Older Bolder Life

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the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Ranchero Tomato Sauce (or Salsa) No. 1

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Today’s recipe came about in sort’ve a roundabout way and with input from a number of damned talented folks messing around in kitchens.

Two summers ago a friend came to me and asked me to help with menu planning an event he was hosting for his extended family around Father’s Day; as is typical for our North Texas neighborhood he was planning a big brisket and fixin’s barbecue one evening, but he also wanted to serve a brunch built around some of his Tex Mex favorites, including huevos rancheros.

My buddy was not only hell bent on serving a classic huevos rancheros, but he wanted it to match a particular dish he’d enjoyed on a hunting trip down in the Texas Rio Grande Valley in the months prior. He waxed poetically about a thick, tomatoey ranchero sauce, deeply flavored with dried peppers, and punctuated with a smokey, lingering heat that just had to be from chipotles.

My best advice was to call the little eatery he’d placed on this culinary pedestal to see if they’d share a recipe; he did, and lo and behold he reported the grandmother running the kitchen ran off a list from memory, though without the specific amounts of each ingredient, and she apparently said to use “some good spices” as well.

It pays to have a chef friend in the fold who likes to chat about recipes, so I called Chef Libby in Austin and worked backwards to construct a recipe that we both refined further over a few weeks. Libby was actually using something similar she’d sourced somewhere online (she couldn’t recall at the time) and we tried to incorporate both fresh, dried chiles and reached for saucy chipotles in adobo given how rich and flavorful that canned adobo sauce is.

The spice profile is pretty typical for ranchero-style sauces, though we’ve added a bit of paprika and a splash of tamari/coconut aminos/soy to deepen the umami notes.

The result is a thick, rich, deeply flavored sauce (some might argue this could even be called a salsa) that makes for the best huevos rancheros (next week’s recipe) that I’ve ever tasted, and plays very well with roasted meats – chicken and pork especially – and could very likely work even as an enchilada sauce, though to be honest we haven’t gone there. If I’m not careful, my wife will pull out her tortilla chips and eat through half a recipe anytime this is on the stove…

Note the recipe as written makes enough for 2 meals of huevos; halve the recipe if you want, though I’ve been making it up as written and freezing half for later.

1 medium onion, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 large dried ancho chiles, seeded, thinly cut into strips (use scissors)
2 guajillo (or New Mexico) chiles, seeded, thinly cut into strips
1-2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
1 and 1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
2 cans (14-oz) fire roasted tomatoes
4-5 chipotle chiles in adobo
4-5 tbsp adobo sauce from chile can
1/2 cup fresh cilantro and tender stems, finely chopped
2 tbsp tamari, coconut aminos, or soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Stem and seed the peppers, then cut into thin strips using scissors.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat without oil, then toast the chile strips until fragrant, watch carefully, given their small size it won’t take long. Remove and set aside.

Now add the oil, onion and garlic slices and sauté until softened and just starting to brown, then add the chile strips, oregano, cumin, and paprika. Stir and cook another 20-30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, chipotles, and adobo sauce. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and keep it simmering gently for 15 minutes or so.

Now puree (coarsely) using an immersion blender (or standup blender if you prefer – remember hot liquids expand in the blender), then add the prepped cilantro, tamari/aminos/soy sauce, and lime juice. Stir the mixture well and add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

The sauce is ready for huevos rancheros or any other recipe you want to use it for, and keeps well sealed in the fridge for 7-10 days.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Wednesday: Radish, Tomato, and Cucumber Cottage Cheese Salad

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Despite astrological fall having arrived early the morning of the 23rd, it’s been hot as blazes around our neighborhood for yet another week. It’s been in the mid to high 70s at sunrise during my first workout at the park and pushing the high 90s (or hotter, dammit) every afternoon.

The roasting temperatures have us still reaching almost every day for our favorite salad recipes, and at the risk of engendering a few snickers and scoffs, I’ve even been pulling this Radish, Tomato, and Cucumber Cottage Cheese Salad out of the files lately, given how good the late summer tomatoes and pickling cucumbers are especially. (Snicker away, but good cottage cheese with a grind of fresh pepper, a healthy pinch of good salt, and a splash of a very good olive oil is mighty fine snack any time…).

