condiment

Herbed Sea Salt

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food is Art: Herbed Sea Salt! When fellow blogger Erika Kind shared her use of enhancing foods with herbed sea salt, I couldn’t resist making some myself. Since I already have an organic herb garden for spotlighting on Snapshotsincursive, I knew this would be a “must try”. What a world of possibilities that opened up. No synthetic anti-caking agents, no chemical preservatives, and no artificial flavors made this herb combination a true winner. I can’t wait to try it sprinkled over roasted veggies, mixed into compound butter, or stirred into chunky soups. Thanks very much, Erika. 

HERBED SEA SALT 

Ingredients: 

1/3 cup assorted fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, and parsley)

2/3 cup coarse sea salt 

Instructions: 

Wash and dry the fresh herbs so no water remains. Pull the leaves off the woody stems. Place the herbs and half the salt in a mini chopper. Pulse until the herbs are very fine and the salt turns green. Stir in the remaining coarse salt. Grind again. Spread the damp herbed salt onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Dry in the oven on very low heat, about 170°, for 30 minutes. Break up any clumps with your fingers. Pour the dry herbed salt into a clean glass jar with a tight lid. Store until ready to use. 

Dragon Sauce

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food is Art: Dragon Sauce! Here is a condiment whose name says it all. The only difference some might have is by naming it Fire-Breathing Dragon Sauce instead. Is it going to take the skin off your stomach lining? I doubt it. In fact, don’t be surprised if you find yourself bookmarking the recipe to use with your next stir-fry meal. Noodles, rice, sautéed veggies, kebabs, and lentils find this sauce irresistible as well. One lazy weekend afternoon we actually found ourselves dipping corn tortilla chips in it as a snack while streaming a sci-fi series. Hey, no judgment. We’re all friends here. 

DRAGON SAUCE 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup sriracha sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon natural honey

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil 

Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

1 tablespoon green onions, chopped

Instructions: 

In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, sriracha, soy sauce, natural honey, garlic powder, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir until smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust the heat by adding red pepper flakes, if desired. Stir in chopped green onions. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Use as a dipping sauce. Serve with rice bowls, grilled meats, or roasted vegetables. 

Zinfandel Balsamic Reduction Sauce

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Grocery List Ideas: Zinfandel Balsamic Reduction Sauce. By now you’re probably very familiar with that finishing touch to garden salads, grilled meats, roasted veggies, and creamy desserts. Look for glossy, syrupy, deep dark brown swirls that taste sweet and smell tangy. It’s the final garnish that stands alone. Pretend you’re writing in cursive or freeform as you drizzle it atop foods. The natural sugars in red wine and raw honey create a thick fine stream that makes any food sit up and take notice. We call it balsamic reduction sauce. 

ZINFANDEL BALSAMIC REDUCTION SAUCE 

Ingredients: 

1 cup Zinfandel red wine 

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold 

Sea salt & black pepper, to taste 

Instructions: 

In a stainless steel tapered sauce pan over high heat, place the Zinfandel wine, balsamic vinegar, and raw honey. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. In 15-20 minutes it will reduce by half, and thicken. It should coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Whisk in the cold butter until melted for a glossy finish. Season with sea salt and black pepper. 

Wasabi Furikake Aioli

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Take a Seat at the Table: Wasabi Furikake Aioli! For a homemade sauce that can be spread on fish and poultry or used as a spicy dip for vegetable crudités, this one is spot on.  The “kick” of wasabi is a distant cousin to horseradish making its intensity a roller coaster ride for the palate. Wasabi lovers know all about the health benefits. Sushi bars offer it as a regular condiment. I find this superfood absolutely delicious. 

WASABI FURIKAKE AIOLI

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 teaspoon furikake seasoning (sesame seed and green seaweed)

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon rice vinegar 

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons wasabi powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon water

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients and mix until well blended. Cover and refrigerate one hour before serving. 

Korean Spicy Mayo

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Test Kitchen Favorites: Korean Spicy Mayo! Condiments add so much flavor to ordinary foods. If you prefer a spicy kick slathered onto a quarter pound burger, or a creamy sauce for dunking French fries into, or a spicy salad dressing over a poke bowl, make this condiment at home while saving money, as a bonus. When you run low, simply whip up another batch, since you’ll have the ingredients on hand in your kitchen pantry. You’ll never run out until you scrape the bottom of the jar. Then it’s off to the grocery you go. 

KOREAN SPICY MAYO

Ingredients: 

1 lemon, juiced

1 cup mayonnaise 

3 tablespoons gochujang sauce

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Garnish with cayenne pepper

Basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions: 

In a bowl, combine juiced lemon, mayonnaise, gochujang sauce, kosher salt, and garlic powder. Whisk ingredients together until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with snipped basil leaves and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper. Serve as a dipping sauce. 

