Category Archives: Sauce Boss

Call it what you will

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May you call it marinara sauce, red sauce, or gravy (shout out to South Philly Italians). Guaranteed that you will call out Damn that was Delish!

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 chopped yellow onions
  • 3 teaspoons minced garlic (check out the tip for minced garlic on our Instagram, like that shameless plug?) 
  • 1 cup good red wine (I hate when food snobs say “good” like you would use something crappy, but I will say cheaper wine has a different alcohol content/flavor than more expensive or better quality wine so ya, hate to say it but “good” wine it is).
  • 2 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes in puree, chopped (san marzano tomatoes dude, go real Gambino on this. Cento if you are looking for a brand name, its a yellow can, become friends with it).
  • 2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (I know Paisanos will say fresh only but for the rest of us non Italians, dried will be fine, just lessen it to 1 tbsp.)
  • 3 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper & 1tsp of red chili flakes

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until clear, that’s about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper. Cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 15 minutes.

You can always add anchovy, black olives, and capers to give it a puttanesca feel. Bottom line, this simple sauce has been the “gravy” for meatballs, the starter for many sauces, the binder for lasagnas, basically it is used for any and all things Italian. This is a staple.
Homemade-Marinara-Sauce-1
Happy Eating, XO.

Home-made Cranberry Sauce

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Delicious and simple.

  • 12 oz cranberries (not frozen, the real deal)
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (you need both, don’t be a cheap-o, if you want it to taste good you can’t be stingy)
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • freshly squeezed orange juice to equal 1 cup (approximately 3 – 4 oranges)

Dissolve sugar in orange juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the cranberries and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has reduced, about 15 – 20 minutes. You will hear the cranberries pop as they cook. Remove from heat and place into a bowl. The sauce will thicken upon cooling.

Happy Eating, XO.

Pantry Gravy

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Dry dilemma? Add some gravy and you will be glad you saved the dish. This recipe is easy, tasty, and is made of items everyone has lying around in their kitchen.

Take the items below and quickly whisk in a non stick pan on high heat for about 5 minutes. Cut the heat to low and let simmer to thicken the gravy.

  • 1 cup Chicken Broth
  • 1tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
  • Pinch of black pepper (taste test to see if you need salt. You may or may not-it’s all based on the sodium content of the broth that you use. Add a pinch if you so desire).

To bougie it up, feel free to add a pinch of dried parsley flakes. The green makes it look a lot fancier than it is.

Happy Eating, XO.

What’s a remoulade?

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How about every crab cake has some type of kick @$$ dipping sauce with it. Ranging from a Garlic aioli to a Cajun remoulade. However, by the time I am done making the crab cakes, I am just ready to eat & don’t want to worry about putting together a side sauce. So here is a quick and fridge friendly (meaning most of these items are already in your fridge) dipping sauce.

  • 1 tbsp. mayo
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp. of hot sauce (don’t go Sriracha on this, but more like a Franks, Cholula, Tabasco route- that way you have tang with the heat).
  • A pinch of salt, garlic powder, and black pepper

Whisk & serve cold.

P.S I have used this same sauce for a basis to an egg salad, chicken salad, I have even put it on top of burgers. It is just a handy one to know when in a pinch!

Happy Eating, XO.

The Salad Dressing to End All Salad Dressings

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I swear this salad dressing will ruin you for any other dressing you’re currently using. It’s light, tangy, and goes with oh-so-much. I found it while making our chicken piccata recipe. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I use a little more to up the tang factor)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Mix it all together and drizzle in to your favorite salad.  I know you’ll want to use it again, so feel free to throw the leftover dressing in the fridge.

Happy eating, XO.