This is one you can have on the table in about 30 minutes, and that includes some resting time for the sliced vegetables, and we’ve really come to appreciate the burst of acidity and the layers of flavor the vinegar brings mixed into the cottage cheese with the radishes and into the very simple vinaigrette dressing for the vegetable topping or “salad”.

Have some small-ish zucchini or yellow squash you want to throw in? By all means do it. Sub in any vinegar you wish, and my lovely wife even likes this with a handful of chopped green salad olives and julienned salami mixed in as well.

1 pound mixed small tomatoes, halved or quartered
3-4 small Kirby cucumbers, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
4-5 green or spring onions, trimmed, whites and green separated, sliced thinly
1 and 1/2 + 1 tsp good kosher salt
1 medium bunch radishes (any kind), halved, thinly sliced or julienned

16-ounce container of full fat cottage cheese (at least 4% milk fat)
3-4 tbsp white wine, champagne, or rice vinegar, divided
2-3 tbsp good EVOO or avocado oil

Optional
2-4 tbsp chopped salad olives (or olive of choice)
1-2 ounces of thinly sliced salami

Combine the prepped tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and sliced onion whites in a small bowl; sprinkle with 1 and 1/2 tsp of the salt, a few grinds of fresh pepper, and throw in the fridge for 30-40 minutes.

Prep the radishes, then stir into the cottage cheese along with 1-2 tbsp of the vinegar; season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill if not using immediately.

When ready to serve, drain any accumulated liquid from the salted vegetable mixture, and stir in 2 tbsp of oil and 2 additional tbsp of your vinegar of choice. Stir in the olives and chopped salami if using.

Spread the cottage cheese over a large platter or individual servings over plates, then spoon the vegetable mixture over in a thin layer, drizzle with more really good EVOO if you wish, and garnish with the sliced onion greens.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Sunday: Quick Meatza-Pizza Sauce No. 1

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At the risk of sounding a little behind the Primal/Paleo food curve, during the cooler winter weather of late we’ve been enjoying several versions of our favorite meatza creations, leaning toward a nifty Southwestern meatza in fact.

There are a host of nifty meatza – pizza sauces floating around out there, ranging from the no-cook, just stir it together camp to the highbrow, build it from scratch and cook it half the day versions.

Most of the time when I’m sharing meatza – pizza sauce recipes with friends and clients, they want one that tastes good AND doesn’t take a degree in culinary science and hours to prepare.

And most of the time we in our own kitchen lean to the tasty and efficient approach to building great meals, and would argue that when putting together a masterpiece of a meatza, the sauce isn’t the star of the show, but needs to be good enough to win the best supporting actor nomination.

That said, here’s the base recipe for the Quick Meatza-Pizza Sauce No. 1 recipe we’ve been using lately, always with the red pepper flakes mixed in, and using the upper end of the spice ranges indicated.

Finally, note the base recipe description above; you can customize this to your heart’s (and family’s) content – consider adding chopped onion to replace the onion flakes and powder, diced mushrooms (even a bit of crumbled dried mushrooms), chopped olives, tomato pieces, and so on and so forth. Make it your own.

6 ounces tomato paste
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 t salt
1/2-1 tsp dried oregano
1/2-1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp onion powder

Optional: 1/4-1 tsp red pepper flakes

This is another one of those recipes that couldn’t be easier. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stir well to combine, and simmer gently for 30 minutes to meld the flavors. Let cool on the stovetop, then either use immediately, throw in the fridge to hold for up to 5 days, or freeze.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Sunday 6 January: Homemade Everyday Ketchup (or Ketchup No. 1)

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One of the most common food questions we field from friends, family, and clients as they begin to actually read and pay attention to food product labels is how to replace some of their favorite condiments, ketchup and some form of barbeque sauce probably being at the top of that list.

Mass marketed, commercially-prepared ketchups (and many other condiments) are most often made with stunningly bad ingredients – high fructose corn syrup, we’re looking at you in particular (the image to the right is taken right off a ketchup bottle produced by one of the ‘big boys’ in the game).

We’ve been encouraging people to make their own condiments for years now, and for three obvious reasons. Of course one reason, and perhaps the most critical one, is that you want to control the quality and sourcing of the foods you’re consuming, and that includes eliminating foods/ingredients (like HFCS) that are frankly unhealthy.

