Older Bolder Life

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Recipe: Sauces

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 7 February: Lemon Bomb Piccata Sauce

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With an eye toward a special Valentine’s day dinner coming up next week, here’s a nifty Lemon Bomb Piccata Sauce recipe perfect for fancy-ing up dinner, whether it’s completing a classic piccata chicken recipe, or drizzled over your favorite roasted vegetable hot from the oven or grill.

With the help of my friend Chef Libby in Austin I’ve been playing around with classic and not-so-classic piccata sauce recipes for little while now. Almost all the recipes you see out there feature, in some combination, the bursting acidity of fresh lemon, the umami of sautéed alliums (most often garlic and shallots), the briny funk of capers, along with a handful of other ingredients – including a healthy dose of fat (butter and/or olive oil), a reduced white wine or vermouth, and a bit of other liquids.

As one of our overarching goals here at Older Bolder helping you find great tasting food that’s geared to prepare efficiently in the home kitchen, this recipe also needed to be (relatively) easy to prepare at home, not too fussy in terms of ingredients or technique, and damned tasty.

This Lemon Bomb Piccata Sauce is right on target.

By the way, when we enjoy this recipe at home, we’re typically drizzling over chicken, shrimp, or a mild tasting fish (it’s really tasty on pork chops as well) as well as a vegetable side (most often oven-roasted during the cooler months, grilled during the warmer) – so note this recipe yields a fair amount of sauce. You can easily halve this one and it works like a charm.

And given that we really enjoy big flavors here at home, this recipe is very lemon forward (hence the ‘lemon bomb’ name), but as written it’s very very well balanced.

For this post, I’ve snapped a few quick images of the sauce served over thin-cut, pasture-raised chicken breasts, coated with a grated parmesan and almond flour dredge (quick recipe below), alongside a big dollop of roasted organic spaghetti squash. Wow, was this one good.

Finally, most classic piccata sauces call for the addition of a splash of white wine or vermouth; you can do it with or without as noted below without impacting the integrity of the sauce in any way. Of note, my lovely wife thinks it’s best with a splash of vermouth reduced down…

8 tbsp grass-fed butter
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 medium lemon, cut into half-moons
1/3 cup + 1 scant tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp capers, rough chop (can add more)
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth (see note*)
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Chopped parsley

For the quick sautéed chicken
2 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts, split horizontally and pounded to 1/4”
3 tbsp finely ground almond flour
3 tbsp finely grated parmesan
1 tsp good salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Into a medium skillet over medium heat goes the butter, shallots, garlic cloves, lemon pieces, along with a generous pinch of good salt. As the butter melts, stir now and again, lowering the heat to medium low after about two minutes – you don’t want to caramelize the shallots or garlic, just soften them.

*If using a bit of wine or vermouth, add 1/4 cup now, and reduce until almost gone; then add the lemon juice and capers and stir for another two minutes, then add 1/3 cup of broth or water and bring to gentle simmer, stirring now and again until the sauce is glossy and smooth.

*If not using wine or vermouth, add the lemon juice and capers and stir for another two minutes, then add 1/2 cup of broth or water and bring to gentle simmer, stirring now and again until the sauce is glossy and smooth.

At this point remove from the heat, adjust for salt and pepper, and pour over your protein or veg and top with freshly chopped parsley.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: A Quick, Easy, and Delicious Home Tzatziki Sauce

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For reasons that I still can’t honesty account, my lovely wife and I came to appreciate Greek cuisine, relatively speaking, a bit later in life. It probably had something to do with us both growing up in the South during our formative years, and coming from families that simply weren’t the most adventurous when it came to exploring foods from other cultures and locales.

We’re huge fans of Greek cuisine these days, finding its spice array and emphasis on (for the most part) simple ingredients prepared very well deeply satisfying and delicious.

I’m sure that’s part of our long-standing appreciation of various Mediterranean cuisines, but there something about Greek flavors that my wife in particular just loves, with admittedly Tzatziki Sauce being right at the top of the list of her Greek favorites. Other faves include a slab of salty, fresh, Greek feta, drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with fresh oregano, with a pile of Kalamata olives alongside and freshly prepared, olive oil-drizzled hummus too.

But a Greek meal just wouldn’t meet her standard without a tub of tzatziki sauce alongside. Tzatziki is a flavor-packed sauce based on Greek yogurt, bursting with vegetal and herbal notes from chopped or grated cucumber, garlic, dill, lemon juice (or vinegar), and occasionally mint.

