As y'all know, I am of Italian descent and a fairly good cook (much to my gf's delight). Last night, I was asked if I would ever use jarred or canned tomato sauce - actually it was Prego, but the thought is the same - and I answered, "never." The reason is fairly simple - basic tomato sauce is ridiculously easy to make, and its cheaper and better than the jarred stuff.
Now, before I give you the details, let me be clear that this is basic tomato sauce - a quick cooked sauce. This is not "sauce" - the long cooked tomato sauce we all know and love. That kind of sauce you can't get out of a jar, and takes forever to make. This recipe (and its really more a technique than a recipe) is for the sauce making while cooking your pasta. So here goes.
Step 1: Put a gallon of salted water in a pot, and turn the heat to high. Cover.
Step 2 (optional): If you want to make a tomato sauce with zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, now would be the time to saute them until golden brown and remove. If not, go to step three.
Step 3: In a flat bottomed wok or a saucier (and I'm guessing we all have the flat bottomed woks), put 2-3 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, 2-3 cloves of garlic (sliced, smashed or whole, your call), a pinch of red pepper flakes, a pinch of dried oregano and a pinch of salt in the pan. Turn the heat on medium.
OPTIONS - if you undertake step three, you are making a basic tomato sauce. For an amatricana sauce, replace the garlic with a 1/2 of a small onion diced, and 2 strips of bacon, diced. For puttanesca, throw in some anchovy paste, capers and Gaeta or kalamata olives in addition to the garlic.
Step 4: As soon as the garlic begins to color (we want VERY little color on the garlic), add in 1/2 a can, or 14 oz. of crushed tomatoes. If you want to get all fancy, buy the whole San Marzano tomatoes, crush them by hand in a bowl, and then add them. Really your call. Also, add about a 1/2 cup of white wine (helps wake up the tomato flavors).
Step 5 (optional): If you want to add a bit more vegetation, here's your chance. I typically add about a handful of chopped frozen spinach.
Step 6: Turn down the heat so that the sauce is simmering.
Step 7: When the water starts to boil, add your pasta (I'd go with around 3/4 of a pound). Stir the pasta to make sure it doesn't stick.
Step 8: Taste your sauce. If its kinda bland, add some salt. If its too acidic, add either a bit of sugar or (BETTER) a teaspoon of honey.
Step 9: When the pasta is finished cooking, remove from the pot, and drain. Put the drained pasta into the wok with the sauce. Turn up the heat to high.
Step 10: Stir the pasta and the sauce so that the pasta is coated with the sauce. Turn off the heat. Add your finishing touches - I like romano cheese, a bit of black pepper and some olive oil. If you have basil, now is the time to add it.
And really, that's it. Ten steps, two of which are optional. From this basic recipe, I can make basic tomato sauce, puttanesca sauce, amatricana sauce, pasta alla Norma, pasta alla Caruso, and probably a couple of other sauces.
Showing posts with label Italian Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italian Food. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Reality Show Blogging: The Horror, the Horror. . .
In the past few months, I've actually moved beyond random dating, and met someone who not only can I stand to be around for more than a few hours, and who (more importantly) can stand me for more than a few hours. And, as you might guess, I'm happy about this. However, one of the unfortunate aspects of being in a relationship for a lot of straight men is having to watch "The Bachelor." For some reason, my significant other is enthralled by this show and being the dutiful boyfriend requires me to watch with her. Of course, this obligates her to watch all the crap I like as well.
Anyway, in my entire life, I have watched two episodes of the Bachelor, and its still not my cup of tea. The Bachelor is. . .dull. Sure, he's got a six-pack, etc., but wow, is this guy dull. Apparently, he was on before, and in a surprising act of honesty, didn't pick either of the finalists. Given that none of the other Bachelors have ever married their picks, much less dated them for any length of time after the show ended. For refusing to take part in the charade, he became a hated man. Still, he strikes me as a decent human being, but completely disinteresting.
What is interesting, and is always interesting in these shows, is how competitive the women get. The first season of "Flavor of Love," where women fought over the affection of Flavor Flav for no apparent reason other than being on television, is a prime example. But given the distinct lack of any discernible personality of the current Bachelor, this season of the Bachelor is right up there. In a few short weeks, numerous women have proclaimed their intense love for the Bachelor, and the cat fighting has begun. The biggest surprise is that the woman who wore fangs in the first episode left the show because she realized she was on it for the wrong reasons.
Anyway, last night's episode made watchable by the crazy antics of a hairdresser from Utah named Michelle. She talked ill of the other contestants and by all appearances, seemed much more interested in the Bachelor than anyone else. Indeed, when on a group date, she actually attacked the poor man for bringing other women along repelling down a cliff or something. She then went to his room and tried to get the Bachelor to change his mind about several other women. All the while, she gave interviews with the producers that screamed, "crazy."
So, I have to admit that at the end of the show, I felt like I was watching a horror movie, wanting to yell out to the Bachelor, "Watch out Brad, she CRAZY!!!" The last 15 minutes, were therefore enjoyable. As for predictions - the woman who's husband died and then she bore his kid is a mortal lock for the finals.
Top Chef:
It occurs to me that I haven't blogged about Top Chef All-Stars yet, and I need to fix that, particularly in light of last week's episode surrounding Rao's Restaurant. As an Italian American, the episode was of particular interest to me because I could actually make a lot of the food shown.