Jazzy Jerk Sauce

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: Jazzy Jerk Sauce! Get fired up as you crank up the heat with this homemade habanero pepper sauce. Choose those festive little lantern-shaped peppers from the local market or nearby health food resource, don a pair of vinyl gloves, and fill your kitchen with aromas from the Caribbean Islands. As it cooks, let your imagination run wild for the condiment that sends the temperature rising!

JAZZY JERK SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

1 cup baby carrots, chopped

2 cups water

10-12 habanero peppers, seeded and finely chopped

3 tablespoons orange juice

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

In a medium sauce pan, sauté garlic in olive oil. Add onion, carrots, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until carrots are soft. Remove from heat. Add habanero peppers, orange juice, vinegar, and sea salt. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth. Pour into a jar and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

*Serving suggestion: Wicked Hot Wings and Drummies!

Kumquat Pineapple Chutney

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Graze or Gobble: Kumquat Pineapple Chutney! Nowadays there’s always a use for something as unique as chutney. Don’t believe me? Check out charcuterie boards filled with meats, cheeses, breads, nuts, and pickles. There always seems to be a nice little bowl of spreadable chunky fruit to balance out the briny flavors. I also added a dollop to roasted pork loin and grilled chicken breasts. Someone even told me they slathered it on a grilled cheese sandwich. Who knew chutney would be your new best friend?!

KUMQUAT PINEAPPLE CHUTNEY 

Ingredients:

5 ounces kumquats 

1 cup crushed pineapple 

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons orange liqueur 

Instructions:

In a small saucepan of boiling water, blanch the kumquats for one minute. Drain and repeat three more times. Halve each kumquat. Squeeze the juice into a bowl. Discard the pulp and seeds before finely dicing the skin.  In the same saucepan, combine the diced kumquats, crushed pineapple, lemon juice, brown sugar, orange juice, kumquat juice, and orange liqueur. Bring to a boil. Simmer the chutney over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken in approximately eight minutes. Allow mixture to cool before transferring to a jar. Store covered in the refrigerator. 

Old Bay Mayo

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Food With Soul: Old Bay Mayo! First of all, there is no substitute for Old Bay seasoning as a core ingredient in this post. It’s a sacred concoction, invented in the 1940s and respected by Southerners, containing 18 unspecified ingredients. If you try to use Cajun, Jerk, or generic blends, don’t blame me if the results are less than phenomenal. What I can assure is that it taste ah-mazing with shrimp, crab cakes, seafood, and more. Turn Old Bay Mayo into an aioli for sandwiches, dressing for salads, or condiment for meats. I can see you coming up with a dip for french fries, too. Don’t blame me; I’m just the messenger.

OLD BAY MAYO

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons fresh chives, chopped

2 teaspoons dill weed, snipped

2 teaspoons lemon zest, grated

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon Old Bay* seasoning

Instructions:

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, fresh chives, dill weed, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Old Bay seasoning. Stir until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Serve as a condiment or dipping sauce for seafood.

*I receive no recompense for mentioning this product.

Infused Garlic Olive Oil

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Here Come the Holidays: Infused-Garlic Olive Oil! If you’ve ever had the opportunity to visit a specialty store that sells infused olive oils and flavored vinegars, you understand the value of the tasting bar within. Tasting is believing, in my opinion, especially when it’s difficult to narrow down the choices. My favorites so far are lemon extra virgin olive oil and strawberry balsamic vinegar or lime infused extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate balsamic vinegar. Of course, Italian balsamic vinegar and garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil are staples in my kitchen. Think about it a minute. Garlic tastes wonderful on crusty breads, drizzled over roasted vegetables, marinated in meats, and stirred into homemade sauces. When making your own infused olive oil, repeat after me, “Always use extra virgin olive oil.” EVOO is made from pure, cold-pressed olives without adding processed oils. The test is proven when olive oil is refrigerated. It will solidify like butter. If it doesn’t, it is unrefined and will remain liquid. Don’t be fooled.

INFUSED-GARLIC OLIVE OIL

Ingredients:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled

Instructions:

Sterilize a glass jar, with airtight lid, and set aside. Warm olive oil, in a small saucepan, over low heat only. Remove from heat when the oil is barely warm to the touch. Do not boil. Add garlic cloves. Set aside for 24 hours. At that time, pour the olive oil through a fine strainer into the sterilized jar. Discard garlic cloves. Seal the jar. Store infused oil in the refrigerator until ready to use.