Marinara Sauce

Marinara is so easy to make.  I truly don't have a recipe to copy here because it changes every time I make it.  The basis is the same, and here's how I do it:

I don't love every vegetable in the grocery store, namely the squash family.  But marinara is a great way to add vegetables to your kids' diets and THEY'LL NEVER KNOW!  Plus, it usually makes a lot and these are cheap ingredients.

I usually add 2 zucchini, a bunch of tomatoes, carrots and celery, onions, bell peppers (roast them and skin them).
You could add a little fennel, spinach, broccoli, etc.  As long as the tomato is the star, it will be indistinguishable which other veggies are included.

I add a variety of spices including salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, marjoram, fennel seed, thyme, parsely, and garlic.

I also add canned tomatoes and tomato paste, plus water, and sometimes a bullion cube.

Cook it all down, toss it in a blender and blend until very smooth.  *a side note: if it is not fully smooth, the texture of the vegetables is too easy to distinguish and it's somewhat gritty and unpleasant. So blend well.
I usually put it back on the stove to cook further, adjusting some spices and adding fresh herbs and sometimes a few chunks of canned tomato reserved from the can.  Sometimes I add greek yogurt or neufchatel to make it slightly creamy.

Use this as a base for soup, jar it, or freeze for future uses.  Turn it into a vodka cream sauce and serve with penne for dinner one night.  Add into chili-seasoned beans and beef and serve as chili.  Use as base for tortilla soup, adding cilantro, jalapenos, and cumin.  Make meatballs and use their cooking juices to flavor the marinara.  Marinara is so versatile!  Have fun with it.

Tortilla Soup

One winter day in Boston I felt like cooking.  I looked in my pantry and tossed everything into a pot.  What came out was a tortilla soup.. kind of.  And it was fabulous (though the ugly photo makes me cringe).

1 large can diced tomatoes
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 onion, diced
1/4 c. beer
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1.5 jarred jalapeños, crushed
dash red pepper flakes
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/3 can water
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 tbsp sugar

It could be as simple as throwing all these ingredients into a pan, bringing it up to a boil, and simmering for 45 minutes.
Or, it could be more complicated: blooming the garlic, spices, and onion in 1 tbsp oil, adding tomatoes, deglaze with beer, add remaining ingredients except for cilantro.  Cook for 40 minutes and add cilantro in final minutes of cooking.  Garnish with dollop of sour cream, cilantro, and fried tortilla strips.

Creamy tomato basil soup

My mouth waters as I type this recipe.  It is fall now and we all need a great soup on those chilly days.  I cannot believe I have not published a recipe since February.  Yikes.

This is my take on a soup originally made at Boston Beer Works last year.  Anytime I add canned tomatoes to a dish, I often find myself adding sugar because of the acidity in the canned tomatoes.  Well, in this recipe there is no need for it.  You'll find it sweet, salty, and even cheesy tasting.  It's just so yummy.  And it can be fully vegetarian if you choose.

Pair it with a grilled cheese or crusty bread for a meal that will have your guests asking for thirds.

I do not have a photo of this because I didn't think to post the recipe.  Next time I will take a photo.

Ingredients:

• 2 large cans (the huge ones, I'm talking 28oz cans or whatever they are) tomatoes of you choice: diced, stewed, crushed, etc.
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• 1 can (approx 2 cups) broth of your choice (chicken, veggie) OR water (with or without bullion)
• 2-3 oz neufchatel cream cheese /any reduced fat variety OR 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 10-15 basil leaves
• 2-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp oil

Method:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, sautee chopped garlic in oil for 1 minute.  Add both cans of tomatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and let it simmer with the cover on for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure no bottom-stickage.

Add broth and bring back up to a boil over high heat.  Simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered, to let the soup reduce slightly.  Add cream cheese or heavy cream and chopped basil* and simmer another 5-10 minutes.  At this point I usually take 3/4 of the soup and puree it- I like it mostly thin with some chunks for a rustic feel.  

Voile!  Really, the ingredients are basic but the technique is what makes this tomato soup fabulous.  The longer you cook them, the sweeter they get.  ENJOY!!

Tip: If the tomato mixture becomes too dry when you are simmering it for 45 minutes, add half of your broth and just add the rest later.  Also, salt and pepper to taste.  If you find it bland, by all means add more salt and pepper.  I don't normally cook with specific measurements and taste is individual anyway.

*I used 5 or 6 "basil ducks", which is approximately 12 leaves for me.  Creating basil cubes is a great way to stretch your home-grown basil past the season.  Simply julienne or chop any remaining basil you have and divide it among an empty ice cube tray in useable portions (about 2 leaves per cube), then add just enough water to cover the basil and freeze.  I have a cute duck-shaped small ice cube tray so I use that.  These cubes are great for adding to soups and sauces but not recommended for use fresh.  So don't thaw them out to use on a caprese, for instance.

Braised Tofu

This recipe is best cold, in my opinion.