Two, customizing your favorite condiments to suit your tastes is limited only by your imagination and willingness to experiment a little. Take this Homemade Everyday Ketchup recipe for instance; you can vary the spices and vinegar/acid components with ease, as well as how sweet you want it to be. Around our house, we like to drop a chipotle pepper (with lots of adobo clinging) in, and don’t use any additional sweetener at all (OK, my wife may make her version with a teaspoon or two of good raw honey).

And three, this recipe, like the Homemade Avocado or Olive Oil Mayo recipe we’ve shared before, is so simple a child could do it, and it takes literally minutes to do.

A good quick ketchup recipe is always handy to have in the fridge (or the ingredients on hand to make in a flash), and can serve as the base for that barbeque sauce you’re hankering for, or a number of salad dressings as well (I have a great Catalina-inspired dressing to share later…).

For those ketchup purists out there who might argue the only way to truly make a great ketchup at home is to literally start from scratch with a half bushel of fresh tomatoes, we’ll have another, more involved ketchup recipe posted in the months to come.

1 12-ounce can organic tomato paste
1/2 to 1 cup raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 to 1 cup water
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp onion powder OR up to 1/3 cup minced onion
2 tsp good salt
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dry mustard

Optional
1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2-5 tsp raw honey OR good maple syrup

This one couldn’t be easier; throw everything into your trusty food processor (or a deep bowl and use an immersion blender) and combine well, adding more vinegar/water to achieve whatever you deem the ideal ketchup consistency.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Sunday 1 July: 1015 Tomato Salad

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Here’s another long time family favorite salad we find ourselves reaching for now that tomato season is in full swing – 1015 Tomato Salad.

The 1015 of course refers to the sweet onion born and bred here in Texas, though I can assure you this dish will be just as delicious with whatever sweet onions you might reach for, whether they be Maui, Walla Walla, or Vidalia. (Brand me a traitor, but after growing and tasting them all over the years, I still think nothing beats a Walla Walla onion.)

The grandmother we sourced the recipe from used to drizzle a teaspoon or so of good raw honey over the salad before serving, but we’ve grown to savor it without; try it both ways if your current routine allows and see what you think…

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (grab some mixed colors)
1 pound various ripe tomatoes, trimmed, cut into wedges
1 small Texas 1015 (or other sweet onion), thinly sliced, start with 1/2
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
1/3 cup fresh chives, cut into small pieces (1/2 inch or so)
3 tbsp EVOO or avocado oil
1-2 tbsp good white wine vinegar (perhaps even more)
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Optional: Drizzle of good honey (no more than 1 tsp)

Prep the tomatoes, onion, and herbs; combine in a bowl with the oil of choice and vinegar (drizzle with the honey if using). Stir it up to ensure all the tomatoes are well coated and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Adjust the vinegar and amount of onion to suit your clan.

Cover and throw in the fridge if not using immediately; don’t make more than 4 hours ahead or the tomatoes will soften too much…

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salsa Sunday 24 June: Quick Jalapeno Tomato Table Salsa No. 3

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With summer’s fresh produce season in full swing across most of the country now, it’s high time to fold some of those sent-straight-from-heaven tomatoes into some great table salsas.

This Quick Jalapeno Tomato Table Salsa No. 3 is another one we reach for fairly routinely; it’s quick to come together, offers several layers of great pepper flavor (using fresh and dried peppers), can be spiced up or down pending your desires, and offers a nice burst of citrus tartness too.

This is another one of those very versatile salsas that are great spooned over fresh grilled chicken or pork hot off the grill, and can make your breakfast eggs / omelette / frittata a whole new experience.

2 medium to large, vine-ripened tomatoes, stem scar removed
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded if desired (and/or)
1-2 medium serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded if desired
1-2 chile de arbol dried peppers, stemmed, then crushed
1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice (start with one)
1-2 tbsp EVOO (start with one)
1/2 tbsp good salt

2-3 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves w tender stems
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped (fine) red onion

Blanch the tomatoes and prepped garlic cloves in a medium pot of boiling water for 2 minutes; then rinse in cool water, peel and remove tougher tomato cores.

Into your trusty blender go the tomatoes, garlic, both/either fresh peppers, the crush dried pepper, lime juice, EVOO, and salt. Blend to desired consistency, we like it with some texture. Taste for seasoning and adjust the lime, EVOO, and salt.

Pour into your serving bowl and gently stir in the cilantro and chopped red onion, maybe even a minced fresh pepper if you’re looking for a bit more spice.

Enjoy.