How to turn soup into sauce

Ok this is very technically not right, but I'm not a chef in a fancy French restaurant, so there's no one to faint at this or fire me on the spot. What I do when I make (western-style, duh.) soup, after I blend the ingredients and before I add the extra liquid to turn it into the desired consistency, I set aside a bit. That thick velvety puree is wonderful as a sauce spooned over meats or fish or vegetables that are simply grilled/poached/steamed and you get a great sauce consistency without the need for flour or other thickeners!

Creamy Celeriac, Hazelnut and Parsley Sauce
refer to my previous post on Celeriac and Hazelnut Soup ;)
plus chopped fresh parsley

You can try adding some mustard to make a mustard and celeriac sauce, which will go brilliantly with stronger meats or even game.

This velvety sauce was poured over a simple pan-fried salmon steak.

This is part of Seasonal Sundays, Monday Mania, Hearth and Soul Blog Hop, Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, SImple Lives Thursday and Fightback Friday.

"Chunky" Walnut Basil Pesto

I really want a food processor, then I can start making more of my own dips and sauces and spice pastes. But today I was watching a video of how Italians traditionally made pesto. They made it by hand, with a mortar and pestle! The word "pesto" is literally translated as "pounded" so the food processor, which chops up the basil instead of grinding it, is actually less desirable. Time to put my "ancient" kitchen utensils and biceps to good use.

Walnut Basil Pesto

Ingredients

1 clove garlic

sea salt, black pepper

3 handfuls of fresh basil leaves

1 handful of walnuts, lightly toasted

1 handful of grated good parmesan

good extra virgin olive oil

squeeze of lemon

Method

1. Crush garlic with the sea salt and black pepper.

2. Add the basil a handful at a time and continue pounding/grinding.

3. Crush the toasted walnuts with your hands first, then add in and continue pounding/grinding.

4. When you get a creamy consistency (I left mine quite chunky), add the grated parmesan.

5. Stir in extra virgin olive oil till you get a smooth enough mixture. It depends on the dryness of the cheese.

6. Add a squeeze of lemon, to taste.

Authentic pesto calls for pine nuts, but I didn't have any, so I used walnuts instead. It's more fun experimenting with other types of herbs or leaves and other nuts actually.

I liked it, the texture was very rustic, so it's more like a chimichurri. To be honest, that's because I got tired. I still want a food processor...

Pasta Bolognese

Serves 4

Ingredients:
About 2 cups of minced meat
2 cups of chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 carrot diced (small)
1 onion chopped
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon of Italian spices
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil (or dry)
1/2 teaspoon of chili pepper flakes or cayenne (optional)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley
1 cup of water
Salt & Pepper to taste
Pasta (of your choice) cooked and drained

In a pan, add olive oil, onions, carrot, Italian spices, pepper flakes, salt & pepper and cook for a minute then add the meat, allspice and cook for another minute then add the garlic and cook a bit until the juices are absorbed then add the tomatoes and basil, cover and cook on medium until the tomatoes are cooked, then add the tomato paste and water and let it simmer for 15 minutes, then add the parsley and mix and serve over the pasta of your choice.

*Before serving the sauce over the pasta: In a non-stick pan add the pasta add some olive oil or butter and some fresh chopped basil or parsley. It's a great way to heat the pasta and add more flavor to it. Some garlic powder also is good. Now I did not mention Parmesan cheese because it's always on the table ;)