Mint Basil Pistou is a lovely condiment, bright with mint and lemon juice and savory with basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Similar to a pesto in its uses and composition, it differs in that nuts are not used. Pistou means “grind” in French and it is typically made using a mortar and pestle to grind the ingredients. Although I love to do things in a traditional sense, I also like the ease and speed of using a food processor. It’s your world, make it however you prefer. I will say that using the mortar and pestle will get the greatest flavor out of the ingredients!
I love using this pistou on pasta, as the sauce for a pizza or, my favorite, on Chef Eddie’s Mint Pistou Lamb Lollipops!
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Mint Basil Pistou
Makes: 1 cup
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 ounces fresh basil, thick stems removed
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tbsp cup fresh lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
- 1/4 bunch fresh parsley (tender stems only)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 3/4 cup mint leaves
Instructions
In a food processor, combine all ingredients except mint leaves and pulse 3-4 times. Add the mint leaves and process a few more times. You want it to be chunky.
Recipe from Chef Eddie Matney
Mediterranean cooking is full of delicious spices and having Shawarma Spice Blend on hand is a wonderful way to flavor many different meats and chicken.
A Middle Eastern staple, shawarma seasoning is made with a unique combination of spices including cumin, turmeric, and paprika. It’s bold, bright, and unbelievably delicious. If you’ve never had it, you’re in for a serious treat!
It’s so easy to make: just combine cumin, turmeric, ground coriander, garlic powder, sweet Spanish paprika, ground cloves and cayenne.
You can always adjust the spices depending on your own preferences but this is a fairly traditional combination.
What’s wonderful is that it will last for 6 months, so you should always keep some in your pantry!
It’s amazing when used for Grilled Chicken Shawarma!
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Shawarma Spice Blend
Makes: 4 tablespoons
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 tbsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tbsp turmeric powder
- 3/4 tbsp ground coriander
- 3/4 tbsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tbsp sweet Spanish paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, more if you prefer
Instructions
In a small mixing bowl, add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, garlic powder, paprika, cloves, and cayenne pepper. Mix with a spoon until well combined.
Transfer the seasoning to a mason jar. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature.
Chef’s Notes:
Adjust spices according to your taste. If you prefer more heat increase the cayenne pepper. If you prefer less, leave it out or just reduce the amount.
A mixed spice blend like this will last for up to six months.
Recipe by The Mediterranean Dish
When you can make something as delicious and simple as Easy Caesar Salad Dressing, there’s no reason to buy it at the grocery store.
Everyone loves Caesar Salad but the idea of using a raw egg to make a traditional dressing is daunting. Now, you don’t have to worry…the Fancy Pants Kitchen has got you! This recipe comes together easily, doesn’t need raw egg yolks to thicken it and you can leave out the anchovies if it’s not your jam (personally I love them but it’s okay to substitute fish sauce if anchovies make you squeamish).
Creamy and thick, this Easy Caesar Salad Dressing gets it’s oomph from combining mayo and Greek yogurt, along with garlic, lemon juice, Dion mustard, Worcestershire sauce and anchovy paste (or fish sauce). Combine it all in a medium-sized bowl.
Add the Parmesan cheese and stir. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Taste it and if necessary, add more lemon juice, salt or anchovy paste. You can also thin it if it’s too thick with a little milk.
All that’s left to do it drizzle it over romaine lettuce!
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Easy Caesar Salad Dressing
Makes: 24 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 medium cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp anchovy paste (or fish sauce), optional
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
- 2 tbsp good quality extra-virgin olive oil
- milk to thin if needed
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients except the Parmesan and olive oil in a medium-size bowl and whisk until nice and smooth.
Add the Parmesan and stir to combine.
Slowly add the olive oil while whisking vigorously. Take a taste and add more lemon juice, salt or anchovy paste/fish sauce.
If the dressing is a little too thick, add milk as desired to thin.
Recipe from The Cafe Sucre Farine
Fig Jam or preserves have become one of my favorite additions to a charcuterie board. I love it spread on pizza and topped with arugula and prosciutto. I love it with grilled cheese. If you are like me, then you must try this easy recipe when fresh figs are available!
With a few simple ingredients, you can have jars of this homemade fig jam in your fridge. There is no canning involved which is an added bonus!
Combine the fig pieces with all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
Simmer the fig jam over medium-low heat for 35-45 minutes, mashing the pieces until the fruit is soft and jammy.
Discard the citrus peels and spoon the jam into 10-ounce containers. Close the lids and let cool to room temperature.
Store the fig jam in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. The jam makes a lovely gift, too!
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Fig Jam
Makes: 3 & 1/2 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ripe figs, stemmed and diced
- 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 one-inch-thick strips of orange or lemon peel (or a combination), making sure to avoid the white pith
Instructions
In a large, nonreactive saucepan, toss the fig pieces with the sugar, lemon juice, water, and citrus peels. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Simmer the fig jam over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and mashing the fig pieces, until the fruit is soft and jammy, 35 to 45 minutes.
