Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

MARINADES

Would you like to add exciting flavors to a lean cut of meat and still keep the fat content low? Marinades are the mouth-watering answer! Read on for helpful tips and hints.

Gather the Right Ingredients

Start with a low-fat base: try flavored vinegar, orange juice, low-fat yogurt, wine or sherry. Use about one-half to one cup per pound of meat.

For a taste of the orient, add reduced-sodium teriyaki or soy sauce.

Add flavorful seasonings: chopped onions, green onions or shallots (one-fourth to one- half cup); mustard, honey, apple juice or tomato paste or puree (one-fourth cup); garlic (one to four or more cloves); oregano, basil, parsley, dill, fennel seeds, bay leaves, red pepper, ginger, thyme, pepper, rosemary, lemon or orange rind (one-half to three teaspoons, dried).

Here's how you can Create Taste-Winning Combinations:

• Mix and match bases with seasonings to suit your tastes. Until you feel more comfortable with compatible combinations, experiment with only one base ingredient and two seasonings at a time.
• The amounts listed above are only guidelines. Use more or less of any ingredient for stronger or milder flavors.
• To get you started, here are some combinations that can't miss: yogurt, dill and garlic for chicken; red wine vinegar, lemon juice, rosemary, thyme and onions for beef; orange juice, ginger and garlic for fish.
• You can also try seasonings from your favorite nutritious recipes as a guide to developing delicious marinades. For example: if a chicken recipe calls for white wine, oregano and basil, try them as a marinade.