Condiments and Sauces | An Inspired Cook

Category: Condiments and Sauces
- Roasted Red Chile Cheese Spread
  
  Posted at 8:17 am by NativeNM, on August 14, 2020
  Pimento cheese is a great cheese spread that originated in the south. I can remember eating little finger sandwiches with pimento cheese or served with crackers. These days you might see it added to burgers or BLT’s which got me to thinking . . . what if I gave it some New Mexico flavor with roasted red chile. Roasted red chile can be quite spicy but also has a hint of sweetness that tastes really good in this cheese spread. The flavor is unmatched and enhanced over time as the ingredients blend together. You can also use different cheeses to alter the taste. I made this with cheddar and Monterey jack along with some whipped cream cheese. You can simply blend all the ingredients together for a chunky spread or you can blend it with a hand mixer for a smoother texture. Here in New Mexico chile season is in full swing, the roasters are out and everyone is filling their freezer with green chile. Red chile comes later in the season and is the result of chiles left on the plant which will change in color from green to a vivid red. This is the last of my red chile and I can’t wait until September when I can get some more.
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Recipes, Red or Green, Snack | 6 Comments | Tagged New Mexico Roasted Red Chile Cheese Spread, Pimento Cheese Spread with Roasted Red Chiles, Roasted Red Chile Cheese Spread, Roasted Red Chiles
- Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce
  
  Posted at 11:50 am by NativeNM, on July 31, 2020
  If there ever was a sauce that goes with everything it might be Honey Mustard. It’s sweet and tangy and a little bit spicy. It’s best known as a dipping sauce for chicken fingers, but we like to dip veggies, fries and soft pretzels as well. If you’ve never had pretzels and honey mustard sauce you don’t know what you’re missing. One of our local sandwich shops “Cheba Hut” have a menu full of creative sandwiches, but what keeps us going back are the soft pretzel bites with honey mustard sauce. Joe and I found ourselves addicted the first time we ordered them, there’s just something about those salty pretzel bites dipped in tangy honey mustard that tastes so good. But beyond dipping it’s one of our favorite sandwich spreads and salad dressing. It’s the versatile sauce that you can use for many different things. What’s your favorite way to use honey mustard?
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Recipes | 15 Comments | Tagged Coarse Dijon Mustard, Honey Dijon Sauce, Spicy Honey Dijon Sauce
- Tuscan Chicken Lasagna
  
  Posted at 12:53 pm by NativeNM, on May 26, 2020
  If you’ve ever had Tuscan chicken pasta or pizza you might like to try Tuscan Chicken Lasagna. It’s packed with grilled chicken, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, garlic and loads of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Most Tuscan chicken recipes are made with a cream sauce but I opted for a traditional red sauce instead and it was quite delicious. Instead of making a big pan of lasagna, I made two smaller ones and placed one in the freezer for later. We enjoyed a side salad and fresh sliced bread to make this meal complete. It easily made 4 meals for the two of us.
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Entree, Recipes | 5 Comments | Tagged Grilled Chicken, Spinach Mix, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, Tuscan Chicken Lasagna
- Mongolian Beef
  
  Posted at 9:49 am by NativeNM, on May 12, 2020
  Mongolian beef is one of my favorite take out dishes. There’s just something about that crispy beef covered in a delectable thick sauce that is packed with flavor and clings to every bite. Asian dishes can sometimes be challenging but since I started following “Woks of Life“, I am learning more about wok cooking and trying new techniques that make Asian food taste so good. This is one of their most popular dishes and I can see why. Ever since they posted instructions on how to prepare beef for stir fry I’ve been anxious to try it out. It cooks up with a crispy texture but so tender it almost melts in your mouth. It’s so good you might think it came from your favorite restaurant. If you love Mongolian Beef, I guarantee you will love this recipe!
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Entree, Recipes | 11 Comments | Tagged Asian Dish, Best Mongolian Beef, Flat Iron Steak, Mongolian Beef, Mongolian Sauce, Wok Cooking, Woks of Life
- Smoked Sausage Teriyaki Skillet with Rice Pilaf
  
  Posted at 10:10 am by NativeNM, on April 7, 2020
  Smoked sausage skillet meals are so delicious and can be made with many different ingredients to make them savory, sweet or spicy. I had some pineapple chunks in the freezer that would pair well together for a tasty teriyaki skillet dish. Adding rice pilaf on the side complimented the sweet and spicy sausage. With so much free time these days it made sense to assemble all the ingredients and start the prep work early. Once that task was done it took no time at all to put it together. I added some chopped onion and roasted red pepper to the mix but you can use other things that you have on hand including broccoli, carrots or any sweet or bell peppers. For such a simple meal it won’t be soon forgotten.
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Entree, Recipes, Side Dishes | 7 Comments | Tagged Rice Pilaf, Smoked Sausage and Pineapple with Teriyaki Sauce, Smoked Sausage Teriyaki Skillet Dish, Teriyaki Sauce
- Chile en Nogada
  
