Cranberry Relish

Pesto

Spice it Up™ …by Karen

Tomatillo Salsa

Yogurt Dill Sauce

Yummy Mustard

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Time: 45 minutes

Serves: this recipe yields approximately 3-4 cups of salsa

Inspired by: I love any salsa that does not have raw onion or cilantro (super spicy is fine, but no pico de gallo for this gal!). My favorites have always been those with a tomatillo base. I’ve learned that adding just about any type of roasted pepper to roasted tomatillos creates delicious flavors. No exact recipe is required.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 16 tomatillos; husks removed
• 1-2 Anaheim peppers
• 1-2 large Poblano pepper
• 2 Jalapeno peppers
• 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper
• Optional: Other spicy peppers – Habanero, Serrano, depends how spicy you like it!
• Optional: Garlic – a few small cloves

Preparation:

• Smear olive oil on your foil or pan to keep the peppers from sticking
• Wash and lay your tomatillos, peppers, garlic on the pan
• Roast at 350-400 degrees for about 15 minutes
• Turn over and roast for another 10-15 minutes until well done
• Remove stems and put everything into the blender, except the spiciest peppers
• Add salt and pepper and blend well
• Add the spicier peppers a little bit at a time; keep tasting to be sure it doesn’t get spicier than you wish
•  The lime juice adds a nice bit of acidity – add lime juice and additional salt to taste

Notes: This freezes well.

Time: 20-30 minutes

Serves: 8-10 as a side dish

Inspired by: My good friend Sue who is amazing with both food preparations and wine and champagne selections! This was one of the several dishes she brought to a gourmet thanksgiving dinner party this year. Even those who don’t normally like cranberry sauce really enjoyed this refreshing side dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag cranberries
• 12-15 kumquats
• Approximately 1/4 cup sugar (taste for desired sweetness)
• Approximately 1/2 cup fresh, strong crystallized ginger (quantity can very according to your taste)

Preparation:

• Chop cranberries with sugar in a food processor and then dump into a large bowl.
• Pull the stems off of the Kumquats and cut into halves.
• In the same food processor (no need to clean), chop the kumquats with the ginger.
• Dump the kumquat-ginger mixture into the bowl with the berries and mix well.
• Refrigerate and serve the next day.

Notes: This is more of a light fruity salad than a relish/condiment, so I categorized it in both places.

Time: 5-10 minutes

Inspired by: Rikke’s vegetarian lasagna with homemade pasta and a layer of pesto! This was the most amazing lasagna so when I tried to come up with a lasanga recipe that would be similar, I wanted to make my own pesto oil and concocted the below. Now I use this on pasta and in veggie dips. It’s so easy.

Ingredients:

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 large bunches fresh basil leaves (approximately 3 cups lightly chopped leaves)
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ – 1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
• 2-4 tablespoons parmesan (optional)
• pine nuts (traditional pesto has some pine nuts, but I prefer to leave them out)

Preparation: Blend all ingredients well in a food processor.

Serve with: Awesome on pasta. I use this in my grilled vegetable lasagna and white bean pesto dip.

Wine suggestions: I have heard that pesto can be a good pairing with Cabernet Sauvignon. I can see how that might be true with a pretty rich dish that uses a lot of pesto.

Time: 15 minutes plus cooling time

Inspired by: my super sweet, ex mother-in-law, Betty Moore, gave me this recipe! She always made the yummiest sandwiches, and this mustard was one of her tricks! I almost always keep some in the fridge as it is awesome on everything. This is a sweet and quite spicy mustard. The Coleman’s Dry Mustard gives this a sinus-clearing bite similar to fresh horseradish.

Supplies: a microwave, microwave-safe bowl and a whisk or electric mixer

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Coleman’s Dry Mustard
• ¾ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• pinch of salt

Preparation:

• In a large, microwave-safe bowl, blend all ingredients together with a whisk or on a low to medium speed with an electric mixer. I usually start with the eggs, add in the sugar and salt, and then the dry mustard and vinegar.
• Microwave for 2 minutes. Remove and stir well. Repeat 3-4 times until it is as thick as you’d like it to be. It will also thicken up quite a bit when it cools. Makes between 1 pint and 1 quart.

Notes: It’s best to make this a day or more ahead as it will cool and thicken up – making it easier to spread on wraps or sandwiches if you don’t want it to “run”. When I know I’ll be using it as a spread for wraps I usually make it a little bit thicker with an extra cycle or two in the microwave.I love using it warm as a pretzel dip as well!

Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 10-12 as a dip

Inspired by: various yogurt sauces used in combination with spicy cooking – I was looking for a nice flavor balance with some curried chicken kabobs and have since found that this sauce is fabulous with so many different things!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2-3 tablespoons dried dill (dried dill infuses much more flavor than fresh)
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced (optional – I often skip this and almost always skip it when I’m making the dip a day or two ahead as the garlic tends to get too strong)
• 1-2 teaspoon lemon juice
• dash of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (optional – but I love pepper – it goes in most everything!)

Preparation: Mix all ingredients well in small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes: Lasts for a while in the refrigerator but the garlic gets stronger over time so if you plan to keep it for a while, I suggest using little or no garlic.

Serve With: Curry chicken kabobs, any other spicy meat or poultry, fabulous on salmon or as a dip for a smoked-salmon wrap, and great alone as an appetizer dip with raw veggies or bread.

Yogurt Dill Sauce with Smoked Salmon Wraps