Miracle Marinade

I am not one for sauces - it is part of the reason that I find fancy French cooking unappealing (sorry Julia Child!) I have always thought of them as too "chefy" and I never want to worry that much about how I am cooking. But once I started cooking traditional Chinese dishes and found that marinades were essential for those dishes, I eased up on my fussiness. I even started creating my own marinades, like this one which was originally created for pork chops. It was so incredible that it pushed me out of my comfort zone to wonder if it might make a great sauce, just by reducing it (similar to what I recently did with my first wine reduction sauce)

It was amazing, mind altering. I wanted to eat it on everything, all the time, everyday.

While it works miracles as a marinade for heavy proteins like pork, poultry and tofu, it is an incredible sauce poured over grilled or roasted veggies, pan seared or grilled fish, shrimp, and scallops. You name it and it probably will taste even more fabulous with this marinade cum sauce. It might not cure the sick but it will definitely transport you out of the everyday!

Miracle Marinade
(makes about 1 cup)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Whisk together well. If using as a marinade for pork, poultry or tofu, Place protein in zip lock bag and pour in marinade and seal. Allow to marinate over night or for at least 12 hours. Remove from bag and reserve marinade. Bring marinade to boil over high heat on stove top and reduce by 1/3. Set aside. Grill or pan fry protein. Serve with reduced marinade.

Hugs!