Guest Author - Karen Tempel

Would you like to offer your clients some new dishes to spice up the winter blahs? Experiment with some pesto, salsas, marinades, or glazes to add some new pizzazz to your menus. I’m including some of my favorites below. Start here or come up with your own.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
Try this pesto with pasta, grilled meats or chicken, or with bruschetta.

1 cup loosely packed oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, ¼ cup oil reserved
¼ cup sliced almonds
2 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ cup feta cheese
Salt
Cayenne pepper

Heat 1 teaspoon reserved oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add almonds, and cook, stirring constantly, until toasted and golden. Remove to a plate to cool.

Add 1 more teaspoon oil to sauté pan. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is soft and golden. Add oregano and rosemary and continue cooking 30 seconds.

Combine sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, almonds, and remaining oil in a food processor and pulse until coarsely pureed. Add feta and pulse until combined. Season to taste with salt and cayenne. Store in refrigerator, tightly covered, up to 4 days.


Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Serve as a chip dip or with roasted or grilled meats.

2 cups frozen white shoe peg corn, thawed
One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup minced onion
1 small ripe tomato, finely chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
Cayenne pepper

In a medium-size bowl, combine all ingredients. Season with salt and cayenne to taste. Toss well before serving.


Lime-Chile Marinade
Great to flavor pork, beef, poultry, fish or shrimp.

2 large dried chiles, such as ancho, pasilla, or guajillo, stemmed
1 cup boiling water
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 large scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup fresh lime juice

Place chiles in bowl and cover with boiling water; let soak for 20 minutes, until softened. Drain, reserving ½ cup liquid. Remove seeds.

Transfer chiles to a blender, add remaining ingredients, including reserved soaking liquid. Process until smooth.


Orange Cranberry Glaze
Try it with turkey, pork, ham. Brush it on near the end of the cooking time.

1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
¾ cup canned jellied cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon orange zest
½ cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a small sauté pan, over medium heat, toast chili powder and coriander until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add cranberry sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, bourbon, Dijon, and orange zest and cook, stirring until melted. Add the orange juice and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the butter and stir until melted. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.