Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cooking and sauce

Spontaneous ravioli help

kaseijin — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:14:39 -0800

Ravioli help! I need a creative, fast, tasty sauce idea... I was left with extra pasta sheets after running out of filling while making ravioli. Not wanting to waste my, I made a few extras with scrounged ingredients. The result: Brie and asiago ravioli with dried cherries. They're great. The problem is what to sauce them with. I only have enough for one serving, so it's gonna be my quick dinner tonight.

Help me, o cooks of MeFi, I beseech thee!

Can I salvage these tomatoes?

Orinda — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:15:45 -0800

While trying to cook a large quantity of tomatoes for sauce, I accidentally burned a few on the bottom of the pan. Now the burnt aroma pervades the entire (did I mention large) batch of tomatoes. Is there any way to salvage this project? I'm trying to make tomato sauce.

I started by cutting up raw tomatoes and chucking them into my biggest, deepest pot. Once there was a few-inches-deep layer of tomato chunks in the bottom of the pan, I turned the heat on high underneath and continued cutting and chucking tomato chunks. After a while, the chunks became difficult to stir around because the pan was so deep. I stupidly left the pan unstirred on top of high heat. Not long after I finished cutting up the tomatoes and adding them to the pan, my nose notified me that the bottom layer of tomatoes had burned. Uh oh.

A mild but noticeable burned smell seems to pervade the entire potful of tomato chunks, which are in varying states of cookedness. I pulled the rawest layer of tomato chunks off the top of the pan, thinking I might be able to salvage them, but that still leaves at least 20 lbs of tomatoes sitting in what is now a burnt-tomato-scented broth.

Advice? Do I have to throw out the whole lot? If I dig out the un-burnt tomatoes can I continue cooking them in a clean pan, or will the resultant sauce have that unpleasant burned flavor to it? Would it make a difference if I strained off the liquid and just cooked what's left of the un-burnt tomato flesh? Is it true that a peeled potato can "absorb the burnt taste"?

Join me in the Quest for the Mexican Salad Dressing!

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:30:16 -0800

Help me recreate an awesome Mexican salad dressing! So I just had one of those pre-packaged salad kits, and it came with an awesome dressing. It was a Mexican chicken salad, and the dressing was a tangy, sort-of tomato-ey sort-of corn-y delight with quite a bit of a bite (but no apparent capsaicin heat). I think it or something similar would work brilliantly as a home-made dressing or cold sauce. The ingredients as listed on the packaging:

Water
Soya oil
Tomato purée
Vinegar
Sugar
Dextrose
Herbs and spices
Onion
Modified corn starch
Salt

I'll spare you the food acids and other additives, but suffice to say that, big surprise, MSG was in there (but none of its cousins in the E620-E630 range).

I believe the tomato purée refers to the concentrated kind; it definitely tasted like it (although Dutch tomatoes I feel are generally quite watery so I'm somewhat easily impressed with the concentrated and processed stuff). In fact, the overall taste held the middle between concentrated tomatoes and something corn-like, strongly reminiscent of tortilla chips (the non-cheese kind). Add a faint vinegary tang, and you're pretty much there.

It had about the consistency of common chili sauce (but as I said, no heat). It was very different from any salsa I've eaten, and completely smooth; without any onion or tomato chunks like in salsa or adobo.

Has anyone ever made anything like this? Any pointers? Thanks in advance, guys!

Shelf stable homemade condiments

sharksandwich — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:40:58 -0800

Homemade condiment preservation without canning. I've made ketchup, hot sauce, and worcestershire sauce in the past. All the recipes say to store the finished product in the refrigerator and use within a relatively short time. Worcestershire seems to be the longest lasting at about 8 months. I understand since there are no preservatives the condiments keep best refrigerated. My question is: Is there any simple way to make hot sauces or worcestershire shelf stable (not needing refrigeration) without adding a pharmacy of chemicals or without canning the condiments? I'd like to give them as gifts and not kill my few friends.

Need some sauce

pilibeen — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:10:31 -0800

Help me make/find a good stir-fry sauce... I'm trying to make use of all this veg I'm getting from my new CSA share, and I figured stir-fries would be a great way to throw everything together in one dish.

I've tried stir-frying in the past and always end up w/ nicely cooked vegetables in a strange tasting sauce. I've used some store-bought sauces (labeled "stir-fry sauce", can't recall the brand), and even tried throwing a few of my own together. NONE of them have encouraged me to return to stir-fries.

