Help! DIY sauce and condiment recipes using only fresh ingredients (allergy issues)

jgnatca

My son couldn’t have MSG or tomatoes. I missed the sauces most of all. So I got good at making my own.

You are likely missing the caramelization that comes from long, slow cooking. If you have a slow cooker you can do this from scratch.

Make a batch of caramelized onions. If there is a dairy allergy in the house use oil instead.

Make your own stock after cooking a roast (any meat). Put the bones back in the oven and get them nice and toasted. Then put the bones in the slow cooker with water, pepper and spices. Let that cook down all day. Chill and skim off the fat.

The third indispensable skill is learning how to reduce a sauce.

shaumom

jgnatca wrote: »

You are likely missing the caramelization that comes from long, slow cooking. If you have a slow cooker you can do this from scratch.

Make a batch of caramelized onions. If there is a dairy allergy in the house use oil instead.

Make your own stock after cooking a roast (any meat). Put the bones back in the oven and get them nice and toasted. Then put the bones in the slow cooker with water, pepper and spices. Let that cook down all day. Chill and skim off the fat.

The third indispensable skill is learning how to reduce a sauce.

I think I need to improve my skills in some of these areas, definitely. :-)

jgnatca

I deliberately picked techniques that take time, not skill. The slow cooker is the key.

Reduced sauces do take watching over but wow, what an improvement over starch thickened sauces.

jgnatca

When I make a batch of stock or flavour enhancers I freeze it in ice cube trays. That way it doesn’t go bad mouldering in the back of the fridge and is available whenever I need it.

jgnatca

Caramelized onions.

https://pin.it/cstw3x65pcm7xh

jgnatca

Making a brown roux. This keeps very well and simplifies thickening sauces and stews.

https://theculinarycook.com/roux-what-it-is-how-to-use-it/

shaumom

jgnatca wrote: »

I deliberately picked techniques that take time, not skill. The slow cooker is the key.

Reduced sauces do take watching over but wow, what an improvement over starch thickened sauces.

Thanks. I like the carmelized onions a lot - I will see if I can use oil for them; they look awesome. Roux I'll have to see - when all the allergies showed up, we lost dairy (although I see that oil is sometimes used, so that's good!) and flour, both. But i can do potato starch if I make it myself, and that link had a lot of information that might enable me to make one that would be very useful. Thank you. :-)

shaumom

jgnatca wrote: »

The third indispensable skill is learning how to reduce a sauce.

I just wanted to say thank you again for mentioning this. I have reduced sauces for a long time, but they don't always turn out well, and reading your comment, I finally went and hunted down information on it and found out tons of information on how to do it better, so I'm pretty excited. All thanks to this comment. :-)

WilmaValley

Great ideas!!!!

UltraVegAthlete

BBQ Sauce:
Soak 3-5 medjool dates in water overnight
Soak 1-1.5 cups sundried tomatoes in water overnight
Drain water, put dates and dried tomatoes in blender with 1/4 cup fresh tomatoes, 1 tsp chipotle powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and any other spices or herbs you might want, and blend.

placeboBL

You can make gravy fairly easily with only non-dairy whole foods. Roast any meat you like, use the drippings from that with oil/lard/other animal or plant based fat that is tolerable, and dried potato starch that can be made at home and cook slowly until smooth. I use rice flour, but I see no reason why potato wouldn’t work.

Homemade mayo with any spice is good. Add chilies for a spicy dip or drizzle. At herbs, lemon juice and a little bit of water for something like a salad dressing.

You can make non-traditional hummus out of any bean/legume that can be tolerated along with some sort of fat.

If you can have or source cashews, they are a perfect base for creamy sauces.

shaumom

Thanks, guys - lovely!