Discard the citrus peels and spoon the jam into three 10-oz jars, leaving ¼ inch of space at the top. Close the jars and let cool to room temperature. Store the jam in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Recipe by Once Upon a Chef
It doesn’t take much to make Homemade Taco Seasoning but it makes all the difference in the world in flavoring your favorite tacos.
As simple as this is, you’ll want to double or triple this recipe so that you always have some on hand.
This seasoning uses ingredients you most likely have in your spice rack so no need to get fancy on this. Combine, mix and use…that’s it!
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Homemade Taco Seasoning
Makes: 1/2 cup
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tbsp freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 year.
Chef’s Note:
Most taco seasoning packets have 2-3 tablespoons of seasoning in them. To substitute this taco seasoning mix for a store bought packet, simply brown your ground meat, drain off any fat and sprinkle on 2-3 tablespoons of the homemade taco seasoning per pound of ground meat, mix to combine. If you like saucy taco meat, add 1/3 cup water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch to the ground beef along with the taco seasoning.
Recipe by Modern Proper
It doesn’t take much to make these Easy Dill Pickles besides a little time and dill! Homemade pickles are a treat to have…they are so fresh and crunchy, flavored with garlic, dill, mustard and coriander seeds. It’s hard to go wrong with this Easy Peasy recipe!
Making pickles is so much easier than I ever thought, and the first time I found Kirby cukes at a farmer’s market in Sacramento when I was fresh out of college, I knew I had to give it a whirl.
Kirby cucumbers are smaller than a traditional cucumber. They’re short like Persian cukes but a little fatter, with bumpy skin and a dense interior that can hold up up to an assertive brine—big crunch, big flavor.
You begin by making a brine of white vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard, coriander and dill seeds. Combine that with hot water and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Then cool the brine completely.
If the brine isn’t completely cool, the cucumbers won’t have as much crunch as you could get if you waited for the brine to cool.
Toss the cucumber slices with fresh dill and chopped garlic. Pour the cooled brine over and make sure that all of the cucumber slices are covered.
Place a heavy plate over the top of the cucumbers to weigh them down and submerge them in the brine.
Refrigerate the pickles overnight (or at least 8 hours), stirring once or twice.
Divide the pickles between jars (I got 4 small jars from one batch). Refrigerate the pickles and serve cold.
The pickles will be good for about 2 weeks. Serve these with a burger, hot dog or on a relish tray.
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Easy Dill Pickles
Makes: 1 quart
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Chill Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours & 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 3/4 tsp dill seeds
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 pounds kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 3/4 cup coarsely chopped dill
- 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Instructions
In a large, heatproof measuring cup, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and dill seeds with the hot water and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let the brine cool.
In a large bowl, toss the cucumbers with the dill and garlic. Pour the brine over the cucumbers and turn to coat. Place a small plate over the cucumbers to keep them submerged, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the pickles overnight, stirring once or twice.
Transfer to jars. Serve cold.
Recipe by Bobby Flay
Tuscan Herbed Sea Salt is an intoxicating combination of Italian herbs and sea salt that will quickly transport you to the Mediterranean. Oregano, rosemary, sage, parsley and thyme combine with sea salt to be baked into the perfect condiment to sprinkle over any dish! Try it over eggs, pasta, chicken or even popcorn!
While it can be very expensive to buy a jar of specialty salt, making it yourself brings the cost down substantially.
The sea salt and herbs bake at a low heat to create this deep Italian flavor. The low heat will dry our the herbs while keeping the salt intact.
Begin by placing chopped herbs in the bowl of a food processor along with 1/4 cup of sea salt. Pulse it all together until the herbs are finely chopped and the mixture resembles wet sand.
Add the garlic and pulse again until the chopped garlic is incorporated.
Add the rest of the sea salt to the herb and garlic mixture and spread it over a sheet pan. Bake it for 30 minutes, turn the oven off and let the salt continue to dry out for another 30-60 minutes in the oven.
Remove the salt from the oven and let it cool completely on the counter.
Once it has cooled, break up any chunk with your hands or the back of a spoon. Transfer the salt to airtight containers.
You can package it up for gift-giving by tying some string or ribbon around the top of the container and adding a label.
If anyone would like the pdf of the labels, send me a request in the review section below and I will happily send the pdf to you!
Sprinkle the sea salt of everything and enjoy!!
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Tuscan Herbed Sea Salt
Makes: 3 8-ounce jars
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour & 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves (12g)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves (5g)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves (3g)
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves (1g)
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano leaves (1g)
- 17-18 ounces fine Mediterranean sea salt (500g) (I use Morton or Alessi fine Mediterranean Sea Salt)
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 1 tsp fine ground black pepper (2.3g)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200˚F. Set aside a 12×18-inch sheet pan.