I have adapted the recipe a bit.  You're supposed to dice the tofu in about a 1 inch dice and broil it on skewers, basting the marinade.  But I like using a store-bought diced tofu (smaller size), and braising or pan-frying it until the marinade sticks.  Then I cool it and have it with salads, lettuce wraps, or just plain.

Marinade:
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine (I don't usually have it on hand so I use mirin)
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp tahini (or just skip if you don't have it)
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp sugar

Put all ingredients in a bag and shake or massage until combined.  Add package of diced tofu (drained and pat dry) and marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Add 1tsp sesame oil to heated fry pan.  Add entire bag of tofu and marinade.
Fry over medium/high heat until tofu is brown and marinade is gone.  (Toss often)

Cool and enjoy!

Lettuce wraps

My mom first made it with ground pork.  We've done it with turkey as well.

Because of my kind-of vegetarianism, I enjoy it with fake meat "crumbles".
Morningstar has a great product that tastes like ground beef, and that's what I use in this recipe.

I cannot think of exact amounts so bear with me... you really can't mess this up.

Ingredients:
1lb ground meat of choice
1 can water chestnuts (diced fine)
1/2 c. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. minced ginger
1 sliced scallion
1 head iceberg lettuce, cut in half, core removed and leaves separated

Garnishes:
Crushed or ground peanuts
julienned carrots
Other toppings your guests might like: braised tofu (recipe here), fried chinese noodles

Brown meat in sesame oil
Add water chestnuts and ginger
Mix in the sauces (hoisin, vinegar, worcestershire) until coated and cook 1 minute
Toss in scallion and mix

Lettuce leaves make excellent wrappers. Let guests fill them with meat and toppings of their choice.

I did not have carrots in this photo. Shown in the photo is the tofu as well.

Penne Porcini

One of my favorites!

I can only seem to find dried porcini mushrooms but that's perfect for this dish because the broth is the main flavoring.

Fact: I don't like mushrooms
Fact: I still cook with them sometimes

Ingredients:
3 oz dried porcini mushrooms
penne pasta
4 cups water
1/4-1/2 c. heavy cream
salt, pepper
tarragon
marsala wine
grated cheese (parm reg, romano, or pecorino is great)
beef broth (or veg if you're going vegetarian)
corn starch

Prepare:
Heat water until near boiling point (I usually use a microwaveable container for this)
Toss in mushrooms and let soak 20 minutes or more (covered with plastic wrap or lid.. to keep steam in)
Once mushrooms are rehydrated, squeeze them out and finely dice or mince them.  I prefer not to have too many pieces each dish, so I only use about an ounce of minced porcini in the actual cooking of the dish.  If you like mushrooms, go ahead and put in the whole 3 ounces.

Cook pasta

Strain the mushroom liquid into a saucepan, add the minced porcini and bring to a simmer
Add pinch of salt, pepper, and about 1 tsp of marsala
Simmer until reduced by half
Add heavy cream until sauce is light brown in color
Add 1 tsp tarragon
Add 1/4 cup grated cheese
Add salt and pepper to taste
Add corn starch slurry (corn starch and water)
Simmer until sauce is thick
(if you reduce the sauce too much, add beef broth or vegetable broth, unless you saved some extra mushroom broth just in case!)

Toss strained pasta into sauce to coat

Garnish with grated cheese and voile! A fabulous recipe created by yours truly from a dish I had as a kid.  So great with garlic bread!

Note: if you are cooking for more than two or three people, you may need to use more broth/mushrooms to create the bold flavor.  Or, you can add beef or vegetable broth in the simmering process.

Chinese (chicken) noodle salad

This is one of my favorites.  My mom first made it when I was in 6th grade for an "international day" at school.  It was a huge hit.  I forgot about it for years but in college she brought up this dish and I could not wait to try it out.

I often make a whole pound of it and it will last us a few days.  It works best with angel hair pasta in my opinion.

Recipe:
1/2 c. soy sauce
1 tbl mirin (if you don't have it just skip it or use a tad more sugar)
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp-1 tbsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1-2 cans chopped or sliced water chestnuts
1 cup (or so) snow peas, sliced
1 cup diced chicken
1 lb angel hair pasta
crushed peanuts and scallions to garnish

*boil pasta. While that is cooking, mix all ingredients (except peas, water chestnuts, chicken, peanuts and scallions) together and put in fridge. Once pasta is done, drain and cool. 
Blanch snow peas in hot water until bright green (about 1 minute)
Cook chicken however you like (bake, sautee, etc) and let it cool (best is to have it cooked ahead of time and waiting in the fridge

Mix cool pasta with sauce, peas, chestnuts, and chicken. It's best to cool it for a while (it's a cold dish) but if you can't wait, top with scallions and peanuts and dig in!
*the sauce quickly settles to the bottom, so mix frequently and before serving.

please note- I used thin spaghetti for this photo because I did not have angel hair

I have not been making this with chicken, so I just leave it out or add more snow peas.  I hope you try this one!  It's great for next-day lunch.