recipe: marinara sauce II

taken from: New York Times Cooking

changes: i didn't have fresh basil, so i opted for dried oregano. otherwise made verbatim.

photo from NYT Cooking

ingredients list*:
- 1 28-oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 7 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered
- small dried whole chili, or pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 large fresh basil sprig, or 1/4 tsp dried oregano

*this will make about 3.5 cups, about enough for 1 lb of pasta.

to make:
pour tomatoes in a large bowl, and crush with your hands. pour 1 cup water into can and slosh it around to get tomato juices. reserve.

in a large skillet (not a deep pot), heat the oil over medium heat. when it is hot, add garlic. as soon as garlic is sizzling (do not let it brown), add the tomatoes, then the reserved tomato water. add  the whole chili or red pepper flakes, oregano (if using), and salt. stir.

place basil sprig, including stem, on the surface (if using). let it wilt, then submerge it in sauce. simmer sauce until thickened and oil on surface has turned a deep orange, about 15 minutes. (if using oregano, taste sauce after 10 minutes of simmering, and add more salt/oregano if needed). discard basil and chili, if using. 

result: i've made a ton of different red sauces and never really found "the one" - they've either been too sugary, or just... off. this was the first marinara i've made that was just right - just a very well balanced, perfectly simple good sauce. this will definitely be my keeper... as will be buying quality san marzano base sauce, which i think is a key to this recipe.  

recipe: lingiuini with clam sauce

taken from: foodnetwork.com 

changes: reduced quantities since we only had ~2 dozen clams, used dried oregano & parsley since it's all we had, added shallots, added a few dashes onion powder, white pepper, & Italian seasoning.

result: absolutely delightful -- would make again without any changes.  

ingredients (for 2):
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1/2 shallot, finely diced
- 2 dozen little neck clams, scrubbed under cold running water 
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 lb lingiuni
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped oregano leaves
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt 

recipe: spinach & cheese manicotti

this was part 2 of my freezer cooking day, and surprisingly enough, the first time i've ever made manicotti. since these are still in the freezer, not sure what the final verdict is, but the prep was actually easier than i expected it to be. i used the recipe from allrecipes.com.

photo from seriouseats.com

ingredients list:

- 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese

- 1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry

- 1/2 cup minced onion

- 1 egg

- 2 tsp minced fresh parsley

- 1/2 tsp pepper 

- 1/4 tsp garlic powder

- seasoned salt to taste

- 1  & 1/2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese, divided

- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

- 2 (26 oz) jars spaghetti sauce, or an equivalent amount of homemade sauce

- 1 (8 oz) package manicotti shells

- 1 cup water

recipe: baked ziti

photo from thepioneerwoman.com/

i needed some good freezer-friendly meals, so i took a Sunday and whipped up a mass amount of marinara sauce, then doled in out in a few small trays of baked ziti and manicotti. i'm usually not a huge baked ziti fan (i feel like it often has no flavor due to weak sauce or not enough sauce... it's just boring pasta), but i had a REALLY good batch of it a ways back by a gal who made it super-creamy, cheesy. that landed me at the Pioneer Woman's recipe, which was drowning in creamy cheese. 

i followed her recipe mostly verbatim, just cutting the amount of meat in half (1 lb instead of 2) and using turkey instead of beef + sausage. i also added a bit of sour cream to increase the cheese factor. 

i saved it a few small trays -- the tray i cooked up that night was pretty delicious, next test will be trying the freezer tray to see if it holds up.

ingredients list:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 can (28 oz size) whole tomatoes, with juice
- 2 cans (14.5 oz) tomato sauce or marinara sauce (or an equivalent amount of homemade sauce)
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb ziti, cooked until not quite al dente 
- 1 tub (15 oz) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 & 1/2 lb mozzerella cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg 
- 1 (8 oz) container sour cream (optional)
- fresh minced parsley (optional)

recipe: ravioli stuffed with prosciutto, spinach, mushroom, ricotta in brown butter shallot sauce

i was house-bound for a day, which was the perfect opp to finally make ravioli. since i don't make pasta often (*ever), i don't have a pasta maker or any fancy equipment, so i was going at it old school. while i was a little intimidated by that part, the fillings part was exciting... prosciutto, spinach, mushrooms, homemade ricotta...basically ever type of ravioli i love, all rolled into one. YUM. 

