Sauces, Marinades & Relishes

It has been almost a month since our last girls cooking class get together so it was good to see everyone again and get down to some action in the kitchen. We are starting the year off slowly with fortnightly classes until all the kids are back to school and everyone is back from their summer holidays.

With an abundance of stone fruit and tomatoes in season we decided to make some sauces and relishes to give everyone an idea of what they can do with any excess stock they might have over the next few months. Pictured from left to right is Tomato Cumin Relish, Thai Spice Marinade & Spicy Plum Sauce. Not pictured is the Wasabi Vinaigrette.

The Plum sauce I have used today to marinade belly pork for a BBQ but you can also use this as a dipping sauce. The Tomato Relish is also good as a dipping relish, an addition to a sandwich or you can also use as a marinade for baking fish or chicken. The Thai Spice Marinade I used for making a warm beef salad by marinading the beef prior to frying it and then adding it to salad.

Tomato Cumin Relish Ingredients – makes 3 small jars

• 1kg tomatoes
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 6 cardamom pods
• ½ tbsp mustard seeds
• 60ml vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 4 small chillies
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 60ml vinegar (white or cider)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar

Method

1. Place cumin & cardamon in a sauce pan and dry fry them for a few minutes.
2. Remove from the pan and grind.
3. Add oil to the pan and heat, when hot add the mustard seeds and cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the rest of the spices to the pan and cook for a few more minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, sugar and vinegar and bring to the boil then turn heat down and simmer for about 45 minutes.
6. As the liquid starts to reduce down to wards the end of the cooking, stir frequently to avoid sticking on the bottom of the pan.
7. Pour into sterilized jars. Will keep for several weeks in sealed jars

Wasabi Vinaigrette – Ingredients

• ½ cup or 12 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp wasabi paste
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Method

1. Place all the ingredients into a shake and shake to combine.
2. Serve on salads or warm summer grilled vegetables (beans, bok choi, courgettes etc)

Thai Chilli Marinade – Ingredients

• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 chilli pepper, finely chopped
• Juice of 1 lime or lemon
• ½ cup vinegar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Handful coriander, chopped
• Handful mint, chopped

Method

1. In a blender combine all the ingredients together and pulse well till blended.
2. Place marinade into a pan and bring to the boil for 2 minutes.
3. Place in sterilized jar and seal.
4. Will keep for several weeks unopened.

Spicy Plum Sauce – Ingredients

• 1kg plums, pitted and quartered
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cups cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 fresh chillies
• Juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. In a blender or food processor, process the plums, onion and garlic in batches until smooth.
2. Transfer to a large saucepan and stir in the remaining ingredients.
3. Bring to a boil then reduce heat; simmer for 60 minutes or until reduced by a third.
4. Ladle hot mixture into sterilised jars.