The Baggin's Key to the Kitchen
- Colleen Griffith
- May 14
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 7
Hello again my friends! It’s your friendly neighborhood hobbit and aspiring chief, Bilbo Baggins, or BB for short! I’ve been asked about some of the basics of how I am always able to throw together a party at the drop of a hat. The key to this my friends is a well stocked kitchen and some of Grandpapa Baggins's tips for cooking anything
The Perfect stocked kitchen
The ingredients I always have in my kitchen for savory dishes are garlic and onion (I personally prefer frozen garlic and freeze dried minced onion because of the shelf life), and some type of hearty vegetable that can be canned and sealed for future use like artichoke hearts, peppers and mushrooms. A full spice rack in addition to salt and pepper is always wonderful, but not needed as it can get pricey trying to find the right market. .
For sweets, I like to always have some chocolate morsels, vanilla extract, and a variety of jams and nut butter spreads to throw together something delicious whenever the muse strikes.
In the ice box, I like to have cheeses, berries, and vegetable broth as well as a nice cut of meat. Additionally, some cured meats like sausage, bacon, or smoked salmon never go awry. If you've ever been to one of our parties, you know all about the snacks I put together that I call meaty-cheesey board
Grandpapa Baggins's Cooking Tips
#1 Always put something on the bottom of your cooking apparatus!
Whether it's tin foil, parchment paper, oil, or butter, make sure you have something on the lining of what you are cooking in!
#2 Cook your aromatics first!
Aromatics refer to vegetables and herbs that add flavor and aroma to a dish. When cooked together, these ingredients help create layers of flavor in your food. Some aromatics are sweet, while others are savory.
Common aromatics: leeks, onions, carrots and celery, fennel, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, scallions, peppers, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and peppercorns
#3 Become familiar with the Mother sauces
Holly-days (Or maybe it's Hollandaise?) mustard-y egg sauce
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice or more as desired for flavor
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup unsalted butter- melted and hot
Instructions
Melt the butter in a on the stove until it's hot
Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, dijon, salt and cayenne pepper until combined and it has become one (this is called emulsification, but don't worry it tastes better than it sounds!)
Pour the hollandaise sauce into a small bowl and serve while warm.
Recipe inspired by: https://downshiftology.com/recipes/hollandaise-sauce/#wprm-recipe-container-38713
Stock and roux sauce (also known as the fancy elvin Veluté sauce)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken, veal, or vegetable stock
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more, to taste
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
In a heavy-bottomed 6 cup saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the flour and whisk together until the butter and flour mixture has small bubbles but does not brown, about 2 minutes (this is called a roux)
Whisk in 1 cup of the stock all at once, and continue to whisk until it is smooth and lump-free. Gradually whisk in the remaining 1 cup of stock, salt, and pepper.
Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a low boil to reduce (small bubbles break over the surface of the sauce), stirring constantly with a whisk.
Once the sauce reaches a low boil, keep whisking the sauce for 2 minutes.
Store the sauce: Cool the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes before covering it with a lid and storing it in the ice box
Meat drippings sauce (I've heard Papa Took call this Espagnole, but he was a little silly in the head so who knows )
Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Mirapoix mix (1 cup medium onion, finely diced, 1 cup celery, finely diced, 1 cup carrot, finely diced)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups unsalted or low-salt brown beef stock, preferably homemade
1/4 cup canned tomato puree
Pinch salt
Lots of pepper
1 bay leaf
Parsley
Special Equipment: Cheesecloth
Instructions
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the diced onions, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the flour to the pan with the vegetables and whisk to incorporate fully. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking often, until the flour turns deep golden brown (this is called a brown roux), 6 to 10 minutes.
Gradually pour in the stock and whisk simultaneously until there are no lumps in the sauce. Stir in the tomato puree, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and parsley stems (measure the parsley and pepper with your heart)
Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer (small bubbles occasionally rise to the surface of the sauce, this is called a reduction).
Cook for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the bottom of the pot from scorching, until the volume reduces by about 1/3.
When ready the sauce should be just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It is not a thick sauce, but approximately the consistency of heavy cream
Strain the sauce: Line a large strainer with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Strain the sauce into the bowl and discard the solids.
Recipe inspired by https://www.simplyrecipes.com/classic-espagnole-sauce-recipe-5225167
Tomato sauce (or Sauce Tomat depending on your persuasion)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Mirapoix mix (1 cup medium onion, finely diced, 1 cup celery, finely diced, 1 cup carrot, finely diced)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, crushed in a bowl
1 quart veal or chicken stock
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300 F.
Tie the sachet ingredients into a cheesecloth sack using a piece of kitchen twine.
In a heavy, oven-safe Dutch oven, render the salt pork over low heat until the fat liquefies.
Add the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic and then sauté for a few minutes until the onion is translucent but not brown.
Add the tomatoes, the ham bone, the stock and the sachet.
Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer the pot to the oven. Simmer in the oven, partially covered, for 2 hours.
Remove from the oven. Remove sachetand purée sauce in a blender or food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary. BE CAREFUL HOT INGREDIENTS IN A BLENDER CAN SPATTER AND CAUSE BURNS
Season to taste with kosher salt and a small amount of sugar—just enough to cut the acid edge of the tomatoes. Serve hot. If not serving the sauce right away, keep it covered and warm until you're ready to use it.
Recipe inspired by https://www.simplyrecipes.com/classic-french-sauce-tomat-recipe-5225178 And https://www.thespruceeats.com/classic-tomate-sauce-996089
Thick white gravy (sometimes called Bechamel I believe?)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups of whole milk (480mL) (warm or room temperature)
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Enjoy the smell, there are few things that smell as good as melting butter– writing about it so much has made me hungry!
Add the flour and reduce the heat to medium-low. Whisk constantly for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the mixture makes a light roux that is blonde in color.
Slowly pour in the milk while whisking. Continue to whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture bubbles and thickens.
Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for 4 to 6 more minutes, whisking frequently, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
Stir in the salt and pepper. Taste the sauce and season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe inspired by: https://preppykitchen.com/bechamel-sauce/#recipe
I hope these tips and tricks from my family help you with all your future cooking and baling endeavors!
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