Recipes

Golden beet sauce

Golden beet sauce

This slightly sweet, musky, glossy, yellow-orange sauce is beautiful on a white plate with roasted vegetables set on top or some browned gnocchi. It pairs well with root vegetables like parsnip, turnip and Jerusalem artichokes. Like its red beet counterpart, it’s also tasty with potato turnovers, latkes or fritters. We’ve even served this sauce with Aloo pie, the spicy potato stuffed pastry popular in Trinidad.
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
  • Scrub the beet well and pat dry then place it on a square of tin foil that is large enough to wrap it completely.
  • Drizzle the beet with the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper then wrap it in the foil.
  • Place the wrapped beet on a baking dish and bake until it is tender, about 45 minutes.
  • Remove and peel when the beet is cool enough to handle.
  • Place the roasted beet in a medium saucepan with 480 ml of water and bring to a simmer.
  • Simmer the beet about 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Remove the beet from the water, reserve the water and allow the beet to cool completely.
  • Grate the beet finely and set aside.
  • Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat and add the safflower oil.
  • Add the carrot and celery and sauté until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the shallot and thyme leaves and cook for 2 minutes more.
  • Stir in the shredded beet and mix well, then sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Pour in the beet broth and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes more.
  • Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a smaller saucepan, pressing on the solids to remove all liquid.
  • Place the saucepan with the cooking liquid over a medium low heat and bring to a simmer.
  • Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water so that the mixture resembles heavy cream.
  • Pour the cornstarch into the beet cooking liquid and whisk well.
  • Allow to simmer for 1 minute or until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  • Serve with potato turnovers, latke or gnocchi.
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Course; Sauce

Roasted purple carrot and ginger sauce

Roasted purple carrot and ginger sauce

Japanese ginger and carrot salad dressing is one of our favorites. We love the combination of sweetness from the carrot and fresh tang of ginger and decided to create a sauce for cooked vegetables that made use of the same flavors. Here we roast purple heirloom carrots with a little brown sugar before puréeing with ginger and other ingredients for a sauce that works well with steamed or roasted green beans, cauliflower or Brussels sprouts. If you can’t find purple carrots, regular orange ones work just as well. For a milder carrot flavor try parsnips.
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Ingredients

MAKES: 240 ml

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
  • Arrange the carrot slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet or baking dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the sesame oil.
  • Season with salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon (4 g) of sugar.
  • Mix well and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the carrots are fork tender.
  • When the carrots are cooked, scrape them into the bowl of a food processor along with the remaining sugar, sesame oil, ginger, shallot, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce.
  • Process into a smooth, loose paste, adding rice wine vinegar as needed to achieve this consistency.
  • Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
  • Simmer 5 to 10 minutes for the flavors to combine.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve over vegetables or even as a salad dressing. Sauce may be stored, refrigerated, in a well-sealed container for up to 1 week
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Course; Sauce

Fiddlehead fern and garlic pesto

Fiddlehead fern and garlic pesto

Fiddlehead ferns are a favorite spring ingredient. They are the furled fronds of a young fern. They have a short season, and their flavor has been compared to other green vegetables including artichokes, asparagus and green beans. When choosing them, look for fiddleheads that are small, firm and tightly furled. You should store them in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic. They won’t spoil quickly, but they will lose flavor and firmness after a couple of days. The extra bite from the walnuts and umami flavor from the anchovy fillet makes this a lovely sauce for grilled vegetables, pasta and roasted potatoes.
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Ingredients

MAKES: 360 ml

  • ¾ cup 100 g fiddleheads
  • 2 cups 120 g fresh basil leaves, packed
  • â…“ cup 35 g walnuts, toasted and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic smashed
  • 1 anchovy filet chopped
  • ½ to ¾ cup 120 to 180 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup 25 g grated pecorino cheese

Instructions

  • Cook the fiddleheads in a steamer basket set over a saucepan of boiling water.
  • Steam for 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Remove, rinse with cold water and drain completely.
  • Place the fiddleheads in a food processor along with the basil, walnut, garlic and anchovy and process into a coarse paste.
  • While processing, add the oil in a thin stream, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
  • Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the cheese.
  • Use immediately over roasted baby potatoes, pasta or vegetables.

Notes & Wine Advice

Store, refrigerated, in a tightly sealed container up to 5 days, or portion into small containers and freeze for up to 2 months.
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Course; Sauce / Side Dish / Tapas

Grilled japanese eggplant and roasted tomato sauce

Grilled japanese eggplant and roasted tomato sauce

We like to grill the eggplant for this sauce because it lends a smoky, almost meaty quality to the sauce. This is an excellent do-ahead sauce because you can cook the eggplant earlier in the day or the day before and complete the sauce after the tomatoes come out of the oven. We use Japanese eggplant for this sauce because it is thin-skinned and not as bitter as Italian varieties. This sauce is just as good at room temperature as it is hot. Use this sauce as a different twist on traditional tomato-based pasta sauces.
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Ingredients

MAKES: about 3 cups (720 ml)