the ravioli dough was easy enough to make, but impossibly difficult to get a thin as i'd like it. most sites recommended about 1/16 of an inch, mine was... a little thicker than that. the flavor was fantastic, although in the end i would have preferred a more delicate/thinner ravioli casing. it was more like a hearty gnocchi married a ravioli than a thin little pasta pocket. damn tasty though, so i wasn't a total fail... just something that def needs a bit of work.

the recipes online are nearly identical, so i didn't use anything specific, although next time i may futz around a bit to make a softer dough that's easier to roll thinner (mine was super-elasticy and tough).

ingredients list - pasta:  

- 4 cups all-purpose flour

- 4 large eggs, beaten

- 1 tsp olive oil

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1-2 tbsp water, if needed

recipe: white wine cream sauce

so - a few weeks ago i made some dope Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza, which resulted in a delicious

problem of having a bit too much (really good) leftover prosciutto. i didn't want to just slap it on a sandwich and was trying to think of a fun recipe to use it in. then i ran into the most adorable little prosciutto pasta purses at Trader Joe's and it seemed like fate. pasta fates. we grabbed a shallot, a bottle of wine, and i went in search for a nice white wine sauce to pull it all together.

i've made a ton of white wine sauces, but some of them i do so quickly i never remember which i've tried, which i've liked,, etc. etc. hence why i need to write all of this down. i used the wine sauce 101 recipe from winefolly.com, which came out so damn good (that article is worth visiting - lots of little tips/facts for every which type of wine sauce). also hence, why i am writing this down. awesome, awesome dish when it all came together - gobs of awesome sauce, chunks of prosciutto and these little purses full of heaven.

ingredients list (sauce - enough for about 2-3 large servings): 

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp butter, divided

- 1/2 a shallot, finely diced (about 1/4 cup)

- 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced

- 3/4 cup wine (i used sauvignon blanc, any dry/minimally sweet wine will do) 

- 1 tbsp flour

- 1 cup heavy whipping cream

recipe: shrimp, tomato, & zucchini ricotta pasta

with a hodge-podge of ingredients in the house (leftover ricotta from lasagna, zucchini, basil, shrimp), we decided to actually make use of them and throw them into a new pasta. i used inspiration from Dinners, Dishes and Deserts, which hit the nail on the head of exactly what we were planning to do here. it was really quick & easy to assemble, and not only was it healthy AND delish, but it made me feel good for actually using the random zucchini's we always end up receiving and forgetting about(zucchini's seem to be the most seasonally gifted veggie, though the one i most infrequently eat). the original recipe also calls for sausage, but we left that out since we were trying to health this one up for a change. 

ingredients list:

- 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined

- 1/2 container (about 6 oz) ricotta cheese 

- 8 oz pasta (any kind)

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 medium sized zucchini, diced

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, drained

- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

- 1/2 tsp dried oregano

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 2-3 tbsp fresh basil leaves

- salt & pepper to taste

recipes: marinara sauce & italian meatballs I

while the hubs was out of down recently i decided to be a good wifey and made a huge batch of meatballs, sauce, and soup. some good home cooking for our new fridge. although i've made both a few times, i was surprised i didn't have any stock recipes for marinara or meatballs on my blog. and didn't have a go-to recipe saved either. so i quested out for the best of the net for new recipes to try. i went with Best Marinara Sauce Yet and Chef John's Italian Meatballs, both from allrecipes.com which is pretty trusty for good/solid classic recipes based on the reviews. i adapted both recipes slightly, but both came out really good - especially with some delish bakery bread and crispy cab sav on the side. mmmmm!

ingredients list: marinara sauce: (makes enough for 3-4 dinners for 2 people)
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 2 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 4-5 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup finely diced onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup red wine (i used a cab)

recipe: mushroom and sage brown butter pasta

dinner last week - after falling in love with sage after having Cabot's sage cheddar cheese, i've been on an odd sage kick... except i rarely run into any sage-based foods. we planted some sage seeds in the garden and now have a ton of it, so i'm trying to find good recipes to mess around with it. i came across RosieEat's Mushroom and Sage Brown Butter Pasta recipe on foodgawker.com and it seemed like the perfect fit. the ingredients are minimal, and just let the flavors pop through in a deliciously subtle way. it's pretty light and... earthy (not to sound gross?!) tasting, good for a summer night. i made the recipe verbatim from RosieEats and it was great. next time i might through a little minced shallot in with the mushrooms next time for a lil extra somethin-somethin.

ingredients list: 

- 5 tbsp butter divided

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 3 oz sliced mushrooms (cremini)

