spaghetti sauce

I've been making this for about 4 years, but recently had a dry spell with it while meal planning was an afterthought to a new baby. I made it again last night and was reminded how much I love it, and how worth the effort it is.

1 29oz can diced tomatoes (or whole tomatoes)
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes or tomato sauce
1/2 an onion (or a whole small/medium one)
5 Tbs butter
a grind of black pepper

1 lb Italian sausage (we like both mild and hot)

optional:
bell peppers, carrots, garlic, herbs (oregano, basil)

1. Put the butter, half onion, pepper, and tomatoes (and/or sauce), undrained, in a big sauce pan. Add dry herbs or garlic now. 
2. Bring the tomatoes to a simmer on medium-high heat.
3. Turn the heat down to medium/low and let it simmer till the butter has incorporated into the tomatoes and the whole thing is saucy, about 30 min. Smash down the tomatoes with your spoon and stir it occasionally.
4. While the sauce is cooking, cook your sausage and crumble it (take it out of the casings if you can't find ground sausage). Chop your bell peppers or grate a carrot if you're using it.
5. Dump the cooked sausage into the completed sauce.
6. Take the onion out of the sauce and chop it up. Add it and your chopped veggies to the pan you cooked the sausage in and fry them for a minute or two. Dump it in the sauce.
7. Add some pasta water to the spaghetti sauce to make it smoother and stick to your pasta better.
8. Add any fresh herbs and stir them in.

We like to eat this on thick pasta like cellentani or linguini or fusilli that's had plenty of salt in the water. And freshly grated parmesan is delicious, too.

Adapted from smittenkitchen.com

Pizza- even better

This dough is also from smittenkitchen. I finally buckled and bought some cooking wine to try this recipe, and boy am I glad I did. Last night's pizza was the best I've eaten in a long time, and although I did have some great toppings (like Trader Joe's quattro formigia shredded cheese, fresh mozzerella, and basil I grew myself), I really think the crust was the deciding factor. The first measurements are for "one small thin crust." I quadrupled it to make 3 large (12 inch?) pizzas which fed 6 adults, 4 toddler/preschoolers, and a baby. Adjust as you will.

6 Tbsp warm water
3/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp honey
2 Tbsp white wine
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

1.5 C warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
2 tsp honey
½ C white wine
¼ C olive oil
6 C all-purpose flour
4 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Dissolve yeast and honey in warm (100*) water. Let sit till frothy.
2. Measure out flour into large bowl and stir in salt. (I substituted one cup of white whole wheat flour in mine to no ill effect)
3. Add wine and olive oil to water. Add liquids to flour.
4. Use a spatula to stir it all up until it's clumpy, then use your hands to mash it all into a ball, making sure to incorporate all the floury bits.
5. Knead on a lightly floured counter/pizza peel until smooth and mostly uniform in consistency. (This shouldn't take long)
6. Oil the bowl your dough was in, roll the dough in it, and cover with plastic wrap.
7. Let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours.
8. Lightly press the air out of the dough and let it sit for 15 minutes or so while you prep your ingredients. Preheat your oven to 500* with the pizza stone inside it.
9. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface/pizza peel. Fold one side over and sprinkle the surface with cornmeal, then do the other side.
10. Add your toppings, and bake 10 minutes or until everything's browned and bubbly.

Here are some of my favorite topping combos:

For a traditional, tomato sauce pizza, I like to herb my crust. First, I lightly rub it with olive oil. Then I sprinkle on garlic powder, oregano, thyme, and sometimes rosemary. Then, I just use jarred spaghetti sauce and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top of that rather than making or buying special pizza sauce.

Tomato sauce pizzas:

Fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, tomato slices, and bacon.

Fresh mozzarella, shredded sharp cheddar, bell peppers, red onions, olives, and pepperoni.

1/2 red sauce, half pesto, mozzarella, and italian meats.

