I have a simple recipe I have been working on that I am very happy with but it needs just a bit more tartness to it. Basically it is the same recipe as stuffed bell peppers but instead of stuffing the peppers I cut them up and make it into a meat loaf. The gravy in question is a simple tomato sauce with garlic and pureed bell peppers, a touch of cayenne, paprika and spices. It needs to be slightly more tart, how can I add some tartness?
Not sure if I am looking for tartness or bitter??
I like to add ginger to recipes where something is missing. Maybe alum, although I’ve never used it for anything other than pickles.
Have you tried a red wine reduction?
Roast up a bit of fine diced onion and garlic, maybe some shallots if you have 'em with a little bit of butter or oil. Once they’ve caramelized a bit, deglaze with a bit of red wine, I’d recommend a pinot grigio.
Wine is what I was going to suggest, too. I was picturing turkey gravy when I read the title, almost certainly because Thanksgiving is coming up. And one of the suggestions in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat for adding a bit of tartness to traditional American Thanksgiving foods is to add a splash of white wine to the gravy.
But since the OP isn’t actually using poultry, I would think a red wine would work. Actually your suggestion sounds like a sauce I’ve made for filet mignon before. Saute some shallots in butter, deglaze with red wine, let that reduce a bit, add beef stock and herbs, let that reduce a bit more.
I like to add ginger to recipes where something is missing. Maybe alum, although I’ve never used it for anything other than pickles.
I have never cooked with alum, I think I will give that a shot. I have no idea how it should be used.
I like the wine suggestions, not sure why I didn’t try that. I haven’t been using much wine in my cooking for the past several years. I need to go back to it.
Never underestimate the lowly squeeze of fresh lemon, or fine grated lemon zest.
A bit of Balsamic vinegar can work and its easy to control the amount of tartness, it can also adds a little sweetness which is why it can work so well with strawberries when made into a glaze.
If you’re looking to add a bit more sour, in addition to the other great suggestions above, I’d throw a mention to a good cider vinegar. I find the slightly sweet nature works well with tomato sauces, but is more neutral than balsamic or red wine (although both are great options). The advantage to either vinegar over wine is that it’s easier to keep on hand in the fridge or pantry after being opened, so you can keep it on-hand at all times for fixes.
For a touch of bitterness, @QuickSilver is right, a bit of citrus zest is the best, especially if you’re already using the citrus in question to up the tartness. In my pantry, I also have food grade citric acid, which I keep when I want to add just a bit of that sour to my food profile with pretty much no secondary flavors. Lastly, never forget rice wine vinegar, which with it’s low acidity and mild flavor, is a great go too for adding that touch of brightness to any dish or sauce. Happy eating!
I also have a dark Chinese vinegar in my pantry that can be very nice.
If you’re looking to add a bit more sour, in addition to the other great suggestions above, I’d throw a mention to a good cider vinegar. I find the slightly sweet nature works well with tomato sauces, but is more neutral than balsamic or red wine (although both are great options). The advantage to either vinegar over wine is that it’s easier to keep on hand in the fridge or pantry after being opened, so you can keep it on-hand at all times for fixes.
For a touch of bitterness, @QuickSilver is right, a bit of citrus zest is the best, especially if you’re already using the citrus in question to up the tartness. In my pantry, I also have food grade citric acid, which I keep when I want to add just a bit of that sour to my food profile with pretty much no secondary flavors. Lastly, never forget rice wine vinegar, which with it’s low acidity and mild flavor, is a great go too for adding that touch of brightness to any dish or sauce. Happy eating!
Excellent suggestions, I think old age might be setting in as I completely forgot about vinegar. I have not been using it much the past couple of years. A little vinegar is exactly what I am missing and a little red wine for some body.
I use Worchestershire sauce to add tartness.
The suggestions for vinegar are also good. After all, it’s just “sour wine”.
(I use Worchestershire sauce to add tartness.
The suggestions for vinegar are also good. After all, it’s just “sour wine”.)
I use Worcestershire in the dish itself.
Yes, add vinegar and save the wine for your body.
Also not sure exactly what youbmean by tartness, but I somewhat recently followed a recipe that included a bit of mustard in the gravy. I don’t even like mustard, but I liked the gravy. So that was the first thing I thought of when reading your question.
Balsamic vinegar would be my choice, but just the merest dash. You can always add more.
Christopher Kimball introduced me to a new ingredient that would also work in this situation-- pomegranate molasses. It’s very similar to balsamic vinegar in effect.
I make a tomato ginger chutney that has a lovely sweet/sour flavor so going off of that for inspiration I would add a tablespoon each of rice wine vinegar and brown sugar.
I will keep my eyes out for that, can it be used as a salad dressing or dip for bread/
That sounds delicious