Neither of us were fortunate enough to have a Greek grandmother working magic in the kitchen to teach us the secrets of Greek cuisine, though after several years of fiddling, we’ve settled on this as a base recipe to work from when making tzatziki at home. My wife prefers the herbs and spices pretty much as written, though left to my own devices, I’d always add more garlic, dill, a bit of finely minced mint, and acid (preferably fresh lemon juice).

We just enjoyed a batch of fresh tzatziki with a Greek marinated flank steak I’ll be posting for this week’s Friday Feast…

1 medium cucumber, peeled, grated (or diced), salted, and drained
2 cups full fat Greek yogurt
1-2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
2-3 tbsp fresh minced dill (may include some mint)
1-2 tbsp EVOO
1-3 tsp lemon juice or vinegar of choice
1 tsp salt, divided

Peel and grate or dice the cucumber (I prefer to grate on the large holes of a box grater), then salt with 1/2 tsp of kosher salt and set in a colander for at least 15 minutes to drain. When ready to stir the sauce together, compress as much water as possible from the cucumber before combining.

Stir the remainder of the ingredients together, stir in the drained cucumber, and taste – adjust the seasonings to suit your palate, and add more EVOO or lemon juice to adjust the texture as well.

Will keep for several days in the fridge, covered of course, though we seem to never have any leftovers after a Greek feast at home.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: Simple Cilantro Chutney

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This past week I was chatting up a new chef friend about the melting pot of different cuisines we’re seeing these days in some of the larger Texas metroplexes.

Here in the DFW area, long a classic steak, barbecue, and Tex-Mex bastion, there’s been an explosion of eateries featuring a host of different cuisines – Indian, Pakistani, Thai, Korean, African, Cuban, Laotian, Argentine, Vietnamese, African to name a few – the list could go on and on.

My new friend happens to be a native American citizen, born to Indian physician parents who immigrated to Dallas (Plano) nearly 40 years ago; she insists she was groomed from an early age to go into medicine, but fell in love with food and cooking early on and never looked back.

It’s a long story as to how we started talking about different sauces; I think we were actually talking about spicy green table sauces, like the jalapeño-based hot sauces from Mexico and the Caribbean, chimichurri and aji sauces from South America, and eventually this Simple Cilantro Chutney her mother used to make routinely at home.

I get it that folks are either fans of cilantro or they despise it; we’re in the cilantro is awesome camp, and have used this quick and easy recipe a couple of times already this week. This rule of thumb recipe can work for just about any green herb you want to throw in the blender (parsley and basil are on my list this next week) if you’re not big on cilantro.

The formula is an easy one – a big handful of herb, one or two serranos for heat, a burst of fresh lime juice for acidity (vinegars would play as well), and a bit of salt for balance. My new friend insists her mother always added a pinch of sugar to preserve the bright green colors (not sure about the chemistry but it does seem to help, as of course does the acid).

What’s fun about this one is throwing in what ever else suits you at the moment, like the cashews or pepitas, a bit of ginger, and more spice. Play with this one a few times and dial it in the way your family likes it…

1 medium to large bunch of cilantro, largest woody stems trimmed
1-2 serranos or other green chiles
Juice of one large lime, more if needed
1-2 tsp good salt (to taste)

Optional
Pinch of brown sugar
2-3 tbsp of roasted cashews, peanuts, pepitas
2-3 tbsp toasted coconut flakes
Ginger to taste
Toasted spices: mustard seeds, coriander, cumin, fennel, etc

Add the herbs, peppers, lime juice, salt, and optional ingredients to your trusty blender and go to it; the sauce is more interesting if you leave a bit of texture, though you can certainly puree it until very smooth as well. Add a little more lime juice if you need to thin it, adjust for salt, go to it.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: Roasted Red Pepper Mayo

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One of the food discoveries we’ve made along the way on our Primal/paleo journey is how incredibly useful flavored mayo’s and aioli’s are when it comes to making mealtime time much much more interesting. We reach for our mayo and aioli jar just about every meal there’s a hot or cold protein on the plate.

Being able to consistently make delicious avocado oil, olive oil, or a combination of the two (our favorite) mayo at home in minutes has revolutionized the way we think about using this condiment. And I’m not kidding, when it’s time to make another batch, I don’t even think about it, quickly gather the goods, and can have it done and in cooling in the fridge in under 5 minutes.

Back a few months ago I posted this list of some of our favorite mayo and aioli flavors and variations, and listed among those a red pepper version.

Here’s the full recipe we’ve been using to make this one, and while you can certainly roast your own red peppers like I did for this Easy Romesco Sauce a few weeks back, using well-drained commercially prepared red peppers works here just as well. You will most likely have everything you need in to zip up a batch of this one in the fridge or pantry; don’t leave out the capers – their briny, tart flavor adds to the final taste ensemble nicely.

