When two of my children were small, they were unable to have cow's milk. Many recipes I was used to cooking called for "Cream of..." soup. Well, there went all those recipes! Or did they?
The solution was simple, and also healthier than some of the highly processed canned products with MSG and chemical preservatives.
Basic Sauce
The "rule of thumb" is 1 tablespoon of flour/butter per cup of liquid.
Heat butter in saucepan. Add flour and stir til smooth. Pour in liquid all at once. Stir constantly over medium heat til mixture is thick and bubbly. The constant stirring will reduce lumps and with milk/cream sauces will prevent scorching.
The great thing is once you have your basic sauce, you can make it ANY flavor!
Sautee onions in the butter before adding the flour, and you will have onion sauce/cream of onion sauce.
Add broccoli/and or cheese, chicken, mushrooms, garlic, whatever your family likes!
If you add cheese and serve over pasta, you have homemade macaroni and cheese.
Make your sauce with broth, pour over chopped turkey, top with leftover dressing, and bake for a tasty leftover casserole!
Wanting to watch the calories in your foods?
Make the sauce with broth, or add only a small amount of milk. Then you will get some creamy flavor, but it's not as rich as a sauce made with cream or half and half.
Showing posts with label sauce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sauce. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Basics: Beautiful Broth
One basic item every cook will need at some point or other is broth!
While broth is easily purchased in cans or cartons in most stores, I find these products are less flavorful than home-cooked broth. Not that my broth creations are "perfect" by any means, but when I get it right, it gels up in the fridge, and tastes "rich" in whatever dish I cook with it.
The basic premise is the same whether you are making chicken, turkey, or beef broth. Time is the key!
To make beautiful broth, you will need a large pot. At least 4 quarts.
In the pot, place one onion cut into wedges, a few carrots cut into sections, and a stalk or 2 of celery, cut in large sections.
Add your meat and bones:
Whole chicken
Turkey frame leftover from a roast turkey
Soup bones (beef, ham, etc.)
If you wish, add a bay leaf (you will need to make sure it gets discarded later! Bay leaf stems are a choking hazard).
Fill the pot with cool water. Place it on the stove and bring to a boil. Scoop off any film or foam that rises to the top, and discard it. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat as low as you can and still allow the liquid to simmer. Cover your broth-in-progress and walk away!
Let it simmer several hours, all day is better! A crockery slow-cooker is ideal for making broth because you can cook your broth overnight, or while you are busy doing other things, and you don't need to check up on it at all.
Strain your broth, and put it in storage containers. Broth freezes well for later use. I store broth I will use soon in glass jars in my fridge, but plastic is better for freezing broth.
The meat can be picked off the bones and used in all kinds of things:
Casseroles
Curry
Tacos/Enchiladas
Pot pies
Soup
or anything your imagination can cook up!
While broth is easily purchased in cans or cartons in most stores, I find these products are less flavorful than home-cooked broth. Not that my broth creations are "perfect" by any means, but when I get it right, it gels up in the fridge, and tastes "rich" in whatever dish I cook with it.
The basic premise is the same whether you are making chicken, turkey, or beef broth. Time is the key!
To make beautiful broth, you will need a large pot. At least 4 quarts.
In the pot, place one onion cut into wedges, a few carrots cut into sections, and a stalk or 2 of celery, cut in large sections.
Add your meat and bones:
Whole chicken
Turkey frame leftover from a roast turkey
Soup bones (beef, ham, etc.)
If you wish, add a bay leaf (you will need to make sure it gets discarded later! Bay leaf stems are a choking hazard).
Fill the pot with cool water. Place it on the stove and bring to a boil. Scoop off any film or foam that rises to the top, and discard it. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat as low as you can and still allow the liquid to simmer. Cover your broth-in-progress and walk away!
Let it simmer several hours, all day is better! A crockery slow-cooker is ideal for making broth because you can cook your broth overnight, or while you are busy doing other things, and you don't need to check up on it at all.
Strain your broth, and put it in storage containers. Broth freezes well for later use. I store broth I will use soon in glass jars in my fridge, but plastic is better for freezing broth.
The meat can be picked off the bones and used in all kinds of things:
Casseroles
Curry
Tacos/Enchiladas
Pot pies
Soup
or anything your imagination can cook up!
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