  Posted at 3:56 pm by NativeNM, on December 6, 2019
  Do you ever feel nostalgic around the holidays? It can bring back memories of your favorite times with friends and family, at least that happens to me. Recently I came across a folder with my old takeout menu’s that I saved from our favorite restaurants in Kansas City. One of our favorite restaurants was Frida’s, decorated in the art of Frida Kahlo, serving authentic Mexican food that was different than anything we ever tasted in New Mexico. Oh, how we loved that place! Frida’s was popular for a time but ultimately closed it’s doors in the summer of 2016. However, I saved their menu which described their dishes in great detail. I re-created their Caldo Tlapeno a few years ago which is one of my favorite soups to date. Joe’s favorite dish was the Chile en Nogada. Translation . . . it’s poblano chiles stuffed with meat, fruits and spices topped with a cream sauce and pomegranate seeds called nogada. It’s a beautiful dish with the aroma and colors of the holidays. With pomegranates in season I thought it was time to re-create this dish at home. Surprisingly it was very easy to make and captured the taste and appearance we remembered so fondly.
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Entree, Recipes, Red or Green, Side Dishes | 6 Comments | Tagged Apples, Chile en Nogada, Cranberries, Ground Pork, Mexican Poblano Chiles stuffed with Meat, Nogada aka White Cream Sauce, Nogada Sauce, Pine Nuts, Pomegranate Seeds, Spices and Fruit
- Roasted Red Chile Alfredo with Chicken
  
  Posted at 2:09 pm by NativeNM, on December 3, 2019
  Green chile is a staple here in NM with the harvest beginning in early August. Around mid September until the first frost, the chiles that are left on the plant will begin to mature and turn the most magnificent color of red. You might think they are used mainly to string chile ristras that will be dried and eventually ground into chile powder. This is true, however some of the local farms will pick the red chiles at their peak and roast them just like green chiles. They tend to have a hint of sweetness but can also taste hotter than the green chiles. As they mature their outer skin becomes thicker which can make them easier to peel or harder depending on who roasts it. I’ve had some bad experiences over the years and it’s worth it to find out who is roasting your chile and how much experience they have. I haven’t had much luck finding recipes using roasted red chiles, however I always wanted to try it with a creamy pasta. Actually it tasted better than I could have imagined. The sweet heat from the chiles compliment the creamy cheese sauce which clings to every strand of pasta. This has become one of our new comfort foods that we can’t get enough of, at least until the chile runs out . . .
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Entree, Recipes, Red or Green | 9 Comments | Tagged Alfredo Sauce, New Mexico Roasted Red Chile, NM Red Chile, Roasted Red Chile, Roasted Red Chile Alfredo, Roasted Red Chile Alfredo with Chicken, Southwest Alfredo with Chicken, Spicy Alfredo Sauce
- Green Chile Sauce
  
  Posted at 9:56 am by NativeNM, on October 25, 2019
  There’s nothing I love more than Green Chile Sauce smothered over a favorite burrito, enchilada or navajo taco. I have been experimenting for years trying to mimic the taste found at our favorite restaurants. Here in NM you will find green chile sauce on the shelves of grocery stores, many from the restaurants that we frequently eat at. Trying to replicate that magical taste has always eluded me; until now. Nearly every recipe I find online or in cookbooks have the same basic ingredients of green chile, onion, garlic and salt with variations of spices, sometimes adding cumin or oregano. I’ve made them all and although they are good, they just don’t have that perfect taste and appearance that I’ve longed to make. When in doubt go to the ingredients listed on your favorite jar. I was surprised to find that every jar of green chile in my pantry listed lime juice and no onion. Of all the recipes I’ve tried there wasn’t a single one that added lime juice. The moment I took that first taste, it was like the genie had been let out of the bottle. Lime juice was the missing ingredient!
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  Posted in Condiments and Sauces, Dutch Oven and Cast Iron, Recipes, Red or Green | 4 Comments | Tagged Best Green Chile Sauce, Green Chile, Green Chile Sauce, Green Chile Sauce from Scratch, NM Green Chile
- Prickly Pear Jelly
  
  Posted at 8:42 am by NativeNM, on October 10, 2019
  I set aside two jars of prickly pear juice to make jelly. It reminded me of my Mom and how she used to can everything including jellies and jams in big huge canning pots. This was a much smaller scale so I found a different method to preserve the jelly by covering the sealed jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. When they cooled you could hear the lids make that popping sound that tells you they are sealed. I found some low sugar pectin which allowed me to cut down on the sugar as well as quicken the process. In no time I had a little more than 3 jars of prickly pear jelly. I couldn’t wait to taste it so I made a batch of tea scones to go with the jelly . . . absolutely delicious!
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  Posted in Breakfast, Condiments and Sauces, Dessert, Recipes | 2 Comments | Tagged Low Sugar Pectin, Prickly Pear Jelly, Prickly Pear Juice, Prickly Pear Recipes, Tea Scones
- Prickly Pear Syrup
  
  Posted at 1:24 pm by NativeNM, on October 9, 2019
  When making the prickly pear syrup, I must confess it took two tries. I looked up recipes on pinterest and it appeared to be a simple process of mixing the prickly pear juice with water, sugar and lime juice and cooking it down to a syrup. I tried this method and although I stirred it often, it had a burned taste as if it were scorched. I tried it in my lemonade and believe me it was awful!! So I decided that the juice was the star of the show and all it needed was to be thickened into a syrup. I tried making a simple syrup first along with the lime juice and adding the prickly pear juice at the end of the process and it tasted fruity and delicious. One cup of prickly pear juice made 2 1/2 cups of syrup. I put aside the two cups into 1/2 pint jars and saved the rest. It adds a refreshing fruity taste to any tea or lemonade.
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  Posted in Breakfast, Condiments and Sauces, Favorite Drinks, Recipes | 0 Comments | Tagged Lime Juice, Prickly Pear Juice, Prickly Pear Lemonade, Prickly Pear Syrup, Prickly Pear Tea, Simple Syrup
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