Sunday, July 24, 2011

Farmers Market Marinara Recipe.

If you read my previous post My Super Labor Intensive Marinara Win you know about my first attempt to satisfy my craving for home made pasta sauce. I spent some time this week studying up on how to make this time consuming idea a little easier. The fact of the matter is a good fresh marinara sauce takes time, there are not really any shortcuts. I have in the past used the recipe Marinara Sauce by Ina Garten on FoodNetwork.com with canned tomatoes. It is really simple, quick, and tasty when good tomatoes are hard to find. If you are pressed for time I highly recommend it.
Now knowing (or thinking I know) how to stream line the process of making sauce I spent Saturday at the farmers market in search of ingredients. For a moment now I must climb up on my soap box and talk about the importance of shopping at your local farmers market. The money you spend there will go directly back into your community, there is no corporate headquarters getting a cut elsewhere. Also, less travel time equals less carbon footprint. While you are purchasing you also have a great opportunity to ask if what you are buying contains any GMOs or pesticides. That is all the preaching I will subject you dear readers to this time.

Check out my last post on Garlic Wheat Bread to add to the plate.

Here is the recipe and don't forget to visit your local farmers market!

Print Friendly and PDFPrintPrint Friendly and PDFPDF

Farmers Market Marinara
6 Large Tomatoes
1 Medium Yellow Onion
1 Regular Head of Garlic (½ Head Jumbo)
6 Fresh Basil Leaves + more for garnish
1 tsp. Kosher Salt or Coarse Sea Salt
1 ½ tsp. Fine Sea Salt
1 and ½ tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper Divided
½ C Red Wine (I recommend Chianti, see if you have a local winery) 
4 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil Divided
2 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar 
Parchment Paper
Baking Sheet
Stock Pot or Dutch Oven
Large Spoon and Laddle
Mixing Bowl
Spatula
Paring Knife
Chopping Knife
Cutting Board
Fork
Preheat oven to 400º F
Slice and remove seeds from tomatoes. Place in mixing bowl with 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil and 2 Tbs. vinegar. Sprinkle the kosher salt and 1 tsp. ground black pepper over tomatoes. Gently mix with a spatula until all the tomatoes have a little flavor on them. 



Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and layout all the tomatoes. Try to get as many tomatoes as possible with the flesh down and skin up. Trim away all the excess paper to avoid smoking. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the skin starts to pull away from the flesh. They should look a bit wrinkled. 
Before Cooking

After Cooking

While the tomatoes are in the oven chop the garlic and onions very finely. Place the stock pot over medium heat with 1 Tbs. olive oil and let the garlic, onions, sea salt, and  ½ tsp. ground black pepper ‘sweat out’. Once the garlic and onions become translucent pour in the ½ cup red wine and simmer until the wine becomes syrupy. 
Once the tomatoes come out of the oven use a fork to pull the skin off. Place the remaining flesh in the pot with the wine. Now chop and stir in the 6 basil leaves. Cook on medium until the tomatoes start to fall apart, this should take about 30-45 minutes. Stir about every 10 minutes to avoid burning at the bottom. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer until the desired thickness. For a chunky and runny sauce leave on for about an hour, for a thick smooth sauce about two hours. Continue to stir about every 15 minutes to keep the consistency even. Add a little more basil before serving and add a leaf or two to the finished plate. 

If you make this in advance and plan on reheating it I highly recommend warming it in a sauce pan with a little more seasoning and not a microwave. The microwave tends to zap some flavor. 
This recipe makes about 2 of these jars.


Garlic Wheat Bread

My name is Alice and I am a bread addict....

I wanted a nice simple bread recipe to use as a 'staple' in my cooking regime. This White Bread Sandwich Loaf Recipe courtesy of FoodNetwork.com has served well. It can be altered to just about anything you can think of. Naturally, I used it to create a garlic wheat bread to add to Italian Night at home.



Here is the recipe and links to the brands I recommend.
Print Friendly and PDFPrintPrint Friendly and PDFPDF

Garlic Wheat Bread
2 C + 2 Tbs. Milk (Almond Milk)
3 Tbs. Unsalted Butter (Earth Balance)
2 Tbs. Sugar (Pure Cane Turbinado)
1 (¼ oz.) Packet of Fast Rising Yeast
5 Cups (+ about 1 C for kneading) Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tbs + 1 tsp. Sea Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil as needed
4 Cloves Garlic
2 Tbs. Fresh Ground Pepper
Small Sauce Pan
Spatula
Pot Holder
Baking Sheet
Large Mixing Bowl
Mixer with Dough Hooks
Cutting Board
Plastic Wrap
Serrated Knife
Combine milk, butter, and sugar in sauce pan over medium heat. Stir often and take off heat once butter is melted. Place pan on a pot holder on your counter. Sprinkle entire packet of yeast over the warm mixture. DO NOT stir, this is a rookie mistake I already made for you. Let sit for at least 10 minutes and until the yeast starts to foam.
Whisk salt and 5 Cups of flour together in large mixing bowl. Add in the chopped garlic and pepper. Once the yeast mixture is ready pour slowly into dry mixture. Use the dough hooks on the mixer at a low speed. Once a dough ball is formed pull from bowl onto a cutting board. With clean hands and the extra flour knead for about 7 minutes. Rub a little Olive Oil in the mixing bowl. Place the kneaded dough in bowl and roll over to cover dough in Olive Oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for about 2 hours in a warm dry location. If your oven or dishwasher is in use place it nearby (make sure it is a safe spot).
Remove from the bowl and knead again. Use a little more flour if necessary. Form two even loaves and place an oiled baking sheet. Cover the loaves with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm dry location. Let rise for another hour. 
Preheat oven to 400º F.
Once the loaves are ready for the oven use a knife to make ‘vents’ in the top. Cut across about 2 inches apart ¼ inch deep. Brush a little more olive oil over the top. Bake for 45 minutes at 400º F on center rack. Let cool before slicing with a serrated knife. 

