Chorizo Vinaigrette →

Served warm or at room temperature, this flavorful vinaigrette adds a subtle piquant note to salads, vegetables, and grilled or roasted protein. It also adds delicious flavor drizzled over hummus or white beans. Use the crisp, crumbled sausage as a garnish. 

Chorizo Vinaigrette
Makes about ½ cup

INGREDIENTS

•  1 ½ ounces cured Portuguese linguiça or Spanish chorizo (not fresh Mexican chorizo)

•  ½ medium shallot

•  3 sprigs fresh cilantro (or parsley if you don’t like cilantro)

•  ¼ cup olive oil, divided

•  1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

•  2-tablespoons sherry vinegar

•  ¾ teaspoon honey

•  ¼  teaspoon Dijon mustard

•  ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

• Freshly ground black pepper 

PREPARATION

1. Cut the linguiça or Spanish chorizo into quarters lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick pieces (about a scant half cup).

2. Mince the shallot. Finely chop the leaves and tender stems of 3 fresh cilantro or parsley sprigs (about 3-4 teaspoons).

3. Place the sausage in a medium skillet and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crisp, and the fat is rendered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate. (*See Note)

4. Add the shallot to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until just translucent and fragrant (not brown), about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.

5. Add the lemon juice, cilantro or parsley, sherry vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and kosher salt to the skillet and stir to mix. (*See Note)

6. Spoon the warm vinaigrette over salad greens, roasted vegetables, or grilled or roasted protein of choice. Serve with the crispy chorizo garnish. 

RECIPE NOTES
*Optional but recommended: peel the casing off the linguiça before frying. Place the fried sausage in a food processor and pulse a few times to break up the meat and use it as a crumbled garnish. 
*Optional for a smoother vinaigrette: add the contents of the skillet to a blender or food processor along with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and blitz until you have a smooth mixture. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.
*Storage: Leftover vinaigrette can be refrigerated in a heatproof jar for up to 5 days. Rewarm in a saucepan over low heat or the microwave, then whisk or shake again before using. The cooked chorizo can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. 

Adapted from: https://www.thekitchn.com/chorizo-vinaigrette-recipe

Avocado Aioli →

Lemony fresh aioli mixed with creamy ripe avocado and a touch of heat from jalapeño. Excellent on sandwiches or to use as a dip for crudites or a spread on crackers. Delicious!

Avocado Aioli
Yield about ½ cup

Ingredients:
·  1 small, grated garlic clove
·  1 small or medium egg yolk
·  1- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
·   ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
·   2 tablespoons good quality virgin olive oil
·   1-2 teaspoons canola or avocado oil
·   1 ripe avocado
·   1 teaspoon minced pickled jalapeño
·   salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1.  Micro-plane or mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt.
2.  Whisk the yolk, lemon juice, and mustard in a bowl.
3.  Combine the oils and add a few drops at a time to the yolk mixture, whisking constantly, until the oil is incorporated, and the mixture is emulsified. (If the mixture breaks and separates, stop adding oil and continue whisking until the mixture comes together and is smooth, then continue whisking in the remaining oil.)
4.  Whisk in the grated garlic and salt and pepper to taste. If the aioli is too thick, whisk in a drop or two of water.
5.  Add the aioli to a small blender and spoon in the ripe avocado and jalapeño. Process until well incorporated and smooth. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Grilled steak sandwich with tomato, lettuce, and avocado aioli.

Use as a dip for crudites or a topping for sandwiches.

Steak sandwich.

*Note: if you don’t want to take the time to make aioli from scratch, use my recipe for Quick Aioli and add the avocado and jalapeño as above.

Quick Aioli →

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1-2 garlic cloves (finely minced or grated and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt)

• 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)

• 3-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (to taste)

• Pinch of salt (to taste)

• Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Combine the ingredients and mix well.

Blueberry Sauce →

Quck and easy to make...here’s a delicious blueberry sauce to pair with Semolina Ricotta Cake (Migliaccio), pound cake, or cheese cake. It’s also wonderful just spooned over vanilla ice cream. You can use fresh blueberries if available, but frozen at home or frozen berries from the supermarket work just as well. Enjoy!