What bottled sauces or homemade sauces do you use in your stir-fry?

Thanks

How can I simulate this tikka masala sauce?

tomwheeler — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:37:30 -0800

How can I make a tikka masala sauce just like this jar of Sharwood's? I really like the slightly sweet flavor and creamy texture of this particular sauce, but it's a British brand that's hard to find where I live. When I am lucky enough to find it (whether locally or online), it's expensive.

I've tried a number of other brands from jars, cans and packets, but none that I like as much as Sharwood's. I was hoping someone might have a recipe to share that will make a sauce that's similar in flavor and/or texture.

Please tell me how to stuff it.

bondcliff — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:59:38 -0800

What are your favorite ravioli fillings and sauces? Homemade ravioli are one of my favorite foods to make. I seem to be stuck in a rut though, always making the same ricotta and spinach filling, served with a butter/garlic/sage sauce. I recently branched out and made a roasted butternut squash filling served with the same sauce. It was pretty damn awesome.

I’m looking for good suggestions / recipes for both fillings and sauces. The pasta part of it I can handle, though tips in that area are certainly welcome. For the most part I use AB’s method (but without the ironing board) and it seems to work pretty well.

Anything raviloi related is welcome, actually. Sides/mains to serve with it, wines, derivatives, etc. Have at it, people.

If this thread doesn’t reach 1000 comments by 5:00PM EST, I’ll be very disappointed. Also, I can’t believe I’m the first use the ravioli tag.

Chunky pasta?

widdershins — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:28:33 -0800

Another pasta sauce question but with a few additional requirements... I'm making a pasta dinner for a few friends on Saturday and I'd like to try something new. I've searched previous questions and found some good suggestions, but am looking for more. I'm trying to satisfy some very different types, so have a few requirements:

The dish must feature either spaghetti or fusilli or penne - no lasagna or tortellini or anything like that (long story, but trust me on this). Also it can contain no meat or seafood. Lastly, it needs to be a sauce that can be poured on top of the pasta right before serving - in other words, not baked with it or anything like that.

I'm looking for something more unique than your basic plain tomato sauce (I love it, but want to do something different this time) or alfredo. I'm thinking something with some 'chunkier' ingredients, like olives or sundried tomatoes or artichokes, that kind of thing. Yes, I have looked at allrecipes and googled and have a few ideas but nothing has really leapt out at me yet except possibly a good vodka sauce. Lastly, while I love a good puttanesca, some of my guests do not like anchovies or capers, so that's out too.

(Oh, and I should add that I'm not a great cook but a good recipe-follower, so exact ingredients/measurements are a big plus!)

What to do with tomato skins

exceptinsects — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 16:59:51 -0800

Oh my god, it's FINALLY tomato season, but what can I do with all these tomato skins? I swear I read somewhere online within the last week or so that you can roast them in the oven and then grind them into a powder to sprinkle on things. But I can't find it anywhere.

Does anyone know what that recipe was, or failing that, something else to do with a bunch of tomato skins? I like to take them off when I make fresh tomato sauce, but they have a lot of flavor and it would be nice to use them for something.

I want amba sauce.

Foam Pants — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 16:46:46 -0800

I am craving a recipe for amba sauce. I have been getting into making food from the Middle East. Saveur magazine recently had a little blurb on amba sauce and, considering my love of tangy-sweet and fenugreek, I think I would love it. I looked for it on the source it mentioned but couldn't find it and I hesitate to buy it as I have run into references that say the jarred stuff can be too salty. I looked for a recipe online but no go. Anybody know how to make it? Going to a grocery store is out of the question as I live in the boondocks. Any recommendations for a cookbook are welcome as well.

Fish my wish

Afroblanco — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 20:29:28 -0800

What are some good sauces and marinades for fish? I love fish. I am also lazy. Typically, I'll just take a fillet of some sort, marinate it in soy (I love Soy Vey), and cook it in the oven.

However, soy is getting old, and I'm interested in some new sauces/marinades. What all would you suggest? Recipes as well as brand names are welcome.

My favorite fish are : tuna steak, swordfish, halibut, sea bass, and mahi-mahi. Salmon and tilapia are also good with the right sauces.

Sauce for pumpkin tortellini

skwm — Mon, 01 Mar 2004 06:21:23 -0800

What type of sauce will go best with pumpkin tortellini? Anyone have good recipe suggestions? I'm vegetarian, but any type of recipe will be appreciated.