- 10 or so sage leaves

- 1/2 lemon juiced

- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 

- 1/2 lb pasta

to make:

melt 1 tbsp of butter and olive oil in a large saute pan. add mushrooms and cook down for a few minutes, until soft and golden. remove mushrooms from pan and aside in a bowl. 

start pasta, and while it cooks add the remaining 4 tbsp butter and sage leaves in the saute pan. cook it until it becomes golden brown in color, being careful to stir frequently so the edges don't burn. sage leaves should be gently fried but not burnt. add lemon juice and set aside.

drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. add the pasta to the saute pan, along with the cheese, mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste.   

recipe: roasted red pepper tomato sauce

din din last night, inspired by the gigantic red peppers i bought for $.99 at a lil farm stand down the street - woot! i intended to make a red pepper cream sauce, but for unbeknownst reason a grocery store run didn't happen yesterday so we had to make due with what was on hand. 

the Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce recipe from twopeasandtheirpod.com fit the bill with what we had so we gave it a whirl... result was good, but missing something. it was very fresh, but the peppers need a bit more pep in the salt realm (and this is after adding a fair amount of salt). if it was paired with some cooked down sausage, it would probably be enough to round out the flavor which is how i will prep the leftover sauce. 

ingredients list: 
- 3 large red bell peppers
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion,chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes (i used Hunts Fire Roasted)
- 1 cup packed fresh basil, coarsely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper

to make: roast peppers over gas flame, under the broiler, or on the grill. roast for about 10 minutes, or until peppers are completely black. place peppers in a zip lock bag to allow to sweat for a few minutes. peel the charred skins from the peppers, remove the seeds, and roughly chop. 

in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. add onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, or until soft. stir in garlic for 30 seconds, then red peppers and diced tomatoes. cook for 10 minutes over medium-low heat. add fresh chopped basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

puree the sauce in a blender until mostly smooth. add more salt and pepper if needed, then serve with pasta. 

recipe: penne with vodka sauce

i LOVE penne vodka. oddly enough, even though it's super-easy i rarely make it. i made this last night along with my lil italian feast... i used the Penne with Spicy Vodka Tomato Sauce recipe from allrecipes.com, eliminating the sausage from the original recipe since i was making chicken with it. 

ingredients list:
- 1 lb uncooked penne pasta
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (note: this will be *spicy* penne. if you want traditional vodka sauce, i'd cut it at least in half)
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vodka
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

to make: bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes until done, then drain and set aside.

while pasta is cooking, in a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. add onion and cook until edges start to turn golden, adding garlic and red pepper for the last minute of cooking. add tomatoes and salt, and bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. add vodka and cream, and bring to a boil. reduce heat to low, simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add pasta and fresh parsley. toss and serve.
***
this was a great recipe, but although it said it was a 'spicy' vodka sauce, i didn't think it would be with a 1/2 tsp red pepper. well it was - i think because the pepper sautees for a minute all of the heat comes out. though i was craving traditional vodka sauce, it was still yum and this easily adjusted to taste for next time. this would be fantastic with a bit of panchetta added to the mix... so easy, so yum. i'd pop it a 7.5*******~.

recipe: buffalo chicken pasta

i found this site, How Sweet Eats, through foodgawker.com and loved the idea of the Buffalo Chicken Pasta. it seemed like it could be way-delicious like a spicy mac & cheese, or just weird like pasta with hot sauce... luckily it turned out a bit more like the first. i'm including the ingredients list as i -wish- i had made it which was a serving size of 2-3 people with the SAME amount of sauce from the original recipe which serves 4-6 (it was still really good, just not as super creamy as i'd have liked it).

ingredients list:
- 1/2 lb pasta
- 1.5 cups of shredded/chopped chicken breast (i actually used leftover xmas turkey which worked just as well)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1.5 cups milk
- 4 oz monte jack cheese, grated + more for topping
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated + more for topping
- 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions


to make: preheat oven to 375 degrees. prepare pasta according to norm directions. while the pasta cooking, heat a medium saucepan to medium heat. add the butter, and once it's melted completely, add the flour. whisk together to create a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture is golden. add milk, stir, and turn down to low heat, continuing to stir until the milk thickens. add in the buffalo wing sauce and cheeses and continue stirring until mixture is smooth. season to taste with salt & pepper.


