavourings, salt, free-range British EGG yolk powder (0,6%), thickener (xanthan gum), MUSTARD flour, dextrose, antioxidant (sodium METABISULPHITE).

Plus the jar size and contents have decreased…plus import costs makes for an expensive(if) I can find it… jar of sauce…

Standard old price: £1.19 for 250ml. Standard new price £1.14 for 150ml. Total con!…this is the UK cost for me that is more than doubled…

No brainer really I am saving on cost-plus eliminating what looks like to me 3 lots of sugar under different names…salt, flavourings plus sodium METABISULPHITE…Well, I googled that… and it is safe to eat…not to breathe in and could affect one’s organs…According to the relevant agencies I trust about as much as I would trust a snake just about to strike at me…Just saying!

I hear you say moderation and I agree but I will also say build up as it is in mass-produced bread, crackers, biscuits etc…and also classed as a disinfectant…I’d really rather not…

Recipes…

Beef…it was horseradish sauce or mustard...

My mother made her prepared horseradish with grated horseradish root, vinegar, and salt…this is not the same as horseradish sauce…but is added to the sour cream if making a horseradish sauce…which is a milder version of prepared horseradish.

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp prepared horseradish
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
  • 1 tsp Apple cider vinegar

Mix everything together, taste and adjust seasoning if required. leave in the fridge for at least 2 hrs before serving if possible to allow flavours to develop.

Lamb…freshly made mint sauce…

  • 2-3 bunches of fresh-picked mint leaves only unless the stalks are very tender.
  • 1-2 tbsp white vinegar…my mother always used malt vinegar again I can’t always get it here.
  • 4-6 tsp raw brown sugar

Wash the mint thoroughly and pick off the leaves. Chop finely with 1-2 tsp of the sugar and then add the vinegar…taste and add more sugar if required some prefer their mint sauce sweeter than others.

Enjoy with your lamb and new potatoes…Delicious.

Pork…it had something missing if there was no apple sauce…

  • 4 large Apples(Bramley’s) if you can get them…peeled, cored and sliced
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon/lime and toss apples to stop them from going brown.
  • Sugar…if using a cooking apple you may need 3-4 tbsp sugar depending…the apples here are not very tart so I often don’t use sugar or a scant tbsp.

Cook the apples for 20-25 mins until they break down and turn into a thick sauce if you are adding sugar add at the beginning of the cook.

 

N.B I like to add a clove to my apples when cooking but that is personal taste and sometimes I add a small piece of cinnamon.

Chicken…cranberry sauce and bread sauce…

Cranberry Sauce:

  • 3  cups or 12 oz of cranberries.
  • The juice of 2 large Oranges.
  • A cup of sugar.
  • 1 stick of cinnamon.

 

Put all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pan, bring to the boil and turn down so it is still a rolling boil and cook for 10 mins if ( using) frozen berries or 20 minutes if using fresh cranberries as they will take a bit longer to pop.

Store in a sealed container.

My mum’s original Bread Sauce recipe…

Tip:

Freeze the breadcrumbs ready to use( I always) keep a bag of frozen breadcrumbs in the freezer.  I have been surprised living here that many people have not heard of bread sauce my mum always made it at Christmas Dinner we couldn’t have turkey/Capon without bread sauce…

I have been making it here quite often lately not sure why apart from its quick to make and goes well with roast chicken as before it was just made at Christmas…I am blaming the quarantine…

Ingredients:

About half a loaf of Stale white bread either broken into smallish pieces or can blitz into breadcrumbs if you like a smoother sauce.

  • I brown Onion peeled and studded with cloves.
  • 2 bay leaves.
  • Salt & Pepper.
  • About half-pint milk.

Let’s Cook!

Pour milk into a saucepan and add studded onion. Slowly bring to boil and turn down and add your bread crumbs or cubes and let gently simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. When cool remove the onion and bay leaves.

This can be reheated to serve or made the day before and kept covered in the fridge. It is quite a thick consistency so if too thin add some more bread if too thick some more milk.

Fish…served with tartare sauce…delicious…

  • 200ml/7fl oz mayonnaise
  • 3 tbsp capers, drained and chopped
  • 3 tbsp gherkins, drained and chopped
  • 1 small shallot, finely chopped
  • A squeeze of lemon/lime juice
  • 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • flaked sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.

Mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl and serve straight away or store in the fridge until needed.

How easy is that…

With all of these, you control the sugar and salt plus they are easy to make…the chopping of ingredients takes longer.

Thank you once again for joining me in my kitchen it is lovely to see you here…See you tomorrow for Tropical Fridays will it be fruit or vegetable…well known or little known? xx

26 thoughts on “CarolCooks2…Week 13…in my Kitchen…made from scratch…Sauces and condiments…”

  1. D. Wallace Peach

    Thanks for the recipes, Carol. I completely agree that making our own sauces is the way to go – fewer chemicals and we save money! I like sauces since they can really jazz up a rather dull dinner. 🙂 Thanks for the horseradish and mint sauce recipes, in particular, and I also had never heard of bread sauce! I’ll give it a try!

    Like

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      You are welcome, Diana and yes they do jazz up a meal…as well as saving money and you can control sugar and salt we love bread sauce I do think it is an English thing as many people have not tried or heard of it…I hope you enjoy 🙂 x

      Liked by 1 person

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  4. Carol

    I like to cook my apples on top of my pork chops as they simmer in a half cup of sweet white wine (after browning the chops with onion and garlic). Next time I’ll try to remember to put a touch of clove in the mix.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Hi Carol…my son does something very similar to that with his pork chops it is quite tasty as is the gravy if you use the juices but adding the wine is a good tip we don’t do that but will try it next time I’m sure that takes it up a notch taste-wise…Thank you for the tip 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  5. roughwighting

    So impressive and I agree with you. Everything is much better made from scratch. I love mint with my lamb and applesauce with my pork and horseradish with my beef. What great condiments!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. johnrieber

    Another terrific post! I love your focus on creating healthy food from real ingredients with nothing else added…and since most of our sauces are heavily “fortified” with stuff we don’t need, why not make them at home? Bravo!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      It is a British traditional dish normally served at Christmas with Turkey/Chicken which dates back to medieval times…if you get the cloves/bayleaves and onions infused in the milk perfectly it is wonderful I have made it every time we roast a chicken lately as we love it so much x

      Liked by 1 person

      2. CarolCooks2 Post author

        Taste wise it is a good match and indigestion wise the acidity in the apples helps digest the fat in the pork the same with premise of mint sauce with lamb…:) x

        Liked by 1 person

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  10. beetleypete

    I don’t care for horseradish sauce, but Julie loves it. She used to buy Colman’s, but then I discovered a much larger ‘own brand’ pot in tesco for less money. It was probably made by Colman’s and re-branded anyway. 🙂
    Best wishes, Pete. x

    Liked by 1 person

  11. OIKOS™-Editorial

    What great ideas! I don’t even remember how long I haven’t eaten lamb. Of course, horseradish sauce is part of it, simply because lamb has a lot of fat. Thank you, Carol! Enjoy a beautiful rest of the week! Michael

    Liked by 1 person

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