Recipes: Mastering sauces

Well-known chef and cook, Jamie Oliver says, ‘don’t ignore the importance of great sauces – they can make or break a meal’. How true it is. Sauces not only add flavour, but also add to the texture of a dish. While the market is flooded with several pre-prepared sauces, but making your own silky, creamy, tangy sauces is easy to do, and will be far better than anything you buy in a jar.

CHEESE SAUCE
Made of butter, flour, milk, and cheese, this sauce is fantastic on pasta or draped over steamed vegetables.
Ingredients
• 25g butter
• 25g plain flour
• 600ml milk
• Salt and white pepper
• 80g Cheddar cheese, grated
Preparation
• Melt butter in a pan and then add equal quantity of flour in it. Cook under gentle heat.
• Stir continuously and ensure that the butter and flour mixture does not get brown.
• Take the pan off the heat and gradually stir in milk to get a smooth sauce.
• Put the mixture on simmer for a while and stir till it boils.
• Season it with salt and pepper.
• Thickness of the sauce depends on the quantity of butter, flour, and milk used.

HOLLANDAISE SAUCE
Rich, lemony, and smooth, Hollandaise sauce goes especially well with eggs, asparagus, and smoked salmon.
Ingredients
• 3 large egg yolks
• 500ml white vinegar
• 1tbsp peppercorn
• 200ml melted and skimmed unsalted butter
• Lemon juice
Preparation
• Put the bowl of egg yolks and white vinegar over a pan of gently simmering water.
• Beat till the mixture blends well, but make sure you don’t overheat the mixture while you whisk.
• Add a ladle of warmed butter, and cook
till you get a thick texture like mayonnaise.
• Whisk in lemon juice, salt and pepper
and add little warm water if the mixture becomes too thick.

Salsa Verde
This traditional Italian green sauce is made with parsley, but here we add in basil and mint, too. It is great with meat, seafood, or roasted vegetables.
Ingredients
• 11/2 to 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 small handful of capers
• 6 anchovy fillets
• 2 large handfuls of parsley leaves
• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 1 handful fresh mint
• 1tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3tbsp red vinegar
• 8tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
• Finely chop garlic, capers, anchovies, parsley leaves, fresh basil, and mint. Put them into a bowl.
• Add Dijon mustard and red vinegar, and then slowly stir in the olive oil till you get the right consistency.
• Season with fresh ground black pepper, a bit of salt and maybe a little more vinegar.

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