White pizzas:

Alfredo, chicken, brocolli, or zucchini

olive oil, goat cheese, pear, caramelized onion. once you cook that, add fresh arugula, and candied pecans.

equal parts ricotta and sour cream, seasoned with salt and pepper, topped with bacon and caramelized onions

Other pizzas:

sour cream and salsa, topped with sharp cheddar cheese, grilled chicken, red onion, and grilled corn. once you cook that, add fresh cilantro and avocado slices

peanut satay sauce topped with mozzarella, grilled chicken, carrots, and onion. top with fresh cilantro.

"Minestrone" Soup

I got this recipe from my History of Food professor, Jim Faulconer, in London 2005. He calls it minestrone, but it is nothing like any other minestrone I've ever had and everything like every Italian wedding soup I've ever had. Either way, it's really good. You could substitute some kale for the spinach if you wanted.

serves 4-6

2 T olive oil
1/4 lb Italian sausage, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 bay leaf
1 can white beans
1 can garbanzo beans/chick peas
salt and pepper
8 C chicken stock
1 C small shell pasta
1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
10 oz spinach, clean and coarsely chopped (any dark greens work)
1/2 C freshly grated Parmigiano-reggiano or romano cheese, plus extra for topping
12-16 leaves fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade-- substitute 1/4 C chopped parsley if necessary (don't tell Jim, but we used dried basil. just know fresh is way better)

Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. When the bottom of the pot is hot, add the olive oil and turn the pan to distribute the oil.

Saute the sausage for two minutes.

Add the onions, celery, garlic, zucchini, and bay leaf.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add white beans, garbanzo beans, and chicken broth.
Cover and bring to a boil.

Add pasta and green beans to the boiling broth, and cook 8 minutes or until pasta is barely tender.

Stir in the spinach. When it is wilted-- about 1 minute-- stir in the grated cheese.

Ladle soup into bowls and top each bowl with a bunch of basil chiffonade or chopped parsley.

Tortellini Salad

I had something like this at a ward potluck and recreated it at home

Romaine lettuce
Pepperoni or pepperocini
Black olives
Fresh mozzarella (chopped up or made in little balls)
cooked cheese tortellini
chopped red bell pepper
cherry tomatoes

Really good italian dressing

Toss it all and eat. I liked that the tortellinis were still warm.

Stuffed Pizza Bites

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/06/stuffed-pizza-rolls.html

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough* (or make your own)
marinara/pizza sauce (click here to make your own)
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil or melted butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t dried Italian seasoning
mozzerella cheese
Pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni slices, sausage, etc.

*You can use regular pizza dough, or thin crust. I used thin crust when taking these pictures.

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it's 400 degrees. If you make your own dough, 400 is usually a good heat as well.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares (bet ya didn't see that one comin' did ya?)

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square. (Note that you're not putting the marinara sauce on the dough- it's for dipping after) You guys are smart, right? Just eyeball how much. You just need to be able to enclose the toppings in the dough so keep that in mind. For these ones pictured I used a teaspoon each of cheese, canadian bacon, and pineapple.


When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).

Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter (I've used both and there's not much difference in result) and then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese. (In lieu of the Parmesan, garlic, and Italian seasoning you could substitute this garlic bread seasoning.)

Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Keep an eye on them! Doughs vary, so I'd check them after even 10 minutes.

Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce on the side for dipping.



The outsides are like garlic bread and the insides are full of oozing cheese. This might just be a perfect food.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 large pumpkin
1/2 lb fusilli (spiral) pasta -- I used the dyed kind for a more festive, fall look
1 yellow onion
1 zucchini
1/2 lb ground beef
1 can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
mozzarella
cheddar
parmesan
basil
oregano
black pepper
crushed red pepper
garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut the top out of the pumpkin and remove the guts. You can carve something into the skin of the pumpkin or draw a face on it with permanent marker.

2. Put top back on pumpkin, cover with foil. Put pumpkin on cookie sheet and bake for 45 min to 1 hr.

3. Cook the pasta for 1-2 minutes less than the package directions call for. It should be underdone.

4. Saute ground beef, onion, and zucchini in a frying pan. Season to taste with spices. Vegetables should also be undercooked.