Blueberry Sauce
Yield about 1 cup

INGREDIENTS

• 2½ -3 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries

• 5 tablespoons sugar

• ¼ cup of water

• about a 3-4 inch strip of lemon zest (no white pith)

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 2-3 tablespoons Limoncello (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Mix the blueberries, sugar, water, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

2. Strain the liquid into a blender or food processor and add half the berries reserving the remaining fruit and lemon zest. Buzz the mixture for 20-30 seconds.

3. Strain the mixture back into the saucepan and add the reserved berries, lemon zest, lemon juice, and limoncello if using. Bring to a boil over medium heat, simmer, and reduce the liquid for about 5 minutes.

4. Remove the lemon zest and cool the sauce to room temperature. The sauce thickens as it cools and will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in a covered container.

*NOTE: if you want a slightly thicker sauce, mix 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth and add to the sauce while still hot; stir and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Semolina Ricotta Cake with Blueberry Sauce

Butter Milk →

Big Butter Milk Biscuits

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Pancakes

Buttermilk

INGREDIENTS
4 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar, or fresh lemon juice
1 cup milk

PREPARATION
Place the vinegar in a glass measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 cup total liquid. Stir to combine and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes (The mixture will begin to curdle).

Use as needed in a recipe or cover and refrigerate until needed.

Buttermilk recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

Buttermilk Waffles

Peachy Habanero Hot Sauce →

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

My brother-in-law sent me a bag of Habanero and Carolina Reaper peppers from his garden in Georgia. Most of us are familiar with Jalapeño peppers which are rated at 2,500-8,000 Scoville heat units. By way of comparison, the Habanero pepper is rated at 100,000-350,000 Scoville units and the Carolina Reaper comes in at a whopping 1,400,000-2,200,000 Scoville units making it one of the hottest peppers in the world and 560 times hotter than the common Jalapeño and not a pepper to be taken lightly! This hot-sauce recipe was inspired by the Papaya hot-sauce made by Flavor Pirate. Compared to most store-bought hot-sauces, if the Flavor Pirate hot sauce is a moderately hot sauce, this Peachy-Habanero sauce is a hot hot-sauce. Fruit and acid mitigate the heat of hot peppers and along with spices add complexity to hot-sauce. For this recipe, fresh local peaches add an extra delicious fruitiness to the sauce. To moderate the heat of the sauce, you can omit the Carolina Reapers and a couple of the Habaneros. If you like hot-sauces and you’re looking for something new, give this recipe a try.

Peachy-Habanero Hot Sauce
makes about 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 10-12 Habanero peppers (use rubber gloves to seed the peppers or suffer the painful capsaicin consequences)

• 2 Carolina Reaper peppers seeded

• 4-6 carrots chopped

• ½ onion chopped

• 4-5 roasted garlic cloves

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

• water

• juice from ½ lemon

• 1 bay leaf

• ¼ teaspoon each of allspice, cumin, and coriander

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt to taste

• 2-3 ripe, medium peaches skinned, pitted, and chopped (ripe peaches will add more flavor to the sauce)

• 1 tablespoon honey

Preparation:

1. Roast the garlic until soft and set aside (a cast iron skillet on your stovetop works well)

2. In a covered saucepan, over medium heat, sauté the carrots, onion, peaches, peppers, cider vinegar, lemon juice, spices, and bay leaf until the carrots are fork-tender. (Add water as necessary if the pan starts to become dry. Don’t scorch the veggies.)

3. Remove the bay leaf and put everything including the peeled roasted garlic into the blender.

4. Add the salt and honey to taste.

5. Blend until smooth, add enough water to make the consistency you want.

6. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Allow the sauce to cool and bottle. 

