Latest news with #sauce
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Orecchiette with sugarbelle tomatoes, sausage and fennel
I make versions of this pasta on repeat. It works especially well with Tesco Finest Signature sausages, which are made with British pork and seasoned with herbs and spices to enhance their succulent flavour, and orecchiette, a small ear-shaped pasta made from durum wheat. This pasta is particularly good for catching pockets of the delicious sauce – a combination of sundried tomato pesto rosso, fennel, and Tesco Finest sugarbelle tomatoes, which are bursting with sweet flavour. These few high-quality ingredients make this pasta feel extra special. Prep 10 min Cook 45 min Serves 4 2 tbsp Tesco Finest Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve4 Tesco Finest Signature pork sausages 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced and green fronds reserved1 garlic clove, crushed 1⁄2 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed1⁄2 tsp chilli flakes 220g Tesco Finest sugarbelle tomatoes, halved350g Tesco Finest orecchiette 4 tbsp Tesco Finest sundried tomato pesto rosso Big handful fresh basil, chopped, plus extra to serveTesco Finest parmigiano reggiano, to serve Suggested wine pairing Tesco Finest primitivo Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan or shallow casserole dish. Squeeze the sausage meat out of the skins and into the pan and break the meat into bite-size nuggets. Fry over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Once cooked, scoop out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Using the same pan, add the remaining olive oil, sliced fennel and a pinch of salt. Fry gently over a low-medium heat for 15 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and chilli and fry for 2 minutes. Tip in the tomatoes and fry for 7-8 minutes or until popping and softened. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the orecchiette and cook according to packet instructions. Reserve 200ml of the starchy pasta cooking water then drain away the rest. Add the pesto to the pan of fennel and tomatoes along with the cooked sausage meat, pasta and 150ml of the pasta water. Toss together until the pasta is coated in a glossy sauce. Add a splash more water if it seems a little dry. Season to taste and toss through the basil. Spoon into bowls and top with more olive oil and parmesan, if you like. Finish with extra basil and the fennel fronds. Shop the ingredients for this recipe on and discover how Tesco Finest can make your everyday taste better
The Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Major discount chain is selling bottles of US Chick-fil-A burger sauce as shoppers go wild for it
FANS of Chick-fil-A are in for a treat as the fast food chain's iconic sauce is now available at a popular UK store. The famous "delicious and delightful" burger sauce can now be purchased across Britain. Last year, the popular US chain announced it would be opening five locations across the UK. These restaurants are the first to be opened outside of the US, and can be found in Belfast, Liverpool, Leeds, and London. But don't worry if you don't live near one of these cities, because you can now recreate that Chick-fil-A magic at home. One eagle-eyed shopper spotted the brand's iconic sauce on the shelf of a popular retailer. "New Chick-fil-A sauce at Home Bargains," the Facebook user captioned a picture of the product. And if the Home Bargains buy isn't enough to hold you over until you can get your hands on the real thing, why not plan out your order now? The Sun's Money team previously visited Chick-fil-A headquarters in Atlanta to test out all the menu items on offer. According to them, Chick-fil-A's signature fan favourite - the Original Chicken Sandwich - "reinvents" what you may be used to when choosing a fast food main. Meanwhile, the original chicken Chick-fil-A sandwich contains a freshly breaded boneless breast of chicken, pressure cooked in 100% refined peanut oil and served on a toasted bun with dill pickle chips. In fact, all of the items cooked in the chain's fryers are done so in refined peanut oil - but don't panic if you are allergic to nuts. COMING SOON: US Fast Food Chains Invade the UK! The peanut oil is refined, bleached and deodorized, which means the proteins which can trigger a reaction, are stripped out during the processing. Reporters for the Money team described the chicken sandwich as "unparalleled if compared to similar items available at McDonald's or KFC". "What I loved about taking a bite was realising how fresh and unprocessed the chicken breast meat was," one reporter said. "Unlike chicken patties from other fast food chains, the meat at Chick-fil-A