5. Mix pasta, drained tomatoes, and beef mix in a large bowl.

6. Grate LOTS of cheese into it. Dump the whole mix in the pumpkin.

7. Bake for another 30-60 min, until dinner inside is hot, and pumpkin is tender.

Enjoy!

Make sure you buy a pumpkin meant for eating. When I made this, the pumpkin I bought was all stringy inside and tasted disgusting.

Zucchini "Pasta"

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

If you miss pasta, because you don’t eat wheat or you’re on a low-carbohydrate diet, this dish makes a nice stand-in for fettuccine. Be careful not to overcook — it will be al dente with a few minutes of cooking, after which it will quickly fall apart. When made just right, it’s silky and wonderful. You can serve as is, or toss it with a fresh tomato sauce. Use a vegetable peeler or mandolin to make the thin zucchini strips.

2 pounds zucchini (or a combination of yellow and green zucchini)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3/4 cup fresh tomato sauce (optional)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for serving (more to taste)

1. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into lengthwise ribbons. Peel off several from one side, then turn the zucchini and peel off more. Continue to turn and peel away ribbons until you get to the seeds at the core of the zucchini. Discard the core. You can also do this on a mandolin, adjusted to a very thin slice.

2. Cook the zucchini strips in two batches. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the zucchini ribbons and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, tossing and stirring the zucchini, for two to three minutes, until softened and beginning to turn translucent. Adjust salt and add freshly ground pepper to taste, and transfer to a serving dish. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and zucchini. Serve, topping with tomato sauce and freshly grated Parmesan if desired.

Yield: Serves four

Advance preparation: This dish is best served right away. But you can enjoy leftovers, which I like to eat cold, doused with lemon juice and a drop of olive oil.

from NYTimes

Chicken Parmesan Bundles

Prep Time:
35 min

Total Time:
1 hr 5 min

Makes:
6 servings

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1-1/4 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided

6 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness

1 egg

10 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)

1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, heated

PREHEAT oven to 375ºF. Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 3 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese until well blended; spread evenly onto chicken breasts. Starting at one of the short ends of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired. Set aside.

BEAT egg in shallow bowl or pie plate. Mix remaining 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese and the cracker crumbs in separate shallow bowl or pie plate. Dip chicken bundles in egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF). Remove and discard toothpicks, if using. Serve topped with the spaghetti sauce and remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.

Heather's tips: let the chicken thaw in the fridge or on the counter if you're using frozen breasts. I found they pound out nicer than if you defrost them in the microwave. I usually need more crackers than they suggest. I've never had them be done at 30 min either, so be prepared to wait a bit longer unless your oven runs a lot hotter than mine does.

from Kraft

Toscana Soup

Prep time: 1 hr

2 3/4 cups chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 medium russet potato
2 cups chopped kale
1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine the stock and cream in a saucepan over medium heat.

Slice the unpeeled potato into 1/4 in. slices, then quarter the slices and add them to the soup.

Add the kale.

Grill or sauté the sausage. When cooked and cooled, cut the sausage at an angle into slices about 1/2 in. thick. Add the sausage to the soup.

Add the spices and let the soup simmer for about 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as an entree

Cheeseburger Calzones

Prep time: 1/2 hr.

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 jar (26 oz.) pasta sauce
1 jar (8 oz.) marinated mushrooms, drained and chopped (optional)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (about 4 oz.)
1 package (12 oz./8 count) refrigerated large flaky biscuits

Preheat oven to 375. In 12-inch skillet, brown ground beef with onion and salt over medium-high heat; drain. Stir in 1 cup pasta sauce, mushrooms and cheese.

Roll or press out each biscuit to a 6 in. circle. Place 1/2 cup beef mixture on each dough circle; fold over and press edges to close. Seal completely by pressing along edges firmly with tines of fork.

With large spatula, gently arrange on cookie sheets. Bake 13 minutes or until golden. Serve with remaining sauce, heated.

The sauce freezes and thaws well, so this is easy to prepare in large batches, then serve in small ones later.

Makes 8 servings