grease a 8" x 11" baking dish. add pasta, chicken, and cheese sauce and mix until everything is well combined. sprinkle with the extra grated cheese and panko. bake for 25 mins or until cheese is bubbly & golden. sprinkle with green onions and a few extra drizzles of buffalo wing sauce, and serve.
***
verdict... good! flavor was great (the green onion is key... had a nice zing to it), though it was not as creamy as i would have liked by making 1/2 the sauce recipe, that's just personal preference b/c the dish and the flavors were still v yum. the original recipe calls for a sprinkling of gorgonzola over top before serving... i wish i had that b/c it would be so perfect with it. popping it a 7*******.

recipe: lasagna

this lasagna recipe was the first i ever tried, and i have never attempted to find another it's so good (unless i'm doing a white lasagna, but that doesn't count : ) it's the World's Best Lasagna recipe from allrecipes.com. the key to it is the sauce, which is a great meat sauce on its own to just make. 

ingredients list:  

*Note: I recommend making this the day before baking and serving it... letting the flavors sit in the fridge and meld together gives it just a little extra oompf. just take it out of the fridge 1 hour prior to baking to let it adjust, or you may have to bake longer. 

***
so once again, this was awesome. love it. my dads uncle is off the boat italian, and really enjoyed it... enough to say it restored his faith in the irish (sicilians... not so much... but the irish are redeemed. you're welcome, world). i don't have any thing i would change on it, other than my sh!tty job of cutting it. it's almost a guarantee if you make it, you will not regret it. mmm 9 ********. 

• - 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
• - 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• - 1/2 cup onion, minced
• - 4 cloves garlic, minced
• - 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• - 2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
• - 2 (6.5 oz) cans canned tomato sauce
• - 1/2 cup water or red wine
• - 2 tbsp white sugar
• - 1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
• - 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• - 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• - 1 tbsp salt
• - 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• - 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• - 1 box lasagna noodles
• - 16 oz ricotta cheese
• - 1 egg
• - 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• - 1/2 tsp salt
• - 1.5 lbs mozzarella cheese, 1 lb sliced, 1/2 shredded
• - 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

to make*: brown sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until well browned. add to slow cooker along with crush tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, italian seasoning, 1 tbsp salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp parsley. simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally (note: if i'm lazy, i'll skip browning the meat and just cook it over high heat for the first 1-2 hours).

in a medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg.

bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and cook lasagna noodles until -almost- done. drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process, and set aside.

to assemble, spread 1.5 cups of meat sauce in bottom of a 9x13 lasagna pan. arrange 5 noodles lengthwise over sauce. spread with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture. top with half of the SLICED mozz cheese, and 1/4 cup parm cheese. repeat layer. on top of the second layer, add 5 more lasagna noodles, then top with meat sauce, the shredded mozz, and additional parm cheese. 

cover with foil, sprayed with cooking spray. when ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. bake for 30 minutes with foil, 30 minutes without. let cool about 15 minutes before serving. 

recipe: balsamic cream pasta

in prep for thanksgiving i've eaten (mostly) well Mon-Weds, and did an extra long workout tonight. i had no intention of eating a fatty meal the night of thankgiving eve, but a few stars aligned which really had to derail that plan. new balsamic vinegar (trader joes - cheap & delish), heavy cream in the fridge, and an insatiable craving for this recipe. it's from allrecipes.com's Balsamic Cream Sauce recipe, and i've made it at least 5 times now, loving it every time. the BEST version of it i made i had ran out of regular balsamic vinegar and had to tap into my stash of super-special forbidden balsmo... it was sick-delish, especially with fresh basil which is just sublime with the creamy balsamic. i just don't have the heart to use the good balsamic everytime, which is fine because it's still great without it. 

ingredients list: (for 2)

- 1/2 lb fettucine pasta

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp butter

- 1 small onion, cut into thin slices

- 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- chopped fresh basil (if avail)

to make:
heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. add onion, and sautee until carmelized thoroughly, about 15 minutes.

while onions are cooking, bring pot of water to a boil and prepare pasta.

after onions have finished carmelizing, stir in the balsamic vinegar, and let cook for 1-2 minutes before adding in bouillon, white pepper, and cream. simmer for 3-4 minutes until sauce thickens, then stir in the parmesan cheese until mixed through. add in pasta, then sprinkle on basil and serve.

verdict - i think it's already pretty clear how i feel about this pasta. the carmelized onions, the balsamic, the cream, it's just a match made in heaven (and i have no idea why balsamic pasta is not more popular... it's so simple, but whoever was the first on this was a genius). since my stash of fresh basil is gone, i unfortunately wasn't able to add that but i'd give it a solid 8 ******** without it. mmmmm.