I had two days at home alone this weekend and needed to clean out the fridge and organize the pantry so I decided to put some of the ingredients I had on hand to good use.
Using the January issue of Saveur magazine (the one with this year's Saveur 100 in it and that is focused on good home cooking), I made a batch of Harissa (page 50) and some hot sauce (page 64). I also had a big bowl of Meyer lemons and an extra dozen eggs, so that became a really yummy lemon curd (I love lemon curd on pancakes) and also use to fill tart shells at the last minute when I need a quick dessert. Next up for this evening, the ketchup recipe on page 52. Once you've enjoyed homemade ketchup, which is really easy to make, you'll never buy another bottle of it.
Each of these recipes (with the exception of the five days the hot sauce needs to sit in a cool place to age before you strain it), all took less than 20 minutes to make. Since I am a huge fan of condiments of all kinds, there is nothing more satisfying than making them myself.
Use Harissa on roast chicken or drop a spoonful of it into a soup - nice heat and layers of exceptional flavor.
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