As always, consider this a base recipe to modify from, though I’d suggest making a batch as it’s written before deciding where you want to take it next time around.

1 cup avocado or olive oil mayo (use this recipe)
1/3 cup drained and chopped roasted red peppers or roast your own (see above)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp drained and chopped capers
1 tsp good paprika
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

Into your trusty blender or food processor go the ingredients; blend/pulse until well combined and smooth. Store covered tightly in the fridge for up to 5 days, though it’ll never last that long.

Enjoy.

The Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: Quick No-Cook Tomato Sauce

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As the wonderful tomatoes continue to pour into farmers markets these long summer days, we’ve been fiddling around with various recipes for to savor their peak summer flavors.

Of course we’re talking tomatoes on the menu for the nightshade tolerant and those who choose to partake; remember they’re a potent source of lectins per Dr. Gundry, but also packed with lycopene and other beneficial phytochemical warriors, along with vitamins C, A, and host of the Bs as well.

We’ve tended to drift a bit over the past few years from our historical family consumption of tomatoes and tomato-based sauces given our bent toward a keto-inspired food plan, and the sometimes hefty carb counts some tomato sauces in particular have. Like many of you, we’ve transitioned to much less sweet (no additional sweetener) homemade primal ketchup, meatza sauces, etc.

In particular lately I’ve been searching for a no-cook tomato sauce to pour over various vegetable noodles or konjac pastas, and we’ve finally settled on this Quick No-Cook Tomato Sauce as being our favorite.

Why? The combination of a flavor-packed tomato puree (along with garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes) with halved grape or cherry tomatoes, along with the nuts – is simply delicious, and it’s different enough to be novel and interesting as well. Mind the garlic – my wife thinks two large cloves is too much in terms of pungent raw garlic flavor, though garlic lovers may want to throw that third clove in…

The nuts are a great play as well; we’ve used hazelnuts (our fave), almonds, and macadamias – don’t be afraid to experiment a bit.

1/2 cup almonds or hazelnuts

1 pound grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp good salt

1 medium to large fresh garden tomato, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves, divided
1-2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 good olive oil
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp good salt, more to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Toast your nut of choice at 350 for 6-8 minutes; cool and then roughly chop and set aside.

Halve the grape or cherry tomatoes, throw in a large bowl, and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt.

Into your trusty food processor or blender goes the large chopped tomato, 1/2 the basil, 3 tbsp of the chopped nuts, the garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, and the other 1/2 tsp of salt. Blend/puree until smooth, then pour over the halved tomatoes.

Stir to combine, then stir in the rest of the basil, the remaining nuts, and the olive oil; mix well. Adjust for salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Wednesday: Libby’s Verde Cashew Wonder Sauce

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This past week I was chatting with our friend Chef Libby in Austin about different sauces she uses to dress-up proteins during the long, hot Texas summers, adding interest and flavor to the food she dishes up in her catering business.

Being based in Austin she of course has a decided bias toward the flavors of Texas, one of her favorites being Tex-Mex or Southwestern cuisine (I share her bias as well!). She’s been using a variety of nut-based recipes the past few years to create innovative sauces; this has in part been driven by increasing requests for vegan-compliant recipes, but also because they just taste good, hold well, and can be worked into a variety of other dressings and flavor profiles.

One of her go-to versions is what she calls her Verde Cashew Wonder Sauce, based on either raw or roasted cashews, a handful of flavor-packed fresh herbs, a splash of acid, and whatever flavor additions her recipes for the day call for.

Libby insists her very favorite version uses fresh lime juice (instead of the vinegar), cilantro, and a bit of arugula for its peppery bite, along with a chopped serrano or two, though she was careful to point out that the sky is the limit in terms of what herbs to use.

She also noted there were two other minor decisions to make; one, whether to use raw or roasted cashews. Of course, if using roasted cashews, be mindful of the oil they’re roasted in, and you’ll (most likely) want to dial back the added salt (adjust to taste). After making dozens and dozens of recipe batches, she said she prefers to use roasted nuts for the added flavor dimension as well.

The second decision to make is whether or not to soak the nuts for 10 minutes prior to blending; Libby said her vegan chef friend who taught her the recipe always soaked raw cashews, though Libby insists the recipe works just as well without soaking in her kitchen, whether using raw or roasted nuts.

