How to vary your menu? Of course, with the help of sauces. They will not only add a new taste to known dishes, but also help to hide some of your defects. I can remember myself pouring overdone ravioli and burnt meat with big amount of ketchup or mayonnaise, and everybody was pleased. So, sauces are an irreplaceable part of menu for a young housewife. And if you use not just ketchup or mayonnaise, but home sauces, you will gain a reputation of an excellent cook. And it is not so difficult to cook a sauce by yourself.

Sauces for meat dishes

Red sauce (for roasted and boiled meat)

Roast a table-spoon of flour with the same amount of oil, then mix with tomato paste and dissolve in two glasses of meat broth. Add slightly roasted roots and onion and boil on light fire during 20-30 minutes. When you finish boiling, add some salt, 1-2 table-spoons of wine, filter and season with a bit of butter.

For 1 table-spoon of flour: 1 carrot, 1 parsley, 1 onion, 1 table-spoon of tomato paste and 1,5 spoon of butter.

Sour cream sauce

Roast a table-spoon of flour with the same amount of oil, dissolve in 1 glass of hot meat broth, add sour cream and boil on light fire for 5-10 minutes. When you finish boiling, filter the sauce, salt and mix. For 0,5 glass of sour cream: 1 table-spoon of flour and 1 table-spoon of oil. You can serve up this sauce with meat rissoles, meat balls or liver.

Sauce for fish dishes

White sauce

Peel off 1 parsley and 1 onion, wash, cult into small particles and roast gently in a pan with 1 table-spoon of oil and the same quantity of flour. Dissolve roasted flour and roots in 2 glasses of fish broth, salt and boil for 7-10 minutes. Then remove the sauce from fire, filter, add a raw egg yolk mixed with 1 table-spoon of butter in it, and mix carefully. Then add 1-2 table-spoons of wine and lemon juice in your sauce.

Sauces for vegetable dishes

Mushroom sauce

Take dried mushrooms washed in warm water, soak them in 3 glasses of cold water and leave for 2-3 hours, and then boil in the same water without adding salt.

Roast 1 table-spoon of flour with the same amount of oil till light-brown color and dissolve in 2 glasses of hot filtered mushroom broth. Boil the sauce on light fire for 15-20 minutes. Roast onion, cut in small particles, with oil, add chopped boiled mushrooms and roast everything again on small fire, then put into sauce, add salt to your liking and boil.

For 50 g of dried mushrooms: 1 table-spoon of flour, 1 onion and 2 table-spoons of oil.

This sauce combines well with potato dishes (potato baked puddings, patties etc.)

Egg sauce with wine

Smear egg yolks with powdered sugar, add lemon peel, and whip the mixture, pouring wine to it. Put a pan with mixture on light fire or water bath and keep on whipping till it thickens, not allowing it to boil. When you finish boiling, take lemon peel out, and add lemon juice to your liking in a ready sauce. For 3 egg yolks: 3 table-spoons of powdered sugar, glass of white table wine, of lemon. The sauce is served up with cauliflower, asparagus and artichokes.