Enjoy!











Saturday, July 23, 2011

Amy Winehouse

I have always loved Amy Winehouse. Her music and (when cleaned up and on the wagon) fashion sense of retro-style where unique. She appeared nearly out of nowhere only a few years ago with such promise, but within the last few years seemed to fall deeper into her addictions. Lately I had been getting excited about rumors of a comeback. Who doesn't love a great underdog returns to glory story? This one just isn't going to happen. Sadly, today she succumbed to her demons. I wanted to post some pictures and videos of her in her prime, not the sad ones of her crawling on the ground in St. Lucia begging for booze.
Let's all say farewell to an artist who never did find her way to happiness despite her great talent.












Monday, July 18, 2011

My Super-Labor-Intensive-Marinara Win.

Okay, so Saturday I received a gracious gift of a large bag of fresh organic tomatoes from my in-laws.  First thought was homemade marinara sauce! So late Saturday night I delved into recipe research. Many called for canned tomatoes, which I have done before with great results. But no, I had fresh tomatoes and by God I was going to put them to good use. Seeing as this was Saturday night and liquor stores are closed on Sundays there was no way to get my hands on a bottle of Chianti to make the sauce perfect. This forces the project to now Monday evening.

Fast forward to about 5 p.m., the onions and garlic are being diced. Simmering on the stove with spices and herbs and that Chianti I insisted waiting on, the garlic and onions fill the house with an amazing smell. So it is now 5:30, I begin peeling the tomatoes and seeding and chopping them. So this is where canned tomatoes usually save the day. No! I was going to use the organic family grown ones! My stubborn streak would not allow me to stop.

Now at 6:45 everything is in the pot simmering and looking great! Since I just had to have the wine to make the sauce and there's most of a bottle left I shall have a glass and unwind for another hour or so. The wine and bread (baked Saturday, recipe soon!) are keeping me from starving.

So I will sign off for now and post some edited recipes of both the sauce and bread later (after I edit them for your ease.).

PS Let me know about some of your experiences in which you thought you were embarking on a simple task and were left slaving for hours!


I admit it. I buy cheap Macaroni Grill wine. There I said it. 



Saturday, July 16, 2011

All Natural All-Purpose Cleaner for $1.50 a Bottle

As someone who spends a lot of time in my kitchen I use a lot of cleaning products. Until I started researching natural foods and the green movement I had never thought twice about the name brand cleaning agents I routinely use in my home. After reading the labels I decided that, much like the food I eat, these chemicals that my husband and I come in contact with daily need to be as close to natural as possible. I scoured the internet and came up with a recipe for a multi-purpose cleaner that is safe and cheap. The ingredients for this cleaner can also be used to make laundry detergent, dish detergent, and just about anything else to clean up your home. Currently I am working out the kinks to these other cleaners, which will make buying other cleaners a thing of the past. My goal is to build an arsenal of natural ingredients to clean every room in the house without breaking the bank. I have listed the recipe below with links to Amazon.com to help guide you. Every ingredient was available at my local grocery with the exception of the essential oils. Feel free to browse around for the best deals and save yourself some money and chemicals. Speaking of saving money one recipe makes about 16 ounces for $1.50.


All-Purpose Cleaner
1 tsp. Borax Powder
½ tsp.  Washing Crystals
2 Tbsp. White Distilled Vinegar
½ tsp. Liquid Castile Soap
2 Cups  Distilled Water
20 Drops Tea Tree oil
10 Drops Orange or Lemon Essential Oil. 
1 24+ oz. Spray Bottle
1. Mix Borax, Washing Soda Crystals, and Castile Soap in a 2 Cup glass measuring cup. (I prefer the glass measuring cup because of the spout. If you have a funnel this isn't such a problem pouring the mixture into the spray bottle. Which ever you prefer or is handiest to you.) 

2. Slowly add vinegar, this will bubble over like a science fair volcano. Caution it may get warm. While this is settling down warm 2 Cups of  distilled water. Using distilled is incredibly important because of the fluoride in tap water, filter such as Brita and Pur do not remove it. 

3. When mixture settles pour the mixture into spray bottle. Slowly pour the hot water into the bottle. 

4. Let the spray bottle cool down. Once the bottle is cool to touch add the essential oils.  Close bottle and shake. 

5. Ready to use!