Combine all of the chopped herbs in the bowl of a food processor (I use my mini food processor). Add 1/4 cup of the fine sea salt. Pulse until everything is finely chopped and the consistency is like slightly damp sand.
Add the garlic cloves and pulse again until the garlic is invisible and well incorporated. The texture at this point will be more like wet sand.
Combine the remaining fine sea salt and the herb mixture on the 12×18-inch sheet pan. Be sure to scrape out all the good herb stuff from the sides and bottom of the food processor bowl. Add the pepper and, using your hands, mix until well combined. It should be a pretty green color at this point.
Place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, allowing the mixture to cool and continue to dry out for another 30-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Rub the mixture with your hands to break up any lumps. Any smaller lumps can be crushed with the back of a spoon. Transfer to airtight storage jars when completely cooled. Sprinkle it on everything savory!
Chef’s Note:
The herbs do not need to be chopped super fine before adding the food processor. The processor will do that. But you do want to chop them up a bit so you can properly measure them. Also, I’ve found that whole herb leaves can get stuff in the blades of the food processor.
Recipe from Cafe Sucre Farine
This easy Mushroom Gravy is the right thing to have any time you want a vegetarian gravy. You can make it with chicken or beef stock, but making it with vegetable stock gives you another option.
Sautéed cremini mushrooms combined with garlic, stock, soy sauce and thyme elevate this simple gravy.
Give it a try for your next Thanksgiving dinner!
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Mushroom Gravy
Makes: 8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 1 & 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups beef, chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 tsp minced thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
In a large skillet over medium heat add the mushrooms in a single layer taking care not to crowd the pan (this may need to be done in a few batches depending on the size of the pan.) Sprinkle the mushrooms with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook without disturbing until the mushrooms begin to release moisture, about 3-4 minutes. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms begin to brown and moisture has evaporated, 8-10 minutes.
Add the olive oil to the pan and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have absorbed the oil and are golden brown, about 3-4 more minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate.
In the same skillet over medium heat melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, until the butter has absorbed the flour, about 1-2 minutes.
Very slowly pour in the stock, whisking continuously, until the sauce has thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme, soy sauce, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and mushrooms along with any collected juices. Stir to combine and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the lemon juice and stir to combine.
Serve warm over mashed potatoes, steak, turkey or alongside any roast beef or pork.
Chef’s Note:
Can be made one day ahead. Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, add to a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until warmed through.
This Delicious Turkey Gravy is what needs to be on the thanksgiving table next to Overnight Turkey or next to any turkey you are serving!
All you have to do is save the drippings that pool under the roasted turkey and use them for this gravy.
This is not a thick gravy. It’s thickened by making a roux of unsalted butter and flour (a roux is simply melting the butter and adding the flour and cooking until the flour is cooked and the mixture turns a golden brown color).
You want 4 cups of drippings. If you don’t have that much, make up the difference using chicken stock. Slowly pour the drippings into the roux, being sure to incorporate before adding more stock. Keep stirring the entire time so that lumps don’t form. Continue to stir for 3-5 minutes until the gravy thickens up.
If you want a slightly thicker gravy, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and mix a bit at a time into the gravy until you reach your desired thickness. But, this is supposed to be a thin, flavorful gravy.
Serve warm alongside the turkey.
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Delicious Turkey Gravy
Makes: 12
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Bake Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 cups turkey drippings or chicken stock (if drippings don’t yield 4 cups, add stock)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
In a heavy sauce pan, over low heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture begins to turn a golden color, about 2 minutes. Keep stirring the whole time with either a wooden spoon or whisk, approximately 3-5 minutes.
Slowly add 3 cups of the drippings (save some in case you need to thin it) and keep stirring, approximately 5 more minutes. You do not want any lumps so add the liquid slowly making sure it has totally incorporated. If there are lumps, just keep stirring with a whisk. The gravy will thicken as it cooks. You do not want gravy that is too thick. You can use the remaining drippings to thin as necessary.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Chef’s Note:
If you want a thicker gravy, combine two tablespoons of water with two tablespoons corn starch and mix into the gravy a bit at a time until you have desired thickness.
Gravy can be prepared hours ahead . Place in refrigerator and then reheat prior to serving the turkey.
Pomegranate Ginger Vinaigrette is a lovely Autumn salad dressing that goes perfectly with many salads, including Harvest Apple Arugula Salad. Based on a reduction of pomegranate juice, it’s beautifully flavored with fresh ginger and garlic.
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Pomegranate Ginger Vinaigrette
Makes: 20 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup neutral-flavored oil (ie canola, grapeseed, avocado, sunflower, safflower, vegetable)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 medium clove garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 cup pure pomegranate juice
Instructions
Combine all of the ingredients except for the pomegranate juice in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Place pomegranate juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil for 6-8 minutes or until the juice is reduced to 1/3 cup. Remove from the heat and pour into the jar with the other ingredients. Shake well for 30 seconds, then serve and enjoy. Shake well each time before serving.