Learn how to make homemade seasonings and quick sauces – 04/01/2024 – Food

Those who know how to add layers of flavor to food without wasting too much time are more likely to overcome the dilemma of whether or not to go to the kitchen. Therefore, the fifth report in the series Sheet “Quick Cooking at Home” brings suggestions for seasonings, sauces, preserves and broths that make everyday dishes more delicious.

Some of these ideas must be made well in advance, but others, such as sauces and some seasonings, take just a few minutes.

To use these shortcuts easily, it is important to gradually build your own autonomy in the kitchen, says Camila Yazbek, teacher of the Pocket Guide course at Escola Wilma Kövesi. “If you understand the principle of a sauce for grills and salads, you will create your own versions. This way, you don’t stop if you don’t have an ingredient,” she says.

Over time, it also becomes clearer how to add more complexity of flavor to food, says Tuca Mezzomo, from the Charco restaurant, in the capital of São Paulo.

“For example, including an element of acidity will always be a good counterpoint to recipes with fat. So a salad with plenty of oil or rich cheeses goes really well if you add a pickle,” says Tucca.

This applies to quick preserves of ingredients such as gherkins, pumpkin and cauliflower that can be made at home overnight — on busy days, those bought in the supermarket, such as cucumbers, onions and artichokes, are not bad.

In addition to running Quincho, in São Paulo, chef Mari Sciotti also cooks every week at home with her children and husband. To help, she usually keeps ready-made garlic or onion seasonings in the fridge that she makes in the processor and uses when grilling a steak or making a stir-fry.

“Sometimes, we start from the idea we see on social media that everything is practical to do. To avoid getting frustrated, I like to think that the purpose of cooking is not to be quick. Even so, you can make actions simpler and advance preparations”, she says.

See below ideas to test in your home kitchen. To find complete preparations, access CozinhAÍ, a tool from Sheet that uses artificial intelligence to generate revenue. The “Quick Cooking at Home” series was designed to make the routine of preparing meals more practical.

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BROTHS
It’s worth including broth preparation in your planning when you know when you’re going to use it, says Mari Sciotti. In addition to risotto, he makes quick soups: just blend peas or lentils in a blender. It is also a base for stews (such as chickpeas with sausage), and makes sauces (tomato, ground meat, minced meat) and Moroccan couscous more delicious. To make the vegetable broth, Mari keeps a large pot in the freezer and adds vegetable peels and trimmings (from onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, pumpkin) and stalks (from parsley, chives, coriander, celery and leeks). . When it’s full, throw it in the pan, sauté, add a spoonful of miso (if you have it) and cook with seasonings (bay leaf, coriander grains, cumin and black pepper) for half an hour (or up to an hour). When it cools, just portion it and store it in the freezer. Avoid using chayote, zucchini, eggplant, and starchy tubers and roots. To make chicken broth, you can roast or sauté thighs and cook with onion, garlic, carrots and, if you have it, celery — all covered in water, over low heat, for two hours. When finished, strain, portion and freeze. The leftover chicken can be shredded and used in pies, salads, soups and rice dishes. As it has already lost flavor, it is important to season it well.

PRESERVES
Vegetables such as onion, carrot, fennel, cauliflower, cucumber and gherkin (the latter, in slices) become quick preserves at chef Tuca Mezzomo’s house. To make it, he mixes a cup (tea) of vinegar and ⅔ cup (tea) of wine with three and a half tablespoons of sugar and one of salt for 300 grams of the vegetable he is going to use. First, boil the vinegar, wine, salt and sugar until dissolved and boiling. Add the vegetable so that it is immersed (if necessary, make more of the base mixture). Let it cool and, when it is at room temperature, place it in a very clean and dry container. The important thing is that the liquid covers all the pieces of the ingredients, so that there is no contamination. Store in the refrigerator and use the next day. It goes well for breaking down fattier elements, such as fried foods and pork, as well as sandwiches and omelets.

SAUCES
In addition to serving as a barbecue accompaniment, the term vinaigrette is sauces with a proportion of three parts fat to one part acid that can be used to season vegetables, salads and even grilled foods. For example, the formula may have three parts olive oil and one part lemon, but you can vary it by using other lemons (such as cloves and Sicilian), balsamic and rice vinegar and even more sour orange — you can also make a mixture of these elements. In the case of fat, options include tahini paste, peanut paste, cashew nut paste, avocado oil and sesame oil (as it is stronger, add one part, maintaining the recipe proportion). To this mixture, you can add aromatics such as dried herbs, garlic and mustard — the latter, which helps to emulsify, like honey. Camila Yazbek suggests mixing these elements in a glass jar with a lid, adding a little water slowly until it reaches a sauce-like consistency. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

READY SEASONING
Leaving ready-made homemade seasoning pastes in the fridge helps save at least 20 minutes of work in the kitchen, says Mari Sciotti. Use as a base for stews (such as rice, beans and sauces) and for grilling meats. To make it, take two or three heads of garlic, dip them in hot water for 30 seconds (helps to loosen the skin) and process in a food processor until finely chopped. Place in a clean container to store and cover with a mixture of 60% olive oil and 40% oil — this layer helps preserve the seasoning for up to a week. You can also do the same with onion and a mixture of aromatic vegetables — onion, carrot and celery, which, when chopped, form what is called mirepoix. Used in a stir-fry with a little wine, it helps to bring out flavors similar to that of a vegetable broth, explains the chef.