seemed to break away just like it would if you were cooking your own chicken breast at home. "Knowing it isn't ultra-processed makes the whole sandwich taste even better." When is Chick-fil-A coming to the UK? Chick-fil-A is set to open its first UK site in early 2025 and then up to five in the following two years. The move comes after Chick-fil-A opened a temporary pop-up branch in Reading in 2019. However, the town centre restaurant shut after its six-month lease expired in 2020. It came after controversy around comments by the company's then-chief executive, Dan Cathy, opposing same-sex marriage. While we don't know where Chick-fil-A plans to open its new UK restaurants just yet, the company told The Sun that they will be strategically located across the UK to give everyone access to the brand. The chain's most popular menu items, including the original Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, nuggets, waffle fries, and spicy deluxe chicken sandwich, will all appear on UK high streets in 2025. The new Belfast branch first opened its doors on Thursday, March 27, at the Applegreen Templepatrick Services on the outskirts of the city. Meanwhile the locations in Britain have yet to announce official opening dates. Chick-fil-A did reveal plans to expand further into the European market. The company also shared its intention to open stores in Asia by 2030. 2
New York Times
28-05-2025
- Health
- New York Times
How Italian Home Cooks Make Their Pasta Taste So Good
TL;DR: It's not necessarily the pasta water. It's the marriage of starch, cheese and water, Eric Kim writes. This spoonable pasta is a dance of sorts between two pots: one with fresh green beans and orecchiette, the other with sausage ragù. David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Published May 28, 2025 Updated May 28, 2025 When the chef Carla Lalli Music recently made pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe for dinner, it came out too salty. Her error? She used oversalted pasta water to finish her sauce. 'Sometimes it's better not to use it,' she said, claiming that a splash of 'regular old water' does the same trick. Many a recipe writer and Italian cook has espoused the virtues of saving some starchy water before draining pasta to then toss with the noodles and sauce. That starch is said to help thicken a sauce so it can better coat pasta. But does it really make that much of a difference? Even the renowned cookbook author Marcella Hazan, in 'Marcella Cucina,' writes that cooking with pasta water 'imparts the same tedious, faintly gelatinous texture to what otherwise have been fresh and lively sauces.' Use it 'occasionally,' she advises. Daniel M. Busiello, a physicist and researcher at the University of Padova, said over a teleconference call that the keys to a silky sauce are the relationships among starch, cheese and water. In April, Mr. Busiello, along with seven other Italian scientists, published the latest version of a paper on cacio e pepe, finding — after months of tests — that the concentration of starch relative to the amount of cheese and water is what directly affects the dish's creaminess. Here's why: Starch prevents what the scientists coined as the 'Mozzarella Phase,' or what happens when heat causes the proteins in cheese (casein and whey) to clump, creating a sauce that is wet and stringy like mozzarella, rather than smooth, creamy and emulsified. 'The starch screens the interaction between proteins by basically putting itself in the middle,' to prevent that sticking, he said. Stirring in plain water achieves the same saucy, glossy result as pasta water, so long as there is enough cheese and starch released from stirring the pasta. But you're boiling pasta and already have that water, so why not use it? In this recipe, pasta water is made more useful as fresh green beans boiled with the pasta season the water with their gentle vegetal umami, while the quick sausage ragù simmers in another. In a dance of sorts between the two pans, the cooked beans and pasta are drained and added to the ragù. As a final step, a spritz of lemon juice and a generous splash of that savory green bean broth are stirred vigorously into the sauced pasta, along with Parmesan, helping to draw out the pasta's starch while letting the cheese melt into the sauce without splitting. A short pasta shape, such as orecchiette, macaroni or wagon wheels, is the easiest to stir into a silky sauce here — and means that you can eat the dish with a spoon in front of the television. Just be sure not to oversalt your water — you're going to need it. Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , TikTok and Pinterest . Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice .
BreakingNews.ie
12-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- BreakingNews.ie
Julie Lin's curry leaf chicken legs with salted egg yolk sauce recipe
'I became obsessed with salted egg yolk sauce after trying it at a restaurant in Singapore. It has an incredible, full-bodied flavour, a rich and velvety texture,' says cookery writer Julie Lin. 'There's something so satisfying about salting your own egg yolks. The transformation of the yolk, as it solidifies, reminds me of an orange fruit pastille. Combined with evaporated milk – an ingredient used a lot in Malaysia due to the lack of fresh dairy farms – the richness is irresistible.' Advertisement Curry leaf chicken legs with salted egg yolk sauce Ingredients (Serves 4) 2tsp ground turmeric 1tsp chilli powder 4 chicken legs, skin on Vegetable oil, for frying Salt and freshly ground black pepper For the salted egg yolk sauce: 2tbsp butter 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 3–4cm piece of root ginger, peeled and minced 4 baked salted egg yolks 10 fresh curry leaves, plus extra (optional) to garnish 2 fresh red or green bird's eye chillies, chopped (optional) 3tbsp evaporated milk 1tsp white sugar ¼tsp ground white pepper (Liz Seabrook/PA) Method 1. If salting your own egg yolks: cover the base of a shallow plastic container with fine salt, 2-3cm deep. Use a spoon to make dents, then add a yolk to each. Cover them with more salt, then refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. The yolks should now have a sticky, gummy texture, perfect for layering on rice. They keep for 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. 2. Preheat the oven to its lowest setting (about 60°C/40°C fan), place the yolks on an oiled wire rack and bake for 3 hours until dry and hard. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months. Advertisement 3. Combine the turmeric and chilli powder in a small bowl, then season with salt and black pepper. Rub this spice mixture into the chicken legs and let them marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or ideally overnight. 4. Heat a generous amount of vegetable oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Carefully lower the chicken legs into the hot oil and fry until golden and fully cooked. This should take about 10–15 minutes on each side, depending on their size. Once cooked, set the chicken aside on kitchen paper to drain any excess oil. 5. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger, then fry until fragrant. Add the salted egg yolks and cook, stirring continuously, until it becomes a creamy, emulsified sauce. 6. Add the curry leaves and chillies (if using), then stir for a further minute. Pour in the evaporated milk, then mix in the sugar and white pepper. Stir until the sauce becomes thick and creamy. Advertisement 7. Once the sauce is ready, add the fried chicken and toss in the sauce until each piece is well coated. Serve hot, garnished with additional curry leaves, if desired. (Ebury/PA) Sama Sama by Julie Lin is published in hardback by Ebury Press. Photography by Liz Seabrook. Available now
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I Asked 6 Pitmasters for Their Favorite BBQ Sauce, and They're Not Too Proud To Admit They Love This Bargain Brand
If you've ever discreetly decanted your bottled barbecue sauce into a bowl or pan before cookout guests arrive in an attempt to pass it off as homemade (just me?!), you can stop trying to hide your little secret. Even professional pitmasters agree with the Barefoot Contessa, that if you choose wisely, store-bought is more than fine. "I love the nostalgia of store-bought barbecue sauce. It reminds me of my dad making some ribs on a warm summer day," says chef Todd Ginsberg. While these experts swear by their homemade signature sauces on their restaurant menus or when a blue ribbon is on the line, they'll gladly pop open a bottle of store-bought barbecue sauce when they're feeding themselves or entertaining at home. But when they outsource, these pros won't settle for anything less than the best—and don't think you should, either. Paul Babberl, pitmaster at Whatcha Smokin BBQ + Brew in Luther, Iowa Erica Blaire Roby, a Houston, Texas-based award-winning pitmaster and a champion of Food Network's "Master of Cue" cooking competition show Todd Ginsberg, chef partner for Rye Restaurants, including Wood's Chapel BBQ in Atlanta, Georgia Phil "the Grill" Johnson, a Phoenix, Arizona-based pitmaster and spokesperson for the National BBQ Festival Kell Phelps, the Douglas, Georgia-based managing partner of the National Barbecue & Grilling Association and the publisher of Barbecue News Chef Dakari "Chicageaux" Akorede, a pitmaster and co-owner of Chicageaux BBQ, based in Atlanta, Georgia The most foolproof way to determine if a sauce is up to snuff is simply to give it a taste. "Because I like a lot of different sauces, it's hard for me to steer clear of any sauce until I've tried it," says Kell Phelps. As you analyze a new-to-you sauce, the pitmasters suggest seeking out recipes that check the following boxes: Preferences vary about whether a sauce should be tomato- or mustard-based, and whether sweetened with brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, or tamarind. (This last is "the new darling of BBQ sauces, and really helps the meat shine," according