Sauces are used to make an ordinary dish that bit more special.  Many commercial brands of sauce make this an easy option these days – especially brands of cook-in curry sauces, Bisto varieties and chicken sauces.

With these commercial sauces it is always possible to CHEAT by looking at the ingredients and adding more of these from your own larder – extra onions, mushrooms, or tomatoes add texture and interest to commercial sauces and make them even tastier.

However, it is a good idea to add a few “home-made” recipes to your repertoire to save money and to add interest to ordinary meals.

All cooks need to perfect the ROUX or WHITE SAUCE which is a staple of the kitchen.  Roux can be added to soups, poured over cauliflower or other vegetables, and used to make dishes as diverse as fish pie and lasagne.  Avoiding lumps is the secret, and this is how to so it:

Hot liquid must be added to cold roux, OR

Cold liquid added to hot roux to get a smooth, lump-free texture.

50g/2oz butter or margarine

50g/2oz flour

1 pint of milk

Melt the margarine or butter in a thick-bottomed pan.

Add the flour and mix in.

Remove from heat to cool if using warmed milk

OR cook over a very low heat for a quick minute if using cold milk.

Gradually add milk, while stirring until smooth.

Let it warm gently over a low heat.

Add one of these to ring the changes:

With fish:

1 tblsp anchovy essence

2 diced boiled eggs

1 tblsp chopped parsley

50g grated cheese (and an optional egg yolk) makes béchamel for cauliflower, vegetables or for use in lasagne, fish pie or other pasta.

Jo’s Cheat’s Steak Diane

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 minced garlic clove (optional)

½ cup milk or cream

1 tblsp chopped parsley

Steak – any cheap cut – (works well with very thin steak)

Butter for cooking

Method:

Mix Worcestershire sauce, milk (or cream to be posh) add parsley and let stand while you cook steak.

Fry steak to your liking.

When steak is cooked either pour sauce over in the pan to warm through, or remove the steak and warm though the sauce in the cooking pan.

For the sauce:

2 tblsp brown sugar

3 tblsp vinegar

1 clove garlic

2tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 pack tomato frito (400g)

Salt to taste

2 dessertspoons dry mustard powder

            Or any other mustard to your taste

Pinch chilli

Pinch mixed herbs

Splash of water

Finely chopped onion

PAM’S SZECHUAN SAUCE

For beef or chicken

12 oz/340g lean beef or chicken sliced thinly

Beef stock

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 chilli, de-seeded and thinly sliced

2 tsp five-spice powder

1 yellow and 1 red pepper cut into chunks

1 tsp chilli sauce (optional)

Black pepper

1 sliced spring onion

Olive oil

Marinade:

5 tblsp soy sauce

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tblsp water

½ tsp salt

Level tsp cornflour

PAM’S PLUM SAUCE

For using up plums

2 lbs/900g        plums

8 oz/225g         sugar

1 pint/575ml     malt vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp cayenne pepper

8 cloves

Method:

Wash and dry plums and cut up roughly.

Put into large pan with stones.

Add sugar, vinegar, salt, ginger, pepper and cloves.

Stir over a gentle heat till sugar dissolves then bring to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Then put mixture through a sieve rubbing well to ensure all the puree goes through.

Wash pan and return the fruit puree.

Simmer for 40 minutes stirring occasionally until the sauce takes the consistency of whipping cream.

Bottle and seal the sauce.

KATH’S TURKISH TARATOR

To have with fish.

150g shelled walnuts soaked for an hour in boiling water.

30g stale white bread, crusts removed, soaked in water and squeezed

2 garlic cloves crushed to a paste with salt

2 dspns red wine vinegar

Good pinch ground allspice

Juice of ¼ lemon

6 -10 tblspn water

3 tbspns olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Method:

Rinse and drain walnuts and blend well in a processor with squeezed bread.

Combine the other ingredients and stir in.