To bottle:
1. Put your bottles into boiling water for ten minutes.
2. Remove from hot water and cool.
3. Fill with sauce and cap.
4. Keeps refrigerated up to a year. 

https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-make-quick-roasted-garlic-article
https://preparedcooks.com/freeze-hot-sauce/

Tonnato with Stuffed Pork Loin →

Traditionally served with marinated cooked veal (vitello tonnato), this versatile sauce from the Piedmont region of Italy is deliciously flavorful and pairs well with veal, turkey, or pork. It also makes a great dip for fresh veggies or savory spread on sandwiches. You can also thin it out a bit and use it as a creamy salad dressing. Traditionally egg yokes are used to create a creamy mayonnaisey sauce, but this version, adapted from Bon Appetit, uses mayonnaise in place of egg yolks without losing the briny creaminess of the sauce. Serve as an elegant dinner with Stuffed Pork Loin Roast, or as a light lunch/picnic with cold thinly sliced roast pork or turkey and a green salad.

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021
Copy and paste to print the recipe.

EASY TONNATO SAUCE
2 cups
Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1- 6-ounce can tuna in olive oil (not drained)
2 anchovy fillets (if you love anchovies add an extra fillet!)
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (to taste)
3 tablespoons drained, rinsed capers

Preparation:
In a blender, purée all ingredients, including oil from tuna can, until smooth and season with salt and pepper.

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/tonnato-sauce-recipe

Portuguese Red Pepper Paste →

This traditional Portuguese condiment provides a distinctive flavor profile to many Portuguese dishes. Essential for “Porco Alentejana” or Mussels with Linguiça and Roasted Potatoes, and Turkey Kale and White Bean Soup. It is also great used as a marinade spread on grilled chicken or pork, to flavor seafood, or added to soups and sauces. It only takes a few minutes to make, keeps in the fridge in a sealed jar for up to 6 months, and will add an exciting new dimension to your culinary repertoire.

Portuguese Red Pepper Paste
Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika

• 2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika

• 1/4 cup dry red wine

• 8 to 10 garlic cloves

• 2 crumbled Turkish bay leaves

• 3 tablespoons store-bought or homemade tomato paste or 1 tablespoon double-concentrate tomato paste

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 7 sprigs cilantro

• 5 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt (16 g)

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

• Few dashes Piri-Piri sauce or other hot sauce to taste

• 1/4 cup olive oil

Preparation:

1. In a food processor, combine the sweet paprika, sweet smoked paprika, wine, garlic, bay leaves, tomato paste, lemon juice, cilantro, parsley, salt, pepper, and piri-piri or other hot sauce.

2. Pulse until the garlic and herbs are minced, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.

3. With the motor still running, add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream and continue whirring until the mixture comes together in a slick, homogeneous paste, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Use the mixture immediately or spoon it into a small glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate. Best if used within 3 months; keep for up to 6 months.

https://leitesculinaria.com/83003/recipes-red-pepper-paste.html

Habanero Hot Sauce →

Photo c. foodblogchef 2020

This is my first batch of hot sauce with many more to come. My brother-in-law grew and sent me a bunch of Habanero peppers along with his recipe for making hot sauce. I compared the finished sauce to two good store-bought brands and was pleased. This hot sauce is a bit fruitier with less vinegar upfront and finishes with a nice slow burn. My beta-tasters are giving it good reviews. For capsaicin kings and queens who like a hotter sauce, leave in the seeds, or substitute a couple of Ghost peppers or Scotch Bonnets for Habaneros. For hot sauce lovers, experiment, and this will become a family heirloom recipe! Let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 Habanero peppers (use rubber gloves to seed the peppers or suffer the painful capsaicin consequences)

• 4-6 carrots chopped

• ½ onion chopped

• 4-5 roasted garlic cloves

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

• juice from ½ lemon

• 1 bay leaf

• ¼ teaspoon each of cumin and coriander (optional)

• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt to taste

• 2 teaspoons of honey

Preparation:

1. Roast the garlic until soft and set aside (a cast iron skillet on your stove top works well

2. Saute the cider vinegar, lemon juice, carrot, onion, spices, bay leaf, and peppers

3. When carrots are soft, remove the bay leaf, and put everything including the roasted garlic into the blender.

4. Add the salt and honey to taste.

5. Blend until smooth, add enough water to make the consistency you want.

6. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Cool and bottle. (keeps refrigerated for up to a year)

To bottle:

1. Put your bottles into boiling water for ten minutes.
2. Remove from hot water and cool.
3. Fill with sauce and cap.