Tag: taste

Tzatziki Sauce – Can You Say Delicious?

Whenever I do ethnic recipes like this Greek tzatziki sauce,
I’ll usually go online and listen to an audio dictionary or some YouTube videos
to verify the pronunciation. Of
course, just listening to it doesn’t mean I’ll actually be able to pronounce it
that way. A western New York accent is a strange and unpredictable thing, but
at least I know how far off I am.

This time things were a little different. I must have listened to a half-dozen
examples, and they all were fairly unique. Everything from how I say it,
TA-ZEE-KEY, to something that sounded a lot like CHA-CHEE-KEE, which, by the
way, is my new favorite way to say it. Just for fun, maybe you all can leave
your best phonetic spelling of “Tzatziki” in the comments section, and we’ll
see what the consensus is.

Unlike the pronunciation, one thing that everyone will agree
on is that this garlicky yogurt sauce is truly of one of the world’s great
condiments. This is quite literally delicious on anything savory, and with
grilling season upon us, you’ll want this one in your regular rotation. I hope
you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Make about 3 cups of Tzatziki:

2 cups Greek yogurt

1 large cucumber, peeled, grated, tossed with 1/2 teaspoon
of salt

4 cloves garlic, very finely minced

juice of half a lemon or vinegar to taste

3 tbsp chopped fresh dill and/or mint

salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

Homemade Ketchup Because You’re Crazy Like That

I want to be very clear that I’m posting this copycat recipe
for ketchup only because I’ve received countless food wishes for it, and not
because I think it’s a great idea. It’s not even a good idea.

This tweet
I posted yesterday sums things up nicely,
“Making some homemade ketchup. Sure it costs more, and doesn’t taste as
good as store bought, but at least it takes a really long time to do.”

Of course, we’ve made lots of things that are generally
better not homemade, like French fries and fried chicken, but this is much
different. For most Americans, ketchup is one of our first taste memories, and
if the flavor profile is even the slightest bit off, our brain computes this
as “ketchup fail.”

Having said that, I’m very proud of how close this ketchup
does come to those name brands in terms of taste, texture and color. I’ve never
had a tomato paste-based ketchup that I liked, so I decided to cook down
crushed tomatoes instead. This would require many hours of stirring on the stove, but by using the slow cooker, we take most of the labor out of the
process. Sure it‘ll still take many hours to reduce down to a ketchup, but it
will only require giving it a quick stir every hour or two.

As I joke about in the video (not really a joke), you’d have to be
crazy to make your own ketchup, but despite my warnings, I know in my heart
that many of you will give this a try nonetheless, and that makes me happy. Enjoy!

Ingredients to make 3 cups of Ketchup:

2 cans (28-oz) ground tomatoes (you can also used crushed,
or just crush whole plum tomatoes)

2/3 cups white sugar

3/4 cup white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon onion powder (not salt!)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt!)

1 3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon celery salt

1/8 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

1 whole clove

* Cook on the high setting in an uncovered slow cooker until
the mixture is reduced by about half and very thick. By the way, my “high”
setting isn’t very high, so it took like 10 hours, but don’t rely on a time.
Simply cook until it looks like mine did before I strained it.

Cream of Asparagus Soup – For the Love of Spring

It’s not quite spring yet, but this young man’s fancy has
already turned to love. No, not that kind; I’m talking about my love for this
ultra-easy, and gorgeously colored, cream of asparagus soup recipe. For me, asparagus is one of those rare vegetables that
shines brightest when enjoyed in soup form.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the
fresh spears, and have posted many recipes featuring them, but for pure
asparagus goodness, you just can’t beat a perfectly made bowl of soup. There are no tricks or secret techniques here; just make
sure your onions are fully cooked before adding the asparagus, and other than
not over-cooking it, there’s not a lot that can go wrong.

Testing the
vegetable’s doneness by pressing them against the side of the pot should
eliminate any guesswork, but if unsure, err on the side of slightly under vs.
slightly over cooked. The other decision you’ll have to make is whether to strain
or not. I recommend it, but totally understand if you don’t. The soup is great as
is, but straining out the woodier fibers does give it a finer, more velvety texture.

Of course, the float of Parmesan and lemon cream on top is
optional also, but pretend it isn’t. It adds a great visual element, and adds a little extra richness to the soup’s lean, green
goodness. I hope you fall in love with this soup soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 1/2 quarts of soup:

2 tbsp butter
1 diced onion

2 pounds asparagus

salt to taste

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

cayenne to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

pinch of nutmeg (I forgot to mention in video, but just add
with other spices!)

1/2 cup of heavy cream

For the cream topping:

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 tsp lemon zest

*whisk for minute until frothy and slightly thickened