Page 57 - Spring 2019 Journal

sauce in any type of baked dish (or cooked on the stovetop as part of a recipe), it is an easy thing to add soft butter to warm ingredients (as in cooked pasta, rice or vegetables), and then stir in the rest of the pre-mixed sauce ingredi- ents. For example, I cook my rice or sprouted grain pasta first, toss it with butter and cheese and stir in the uncooked white sauce mixture. Then, I pour all the combined ingredients into a casserole and bake. The oven heat cooks and thickens all at once.
Second, most of us enjoy a good Italian- style tomato sauce, whether over pasta or veg- etables. It is quite easy to make and need not take hours of simmering, although the longer it simmers, the more flavorful.
The final “sauce” that I consider not truly essential but highly valuable is not actually a sauce, but more of a paste that can be added to other sauces. This “umami” paste—which adds amazing flavor to many sauces, meats and stews, and can be spread on a burger or sandwich—represents the concentrated “fifth
taste” after sweet, sour, salty and savory. A little goes a long way, so I only use about one to two tablespoons in a pot of soup, or even less in a casserole. The paste relies heavily on anchovies and fermented soy for its intense flavor (see “More Sauces. . . and Dessert”).
BAKING MIXES FOR BREAKFAST AND BEYOND
We all want a baked treat now and then, or pancakes or waffles for breakfast. In my home, I like to keep a mix or two ready so that my kids can whip up a quick breakfast or dessert to share. The basic ingredients are the same for both, with adjustments in sweeteners, fats and flavorings as needed (see “Baking Mixes”). I make both sprouted grain and non-grain alternative mixes. If you have a food processor, you can put the fats in the
mix ahead of time. If not, add the fats separately when using your mix. You may also use instead a combination of alternative flours such as cassava, tiger nut, green banana, plantain, sweet potato, garbanzo bean or others. Please remember to avoid using harmful soy flour or starchy flours that can change the texture of your baked goods to glue—and
which are also banned on most gut-healing protocols.
ONE LAST ESSENTIAL RECIPE: DESSERT!
Let's not forget dessert. One very simple, quick dessert that I believe
should be included in every home cook’s repertoire is panna cotta (see “More Sauces. . . and Dessert”). It can be adjusted in many different ways
TWO WAYS TO MAKE A WHITE SAUCE
BASIC MIX-AND-BAKE WHITE SAUCE 1 pint whole milk
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon yellow mustard (if for mac-n-cheese) Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Add soft butter to cooked pasta, rice or vegetables.
2. In a separate jar or bowl, mix sauce ingredients with a whisk.
3. Pour over the other buttered ingredients, mixing together well.
4. Put into a buttered casserole dish and bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
STOVETOP WHITE SAUCE
Same ingredients as mix-and-bake white sauce PLUS
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded cheese
Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, combine arrowroot and seasonings with 1/4 cup cold milk.
2. Heat the remaining milk (1 3/4 cups) in a saucepan with the seasonings.
3. When very hot, turn down the heat and add the arrowroot mixture, whisking briskly until thickened. 4. Remove from heat (overcooking will cause the thickening action of the arrowroot to break down).
5. Stir in butter. For a cheese sauce, add 2 cups of shredded cheese. (I like a combination
of Emmenthal, Gruyère and a medium-aged cheddar or Gouda.)
SPRING 2019
Wise Traditions 55