The biggest mistake, of course, was the pasta course, where two contestants tried to make fresh pasta, and one attempted to make risotto. All were. . .less than ideal. Here's the thing about Italian food - its made by home cooks. Unlike the French, there was no King or nobility to really impress (well, there were, but they didn't last that long), so Italian food developed with family in mind. Indeed, Italian women develop power in their communities based upon their cooking abilities.*
That's not to say that Italian food is easy to cook - its not, because everyone cooks it slightly differently. Its also really easy for chefs to screw up because Italian cooks are all self-taught, whereas most chefs are trained in professional kitchens. And that's what we saw in the last episode.
The big sin was the use of fresh pasta over dried pasta. In the Northern part of Italy, where the wheat is soft, people make their own pasta. But in the South, where the wheat is hard, everyone cooks dried pasta. For my money, dried pasta is more consistent, better quality, and holds sauces better than fresh pasta. The only time I use fresh pasta is when I make a stuffed pasta like ravioli. But to make fresh pasta without any stuffing was madness. Had I been one of the chefs, I probably would've gone with manicotti - crepes stuffed with ricotta and baked in tomato sauce.
Tre's risotto was apparently an even worse sin against Italian food. Even though I didn't grow up with risotto (its a Northern thing), I have since learned how to make it, and the best risottos are loose, creamy, and contain only a few ingredients. The whole thing is a trick - its a way to make a cheap ingredient (rice) taste like a more expensive ingredient (cream).
I do think that Antonia winning for a steamed mussels dish was a bit of a stretch, but again, Italian food is all about the home cook and the relationships that people make with the home cook. So, if her mussels tasted like Grandma's** she was going to win.
*I'm not even remotely kidding about this. My Grandma became fiercely competitive with my mother after learning that Mom can cook - even refusing to teach her how to make manicotti. See, the best cooks have everyone over to their house for dinner and become the hub of all social activities.
**Actually, as far as I know, my Grandma didn't make mussels, though given her abilities in the kitchen, she probably could.
Anyway, in my entire life, I have watched two episodes of the Bachelor, and its still not my cup of tea. The Bachelor is. . .dull. Sure, he's got a six-pack, etc., but wow, is this guy dull. Apparently, he was on before, and in a surprising act of honesty, didn't pick either of the finalists. Given that none of the other Bachelors have ever married their picks, much less dated them for any length of time after the show ended. For refusing to take part in the charade, he became a hated man. Still, he strikes me as a decent human being, but completely disinteresting.
What is interesting, and is always interesting in these shows, is how competitive the women get. The first season of "Flavor of Love," where women fought over the affection of Flavor Flav for no apparent reason other than being on television, is a prime example. But given the distinct lack of any discernible personality of the current Bachelor, this season of the Bachelor is right up there. In a few short weeks, numerous women have proclaimed their intense love for the Bachelor, and the cat fighting has begun. The biggest surprise is that the woman who wore fangs in the first episode left the show because she realized she was on it for the wrong reasons.
Anyway, last night's episode made watchable by the crazy antics of a hairdresser from Utah named Michelle. She talked ill of the other contestants and by all appearances, seemed much more interested in the Bachelor than anyone else. Indeed, when on a group date, she actually attacked the poor man for bringing other women along repelling down a cliff or something. She then went to his room and tried to get the Bachelor to change his mind about several other women. All the while, she gave interviews with the producers that screamed, "crazy."
So, I have to admit that at the end of the show, I felt like I was watching a horror movie, wanting to yell out to the Bachelor, "Watch out Brad, she CRAZY!!!" The last 15 minutes, were therefore enjoyable. As for predictions - the woman who's husband died and then she bore his kid is a mortal lock for the finals.
Top Chef:
It occurs to me that I haven't blogged about Top Chef All-Stars yet, and I need to fix that, particularly in light of last week's episode surrounding Rao's Restaurant. As an Italian American, the episode was of particular interest to me because I could actually make a lot of the food shown.
The biggest mistake, of course, was the pasta course, where two contestants tried to make fresh pasta, and one attempted to make risotto. All were. . .less than ideal. Here's the thing about Italian food - its made by home cooks. Unlike the French, there was no King or nobility to really impress (well, there were, but they didn't last that long), so Italian food developed with family in mind. Indeed, Italian women develop power in their communities based upon their cooking abilities.*
That's not to say that Italian food is easy to cook - its not, because everyone cooks it slightly differently. Its also really easy for chefs to screw up because Italian cooks are all self-taught, whereas most chefs are trained in professional kitchens. And that's what we saw in the last episode.
The big sin was the use of fresh pasta over dried pasta. In the Northern part of Italy, where the wheat is soft, people make their own pasta. But in the South, where the wheat is hard, everyone cooks dried pasta. For my money, dried pasta is more consistent, better quality, and holds sauces better than fresh pasta. The only time I use fresh pasta is when I make a stuffed pasta like ravioli. But to make fresh pasta without any stuffing was madness. Had I been one of the chefs, I probably would've gone with manicotti - crepes stuffed with ricotta and baked in tomato sauce.
Tre's risotto was apparently an even worse sin against Italian food. Even though I didn't grow up with risotto (its a Northern thing), I have since learned how to make it, and the best risottos are loose, creamy, and contain only a few ingredients. The whole thing is a trick - its a way to make a cheap ingredient (rice) taste like a more expensive ingredient (cream).
I do think that Antonia winning for a steamed mussels dish was a bit of a stretch, but again, Italian food is all about the home cook and the relationships that people make with the home cook. So, if her mussels tasted like Grandma's** she was going to win.
*I'm not even remotely kidding about this. My Grandma became fiercely competitive with my mother after learning that Mom can cook - even refusing to teach her how to make manicotti. See, the best cooks have everyone over to their house for dinner and become the hub of all social activities.
**Actually, as far as I know, my Grandma didn't make mussels, though given her abilities in the kitchen, she probably could.
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