Sauces & Stocks

Sauces & Stocks

Basic Tomato Sauce

2 cans of tomatoes

Or 12 medium ripe tomatoes skinned

3 cloves of garlic chopped finely

1 medium red onion finely chopped

1 cup of red or white wine or veggie stock

1 teaspoon of sugar (optional taste)

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

Heat a little oil in a non stick pan, add the onion & garlic, cook over medium heat until the onion is soft, add the wine or stock and simmer under reduced, pop in the tomatoes, simmer uncovered for 20 mins or until it begins to thicken.

Season with salt & pepper, taste and if a little bitter add the teaspoon of sugar.

This sauce can be made in advance and stored, covered in the fridge for 1 week , it is also suitable for freezing.

Variations on this basic sauce are endless...

· Chilli Tomato Sauce, chop 1 red chilli and cook with the onion & garlic

· Tomato & Basil Sauce, tear 1 handful of fresh basil leaves, add half the basil leaves with the tomatoes and reserve the remainder until the seasoning stage.

· Tomato & Red Pepper, Grill 2 red peppers, remove their skin and chop finely add the peppers at the tomato stage.

· Creamy Tomato , add 3 tbls of fresh cream when the sauce has been simmering for 10 mins, continue to simmer for a further 15 mins or until the sauce has thickened. Add some fresh basil leaves for a great taste.

· Provencal Tomato Sauce, 1 handful of chopped black olives, 1 handful of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley. Add the black olives and flat leaf parsley when the sauce has been simmering for 10 mins.

· Pizza Sauce, add another 2 cloves of garlic and 1 tbls of tomato paste, continue to cook until sauce has thickened to a paste like consistency.

Basic Red Wine Sauce

30g butter

3 shallots finely chopped

1 clove of garlic finely chopped

1 ½ tbls of plain flour

1 cup of beef stock

1/3 cup 80ml of red wine

1 sprig of thyme (optional)

Melt butter in a non stick saucepan, add the shallots and garlic, cook until shallots are soft. Stir in flour for 1 min and then add the wine and stock. Stir over heat until sauce thickens. Pop through a strainer if you would like a smooth sauce.

Beurre Blanc

2 shallotts, finely chopped

2 tbls of fish or veggie stock

2 tbls of white wine vinegar

¼ cup ofdry white wine

250g cold butter chopped

Boil the shallots, stock , vinegar and wine in a small pan until reduced to 2 tbls. Strain and reserve the liquid. Return liquid to the pan, Whisk in the butter cube by cube over a low heat, until the sauce has thickened.

Here is another novel way to make this sauce - pour some boiling water into a Thermos flask to preheat and clean it. Pour the water away and then sieve the flavoured wine into the thermos, adding all of the butter. Put the lid on tightly, place a tea towel over the lid and shake the thermos around for a few minutes. Open it very carefully (in case of any hot steam escaping) and you should have a nice beurre blanc sauce. The best thing about this method is that you can keep it in the flask and it will keep warm until you’re ready to serve the food.

Stocks …

....are really easy and cheap to make to make you just need a little time!

Veggie Stock

1 large carrot, chopped

1 large parsnip, chopped

2 medium onions chopped

6 sticks of celery chopped

1 bunch of mixed herbs

1 tablespoon of black peppercorns

3 litres (about 12 cups) of water

Pop all of the above ingredients into a large saucepan, simmer, uncovered for 1 ½ hours, strain.

Stock keeps in the fridge for about 5 days, and is suitable for freezing.

Chicken Stock

2kg chicken bones

2 medium onions, chopped

2 sticks of celery chopped

2 medium carrots chopped

1 bunch of mixed herbs

2 teasp of black peppercorns

5 litres of water

Pop all of the ingredients into a large saucepan, simmer uncovered for 2 hours, strain.

Speedy Tuna Dishes ...

Lets Get Thrifty.....

Speedy Tuna Dishes ...

Tuna are ocean-dwelling fish and are extremely fast swimmers, can you believe they have been clocked at 70 kilometers per hour Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, tuna flesh is pink to dark red, which could explain their odd nick-name, “rose of the sea.”

Some of the larger species, such as the blue fin tuna, can raise their blood temperature above water temperature through muscular activity. This ability enables them to live in cooler waters and to survive in a wide range of ocean environments.

There are over 48 different varieties of Tuna , with names like Yellow Fin, Big Eye, Long Tail Tuna, Bullet Tuna, Bonito, Little Tunny, Slender Tuna

The main tuna fishing nations are concentrated in Asia with Japan Taiwan, Indonesia & South Korea floating the main fleets In Europe Spain and France are the biggest producers.

Tuna is very high in protein and is such an easy food to prepare whether you are using a fresh tuna steak or from a tuna from a tin, you can have a meal on the table in minutes, it is also an extremely cost effective!

Tuna is also an oily fish and therefore contains a high amount of Vitamin D.

There are many brands of tuna on the market, choose a well know reputable producer. It is also packed for example in Spring water, brine or olive oil. There are also premium brands on the market such as Ortiz which is produced in Spain.

The Ortiz company has been there for 5 generations and family members still run the company. The tuna is brought fresh from the ocean and straight to one of their many production units dotted along the coast of Spain. Ortiz use only bonito and yellow fin which are 2 of the top grades of tuna.

Bonito is white in colour, lower in fat and very delicate in flavour. Yellow fin is slightly pinky in colour and a little stronger in flavour.

All the tuna from Ortiz is caught by traditional fishing boats, the bonito being actually caught using rods and live bait, which is the most selective and ecological method, making it dolphin friendly and the one that brings in the highest quality fish.

Simple Tuna Ideas…..

All Using 1 tin of drained tuna & serving 3 to 4 people

· Toasty Tuna, grated mozzarella & red onion – pop on ciabatta bread and then under the grill until toasty

· Tuna sandwich filler – drained tuna, chopped cucumber, chopped onion,sweetcorn, ½ tbls of mayo & ¼ teasp of sweet chilli sauce. Make the night before and simply pop into sandwich bread next morning.

· Pitta bread top with drained tuna, mix with ½ tbls of mayo sweet corn and grated cheese – pop under the grill to melt...

· Tuna Salad w chopped celery, chopped apple, 1 handful of walnuts & 1 tbls of mayo

· Asiany Tuna salad, w 1 handful of beansprouts, 1 tbls of chopped coriander, 2 spring onion sliced thinly & 1 tbls of soy sauce

· Italian Tuna Pasta salad, 1 grilled red pepper sliced , 4 handfuls of cooked penne pasta, 1 large spoon of chopped sunblushed tomatoes, 1 handful of shredded basil leaves, drizzle of olive oil or a little basil pesto

· Nicoise Salad, drained tuna, 1 handful of cooked green beans, 2 hard boiled eggs, 4 handfuls of mixed leaves, 2 sliced tomatoes, olive oil & sprinkling of sea salt

Tuna pasta bake

1 tin of drained tuna, mixed with some chopped tomatoes (fresh or tinned) 2 tomatoes or half a can of tomatoes, 1 cup of fresh or frozen peas, fresh or frozen sweetcorn, mix ingredients together, pop into an oven proof dish topped with breadcrumbs and some grated cheese. CooK @ 180 for about 20 mins or until bubbly and light brown on top.

Tuna & Potato Cakes

Take 4 large spoons of mashed potato, 1 tin of drained tuna, finely chopped onion, 1 can of sweetcorn, 1 egg & a little flour to shape.

Combine mixture in a large bowl shape into 4 round potato cakes and fry on a non stick pan in a little oil and butter.