We’ve enjoyed this one alongside a bit crudite platter and cold ancho cumin coffee roasted pork tenderloin this week…

2 cups cashews, either raw or roasted
1 cup fresh, tender herbs, i.e. parsley, cilantro, dill, basil, chives, etc
2-3 tbsp unseasoned rice or white vinegar
1-2 tsp good salt
1 cup (plus a bit more) filtered water

Optional (see notes above)
1-2 crushed garlic
Lime or lemon juice instead of the vinegar
Chipotles in adobe
Other fresh peppers (i.e. jalapeño or serrano)

If soaking the cashews: bring two cups of water to a boil, place the cashews in a heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over, cover for 10 minutes, then drain.

To prepare, add the nuts to your trusty blender, add the herbs, vinegar or citrus juice, salt, and one cup filtered water. Blend for one to two minutes until smooth and yogurt-like; you will likely need to add a bit more water.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: Easy Romesco Sauce

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We’ve been talking a lot about sauces the past few weeks, and deservedly so.

Sauces are workhorses during the summer grilling season; they add flavor, interest, color, and sometimes even texture to meals featuring grilled and roasted proteins and vegetables. Chilled sauces can even help you play the temperature game with foods, which can be especially refreshing during these dog days of summer.

I’m not sure where we first came across the recipe for this Easy Romesco Sauce, but it’s become one of our favorites this summer. The careful application of fire and time renders bell peppers (and perhaps a Mediterraneo Dulce) – for the pepper tolerant – tender and almost smokey in flavor. Let them steam covered for 20 minutes and the skins slip off in your fingers, and they’re a cinch to stem, seed, and chop.

Romesco sauces originated in Spain and most that I’ve run across are tomato based with either almonds or hazelnuts added; this is one of those sauces that allows you to shake things up and build it to suit your (family) palate. The roasted pepper base in this recipe simply resonates with our palates at home.

This sauce brings together a cast of players you might not think of at first blush, though most of us in the ancestral food space appreciate the nifty flavor of almond butter; add in a bit of garlic, tart acid in the form of a flavorful vinegar, and a pinch of spice, and you’re in for genuine treat.

We had this again a few nights ago with an ancho-cumin-coffee rubbed pork tenderloin and a spicy pepita jalapeño cauliflower rice; I made a batch of this Columbian Aji Sauce to have a red and green (thank you New Mexico) effect for the sauces – it’s was amazing…

2 large red bell peppers, whole
1 red Mediterraneo Dulce pepper, whole (optional)
Avocado oil or EVOO for grill grate
1 garlic clove, grated
2 tbsp almond butter (unsweetened)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (sherry or rice wine vinegar in a pinch)
1 tbsp avocado oil or EVOO
1 tsp good salt + more to taste
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Grill the whole peppers over high heat, on the grill is best but you can char them over a gas burner or under the broiler as well. Place in a large bowl, cover, and let steam and rest until cool enough to handle (15-20 minutes).

Skin, stem, and seed the peppers, then place the flesh in your trusty blender along with the garlic, almond butter, vinegar, oil, salt, smoked paprika, and the cayenne. Blend until smooth, taste for salt, and thin if needed with a splash of oil or more vinegar.

Best served immediately, though can hold in the fridge (covered, airtight) for a few days.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: Garam Masala and Cucumber Dip

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I don’t know what it’s been like around your neighborhood this summer, but after a short break from the summer heat here in North Texas, we’re back to typical scorching summer days this week.

Summer is prime time grilling season of course (though thinking about it, when is it not grilling season?) and we’re always looking for a nifty sauce, salsa, slather, or dip to make things more interesting.

Here’s a great one – Garam Masala and Cucumber Dip, a kissin’-cousin to my wife’s favorite tzatziki and my personal go-to in this flavor arena, Bebe’s Curry Mayo and Dip. This one couldn’t be easier to stir together, and with a few simple options you can fancy up this very simple prep to suit any occasion.

By the way, the crispy shallots are a nice touch our friend Chef Libby in Austin uses; she’s always reminding us how easy they are to make at home, and what an amazing vinaigrette the shallot oil makes when you’re done sautéing the shallots. If you’ve not done this before to garnish salads or Thai dishes at home, try it using this technique.

Of course this one is for the daily tolerant, and I’d encourage you to track down some sheep’s milk yogurt as my lovely wife did last week….

1 cup unflavored whole milk yogurt
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
1/2 to 1 tbsp garam masala
1/2 to 1 tsp good salt
1 4-to-5 inch cucumber (Persian if you can), small dice or grated

Optional
Crispy shallots, see note above
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Add the yogurt to a small bowl, grate in the garlic, and add the garam masala and salt. Stir to combine well, then fold in the grated or diced cucumber. Taste for seasoning, remembering that the curry/masala flavors will intensify a little over time; I almost always end up using a full tablespoon of the garam masala.

Top with the optional goodies, grab the crudite platter, and go to it.

Enjoy.