Spicy Vodka Sauce

I love vodka sauce but I rarely make it because it involves cream, which is heavy in calories and vodka, which is heavy in cost. However, this recipe made it worth it. It's simple and mostly involves simmering time, which will make your kitchen smell amazing.

You need:

a large pot
15 oz can cubed tomatoes
28 oz tomato sauce or puree, plain
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
1/2 cup vodka (the higher quality the better the sauce will be)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1-2 tsp salt

Heat all ingredients except the vodka and cream over medium heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the vodka and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes. Finally, add the cream. Keep hot while serving and refrigerate once you're done -- the dairy makes this sauce a bit more perishable than regular marinara.

10-Minute Marinara

My post of Classic Marinara is indeed a winner, but most women don't have hours to spare marinating and firing tomatoes. I decided to include this recipe because it requires minimal effort and is cheap, cheap CHEAP to make. It also tastes great! Prep time is about 10 minutes, cooking time is 45 but doesn't require much of a watchful eye.

10 Minute Marinara:

28 oz can of diced tomatoes
5-6 large basil leaves (or 1tbsp dried)
1.5tbsp oregano
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
dash of chili powder
2 tbsp olive oil


Squish the tomatoes well with your fingers, throwing out stems. Add the spices and oil and simmer for 45 minutes or until most of the moisture has evaporated. I prefer to keep mine a bit runny so the grease doesn't take over. Serve and enjoy!

At-Home Pesto Sauce with Fettucine

I'm finally moved into my new house and back in the kitchen! As I've written about, I'm experimenting with new recipes that I can incorporate into a healthy diet. Pesto sauce is delicious and contains healthy fats from olive oil and pine nuts. It adds flavor to plain pasta and bruschetta without taking over. I'm posting my blender-free method because hand chopping allows the separate flavors to sing rather than being, well, blended into each other. The pieces aren't uniform and the sauce is a bit "chunkier". The hand chopping is totally worth the extra effort and saves lots on cleanup. So let's get started!

Pesto:
2-3 c loose fresh basil leaves (I buy the live basil, it tastes much better this way)
1/4c pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of sea salt

Fettucine:
2 tbsp salt
1 box fettucine
1/2 c finely shredded asiago cheese
1 tbsp olive oil

Using a mezzeluna, pizza cutter or sharp knife cut 1/3 of the basil until very fine and almost paste-y. Place into a mixing bowl and move onto the next 1/3. You want to do this in batches to avoid bruising and pulverizing the leaves.

Once your basil is chopped, do the same with the pine nuts and garlic. Slice until very fine and incorporate into the basil. Add the salt and olive oil, set aside.

Boil a pot of water and add the olive oil and salt. Add your fettucine and cook until al dente. Immediately after straining add the pesto and toss until all the pasta is evenly coated. Top with asiago and serve!

Baked Garlic Dip

This is my favorite thing to serve alongside the Italian sourdough -- a creamy, garlic-ey dip that tastes a lot more fattening than it is. I read the basis of the recipe in the Herb Companion and made a few changes. For example, the original recipe calls for scallions while I chose to substitute with more garlic -- ripe garlic cloves tend to eminate a richer scent and flavor. Try baking this in a cast iron or stoneware dish so it stays hot and perfect.

Baked Garlic Dip

3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/2c cooked spinach
3-5 artichoke hearts, chopped
~2tsp fresh oregano, chopped finely
7 oz fage (Greek low fat yogurt, use plain regular yogurt otherwise)
3/4c light mayonnaise
1c shredded cheddar
1/4c shredded parmesean
salt to taste

Heat the mayonnaise and fage in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Preheat oven to 450. Add garlic, oregano and artichoke hearts; stir occasionally until simmering. Add cheddar and stir until melted, add spinach and salt. Pour into a baking pan or small casserole dish and sprinkle parmesean over the top. Bake for 10 minutes or until bubbling and beginning to brown. Allow several minutes to cool before serving.

Classic Marinara

Ah, marinara sauce. One of the essentials of a kitchen, it remains a mystery in a glass jar for most. I decided to give it a whirl after reading up on the basics and consulting my mom, who is also a fan of cooking fresh foods. It took a few tries but this is the method I've found that produces the most flavorful, full bodied sauce.

Note that the wine in the final step is critical -- quality doesn't necessarily matter, but the type you use will affect the end product. White wine tends to create a mild orange marinara, comparable to a lean vodka sauce. Red wine will produce a deep burgundy or bright red spicy sauce depending on which you choose; zinfandel produces the darkest sauce, while pinot noir creates a zesty "summertime" marinara.

The first step is roasting the tomatoes. To pit them, slice each in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.

Roasted tomatoes:
3 lbs roma tomatoes, pitted
1/2c olive oil
1 bulb garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp thyme
2-3 tbsp oregano
3 tbsp basil
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 300. Place tomatoes pitted side-up in a large baking pan, combine garlic onion spices and salt and sprinkle over tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover the pan with tin foil and let simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Crank the heat up to 500 for 25 more minutes, and remove to cool.

Sauce:
1/2c wine of choice
2 tbsp tomato paste

Take roasted tomatoes and blend in a food processor for 15-30 seconds, or until pureed. Note that there should be some olive oil and spices left in the pan; these are great served with fresh bread, so don't blend them in or chuck them out. Simmer the processed tomatoes in a saucepan with paste, add wine and stir often for 20-30 minutes. Serve fresh.