to Erica Blaire Roby.) But every grilling expert can agree with Phil "the Grill" Johnson that "a good sauce should have a harmonious combination of sweetness, tanginess, and heat. I steer clear of sauces that are overly sweet or artificial-tasting, as they often mask the natural flavors of the meat." The finished product should be complex and robust, with a hint of tanginess and mild sweetness—and no chemical aftertaste."A good sauce should have a harmonious combination of sweetness, tanginess, and heat."Flip the bottle around and peek at the ingredient list. If it takes longer to read than your horoscope, it's probably wise to skip, Johnson notes. "I prefer sauces that don't contain too many preservatives or additives. Fewer ingredients often mean better quality," he says. And Roby urges you to pay attention to the first three ingredients used: "If high-fructose corn syrup is a prominent ingredient, the sauce is prone to burning in a high-heat grilling situation." Plus, that corn syrup can push the sweetness over the top. Paul Babberl says that the best sauces have a consistency that's on the thicker side. If you're using it during grilling or roasting—or simply tossing it with cooked proteins or vegetables—its texture should stick instead of sliding or dripping right off. The best barbecue sauces play nicely with a wide variety of proteins, from turkey to tofu, and are able to shine as a team player in everything from baked beans to dips to salad dressings. The competition for this barbecue trophy was tight, but with votes from Phelps, Babberl, and Allrecipes Allstar Dakari Akorede, the pitmaster-approved best store-bought barbecue sauce is Sweet Baby Ray's Original. "It gives me the homemade feel without the hassle. The balance between smokiness, sweetness, and tanginess makes it feel like it was slow-simmered in someone's backyard smoker," Babberl explains, noting that "the standout quality of this sauce is its versatility. It pairs equally well with ribs, brisket, or pulled pork and works as a glaze, marinade, or dipping sauce." Phelps personally prefers to enjoy it as a condiment, and says that for him, "sauce is always on the side." Still, this sauce is so stellar and is "versatile and sweet—it truly goes with just about anything." That sweetness is courtesy of pineapple juice, molasses, and a hint of tamarind, by the way, which is balanced out by umami tomato paste, acidic vinegar, and salt. Phelps is particularly fond of pairing this budget-friendly buy (it's often available for about $2.50 for 18 ounces) with Boston butt and pulled pork. As for Babberl, he loves to feature it in baked beans and slather Sweet Baby Ray's over his smoked ribs during their final 15 minutes in the smoker. "The sauce caramelizes beautifully, creating a sticky, flavorful glaze that enhances the meat while adding depth." Akorede adds, "When it comes to store-bought BBQ sauces, Sweet Baby Ray's is hands down a classic that still holds its own. It's sweet, sticky, and dependable—perfect for quick meals or when you're cooking for a crowd." He also likes to kick it up a notch: "For my palate, I like to cut through the sweetness with a dash of heat to create a more balanced flavor. My go-to move? Stir in a spoonful of chipotle in adobo or a splash of hot vinegar pepper sauce. It gives the sauce a smoky backbone and just the right kick to elevate without overpowering." A handful of other sauces are certainly worth the refrigerator door real estate, the pitmasters say. These include: Stubb's Original BBQ Sauce: Clocking in at a reasonable $4 for 18 ounces, this molasses- and brown sugar-sweetened sauce stands out for being free of high-fructose corn syrup. Sweet Baby Ray's has some, which is part of the reason why Stubb's earns brownie points from Ginsberg. "It's a reliable and classic sauce that's bold in flavor with a great balance of tanginess, sweetness, and smoke," he says. "A great rack of ribs only gets better with a slather of Stubb's." Blues Hog Original BBQ Sauce: Available for about $9 for a 25-ounce handy squeeze bottle, Blues Hog is a standout for Johnson "because it strikes the perfect balance of sweet heat and complexity,' making the "bold and nuanced" sauce ideal to feature with ribs, pulled pork, baked beans, and more, he says. With brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire leading the charge, this sauce gains extra depth from salty-umami anchovies and sweet-seeming tamarind and vanilla extracts. "The consistency is perfect, too—not too thick, yet not too runny, making it great for glazing or dipping," Johnson adds. The company is owned by a pitmaster who has won more than 75 grand championships on the barbecue circuit. Bachan's Original BBQ Sauce: For a less traditional option, you can't go wrong with the self-proclaimed "original Japanese BBQ sauce," Roby believes. "There just isn't anything like it. It focuses on the savory aspects of BBQ," she says. Promoted as "umami-full and teriyaki-ish," this tomato-based sauce gets its punch from soy sauce, ginger, rice vinegar, and rice wine. Sold for about $9 per 17-ounce squeeze bottle, Bachan's "doesn't overpower meat or veggies, but still tastes incredibly rich," Roby tells us. "I like to use it as a baste and glaze right before I slice brisket to serve it." Read the original article on ALLRECIPES
