As a die-hard DIYer, my pantry is filled with little things I make myself: ketchup, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, flour mixes. And my freezer is always home to a few homemade items that are easy to pull out in a pinch for last minute meals: pizza crusts, pie crusts, biscuits and more. These pantry items and kitchen staples not only help me to maintain my grocery budget while still purchasing otherwise expensive foods like grass-fed meats, raw dairy and organic produce.
Homemade Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce offers a wonderful sweet-sour-salty flavor owing to its many ingredients that include traditionally fermented fish sauce and anchovies, spices and even fresh lime. Together they blend into a wonderful simple, lovely sauce that, in small quantities, adds a lovely depth of flavor to marinades, dips, salad dressings and other sauces.
One bottle lasts a long time, because you typically use so little in each recipe.
Worcestershire Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup malt vinegar
- ½ cup raw apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup blackstrap molasses
- ¼ cup naturally fermented fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 1 tablespoon naturally fermented soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons onion juice
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground ceylon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots (minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 8 anchovies (minced)
- 1 lime (juiced)
Instructions
- Whisk together the vinegars, molasses, fish sauce, tamarind paste, soy sauce, and onion juice. Set aside.
- Heat a small, dry saute pan over medium heat. Toast the spices until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat; then sauté the shallots until transparent and beginning to brown, 2–3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, anchovies, and reserved spices and continue to saute just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the vinegar mixture and scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a full simmer; then remove from the heat and let cool completely.
- Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and stir in the lime juice. Pour into a jar or bottle for long-term storage. Will keep in the refrigerator for 1–2 months.
