Sometimes the secret is..............

Catsup.

Yes, you read me right; catsup.

I don't ordinarily eat it, but I do use it as a seasoning. Oh sure every now and again, catsup is good with french fries, or over the top of a meatloaf. But I do not worship catsup as some in or society do. Not that that is bad thing. It is just that Catsup and me are not real tight, or BFF.

However I got off the track as I can so easily do.

Last night we had the Stuffed peppers for dinner. Since I had not cooked them before, as a get 'em in the oven now so we don't eat at 8pm again and you know I hate eating at 8pm; I opened a can of italian stewed tomatoes and simply poured them over the top. And they were good, a tad bit flat for my tastes and the "sauce" was a bit watery. But hey you can only expect so much from a can of tomatoes. Which by the way I think the italian stewed tomatoes are the best food invention in a long time!

But if I had taken that same can of tomatoes and emptied them into a blender with a squeeze or two of catsup, hit the switch and TAH DAH, sauce. Real sauce. Because in the cooking process the extra moisture would of evaporated and it would of condensed and it would of ended up sauce. Also the little sweet that is present in catsup would of added the extra zip needed to prevent a flat taste.

See what I mean, sometimes it is catsup.

Or lets say that you have made a pot of vegetable beef soup. Before you taste and adjust the final seasonings, squeeze in a couple tablespoons of catsup. Stir well to mix in and then taste. You might find that your soup has a deeper richer flavor, and needs nothing more.

Maybe you have made a vinegarette and it is now on the second time around and you want to change it a bit. Add a rounded teaspoon of catsup and give a good shake.

I have found that I usually do not want to taste catsup, except when eating french fries. Even then I think the enjoyment is the sweet of the catsup along with the salt of the fries, together. Catsup seems to be a good ingredient to combine flavors and bring them together. That is why I think of it as a seasoning.

By the way, the stuffed peppers turned out good. I will make them each year when bell peppers are plentiful and cheap. And I will freeze peppers that have been cut in half and frozen on a cookie sheet before being packed in a food saver bag. That way they can be filled with other ingredients, like leftovers!

Next weekend is Sunday Cafe, I will need to get busy with a menu. Or better yet, maybe this weekend I will cook By Request. Yes that is it, I will send out an invitation to the kids and invite them to request a dish.

Have a great day.

M