For holiday presents this year, I decided to take on some jarring adventures. I made homemade tapenade with rosemary, tomatoes and black olives; marinara with mirepoix, fresh basil and parsley; spicy marinara with roasted garlic and red pepper flakes (Arrabbiata sauce); and balsamic barbecue sauce with brown sugar, molasses and aged balsamic vinegar. With everything that I’ve tried and translated into other things, jarring is one of the techniques that I haven’t implemented that often, so this was a great new experience. These sauces are some of my favorite things to have on hand and to make, but they are intended to be slow-simmered and aren’t suitable to make on a whim, which is why I decided to take the work out of it for my family and friends and jar them up and give them as gifts. Nothing is like giving a gift from the heart, especially at Christmas, and as a chef, there is no more personal gift I can give than something I have made.
The flavors meld well together after they have been jarred and served with your favorite things such as toasted foccacia and goat cheese with tapenade or simply crackers and tapenade, spaghetti with marinara, penne with arrabiata, or lasagna made with homemade sauce. The sauces give these dishes the slow-cooked feel, but can be made in half the time since the sauce is pre-made. Balsamic BBQ pizzas made with roasted chicken on a wheat pita topped with cilantro, red onions and mozzarella cheese, BBQ glazed chicken breast, or balsamic BBQ ribs are other great ways to enjoy the homemade BBQ sauce. I love the many uses of such versatile sauces for the holidays, when we’re so busy doing too much that we could use a little home cooking ready in the fridge.
Quick Recipe
Wheat pita Balsamic BBQ Chicken Pizza
1 wheat pita
2 sprigs cilantro, off the stem
1/4 cup roasted chicken, shredded
1 tablespoon red onion, minced
3 tablespoons Balsamic BBQ or 2 tablespoons regular BBQ sauce with 1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar mixed in.
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Place pita in the center of a large baking sheet and spread 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce or more if desired.
Then add shredded chicken and cilantro, sprinkling over pizza evenly.
Add mozzarella and place cilantro and red onions on top.
Drizzle with last tablespoon of BBQ sauce.
Bake in preheated oven about 8-10 minutes until pita is crispy and cheese has melted.
Cut and serve warm.
Enjoy!
I jarred the sauces and my sister made baskets with the bells and whistles, some dry spaghetti, bottle of wine and a box of crackers. Sometimes giving is as simple as a sauce.
Here are a couple of links I found useful about jarring if you’re interested:
Lots of Love
Cheers
-Unrivaledkitch