  • 1 lb 454 g Japanese eggplant, trimmed and cut Into ½-lnch (12 mm) thick slices
  • 80 ml extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 2 cups 300 g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 2 sprigs of thyme chopped
  • 240 mlVegetable Stock
  • 6 leaves basil cut finely
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
  • Lightly brush the eggplant slices with some of the olive oil and sear on a hot grill, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
  • Place the eggplant on a cookie sheet to cool.
  • When they are cool enough to handle, roughly chop the eggplant and set aside in a large bowl.
  • In another bowl, toss together the cherry tomatoes, garlic, remaining olive oil and thyme.
  • Place the tomatoes flat side down on a non-stick sheet pan.
  • Cook in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes.
  • Remove and cool.
  • Scrape the grilled Japanese eggplant and tomatoes into the bowl of a food processer and add the vegetable stock, basil, salt and pepper.
  • Process to a rough paste.
  • Scrape this mixture into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.
  • Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes so the flavors combine and set aside to cool completely.
  • Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve over heartier pasta such as penne or fusilli or over grilled asparagus.
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Course; Sauce

Coconut nectar, pineapple and thyme glaze

Coconut nectar, pineapple and thyme glaze

This is a good fruity glaze for roasted hearty fall and winter vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, hard squashes and sweet potatoes. It also serves double duty as a nice finish sauce on roasted chicken slices. Try to get pineapple juice in a carton versus a can since the can often adds a metallic taste to the finished sauce. Coconut nectar is sometimes called coconut molasses and is available in most gourmet stores or the natural aisle of conventional supermarkets.
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Ingredients

MAKES: 240 ml

Instructions

  • Heat the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the shallot.
  • Sauté until the shallot softens, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add the thyme leaves and sauté 1 minute more.
  • Stir in the coconut nectar and pineapple juice and whisk well.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Simmer until the mixture is reduced by about two-thirds, or until it is the consistency of thick maple syrup, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  • It will also thicken as it cools.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve with roasted vegetables like cubed kabocha squash.
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Course; Fruit / Sauce

Spicy red pepper aioli

Spicy red pepper aioli

Aioli is essentially a mayonnaise to which garlic paste has been added. It’s very easy to make but is sure to impress your guests. We use this spicy aioli as a drizzle on fish stew and steamed clams. It adds a delicious layer of heat and creaminess to the dish. If you want the spice to be milder, substitute mild paprika for the hot and keep the cayenne pepper
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Ingredients

MAKES: 240 ml

Instructions

  • Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process on high until the mixture comes together into a thick sauce, slightly looser than mayonnaise.
  • Use as a dip for crudite, as a side for grilled vegetables or use as a sandwich or burger condiment.
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Course; Sauce

Sage brown butter sauce

Sage brown butter sauce

Another incredibly easy sauce that is good with all manner of vegetables and pasta. Nutty from the browned butter with the comforting flavor of herby sage, this sauce packs a lot of flavor while still being light. We particularly like to serve this with pan-fried gnocchi, but it is excellent with couscous, quinoa and almost any pasta.
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Ingredients

MAKES: 120 ml

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
  • Raise the heat enough to allow the butter to lightly simmer and allow to cook until the butter foams.
  • When the foam dies down, continue to simmer the butter until it browns and the milk solids darken and fall to the bottom of the pan—about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Pour the browned butter through a fine mesh sieve into another saucepan over medium heat and add the sage leaves.
  • Fry until the sage leaves crisp and curl, less than 1 minute.

Notes & Wine Advice

Serve over pasta or vegetables. It is a lovely sauce to go with pumpkin ravioli.
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Course; Sauce

Gorgonzola white wine sauce

Gorgonzola white wine sauce

If you are a blue cheese lover, this is the sauce for you. We like to use sweet Gorgonzola cheese that is brightened by a chardonnay wine reduction. Good for any pasta with ridges and curves to which this sauce can cling, we find it’s also tasty on roasted potatoes.
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Ingredients

MAKES: 480 ml

Instructions

  • Serve hot over roasted potatoes or green beans.
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Course; Sauce

Caramelized garlic and shallot white wine sauce

Caramelized garlic and shallot white wine sauce

This creamy, slightly pungent sauce is excellent over virtually any vegetable or pasta. It can be enhanced by adding a sprinkle of Parmesan or even gruyere cheese after serving. Minced mushrooms sautéed with the aromatics is another lovely addition too. However, the sauce is absolutely excellent served as is. We like to use a good quality chardonnay wine for this sauce because of the buttery characteristics of that oak-aged quaff.
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Ingredients

MAKES: 240 ml

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the shallots and garlic.
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently sauté until the garlic begins to become deep golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Stir in the thyme leaves and sauté for 15 to 30 seconds then add the chardonnay and simmer until reduced to about 1 tablespoon (15 ml), about 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Add the cream, salt, nutmeg and pepper.
  • Mix well and simmer this mixture until it reduces by one third and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Stir in the freshly chopped parsley and serve hot over pasta or cooked vegetables like green beans or asparagus.
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Course; Sauce

Broccoli pesto

Broccoli pesto

A different take on traditional pesto, this version uses almonds in place of pine nuts and adds broccoli florets for an intensely green sneaky sauce that lets you add more vegetables into your diet under the cover of aromatic basil, tangy capers, garlic and salty parmesan. This sauce is great on chicken, pasta or grilled vegetables, and we’ve even used it as a tasty dip.
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Ingredients

MAKES: 480 ml

Instructions

  • Steam the broccoli for 6 minutes, until very tender but still bright.
  • Remove from the heat, rinse with cold water and drain well.
  • Place the broccoli in the food processor with the garlic and almonds and process to a rough paste.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the capers and the basil and process to a smooth paste.
  • Continue to process while drizzling in the olive oil and purée until smooth.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste, the grated cheese and pulse a few more times to blend completely.
  • Use with hot or cold cooked pasta or over grilled vegetables
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Course; Sauce / Side Dish