Tomato Basil Pasta! - No Straining, just Stirring via David Hahn on FB

Here's a dish that will Blow your MIND... Tomato Basil Pasta! - No Straining, just Stirring (Please click on pic then click SHARE so recipe saves to your timeline. You can refer back to it later!) Pasta, Tomatoes, Veggie Broth, Olive Oil, and Seasonings (details below) Throw it all in the pot, INCLUDING the uncooked Pasta, and cook! - Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. The starch leaches out of the pasta and makes a rich, warm sauce for the noodles. The other ingredients cook right along with the pasta Ingredients 12 ounces pasta (I used Linguine) 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid ( I used zesty red pepper flavor) 1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves 2 large sprigs basil, chopped 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium) 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Parmesan cheese for garnish Directions Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired . Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese. Enjoy A Healthier Happier YOU!

Meatballs and Spaghetti

From the blog: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/10/meatballs-and-spaghetti/
 


Meatballs and Spaghetti
Adapted liberally from Ina Garten
[Update 10/19/08: In hindsight and in response to several of your comments, I should forewarn that the amount of sauce below is a bit low by US standards, where we more heavily sauce our pastas. I'd suggest even doubling it if you'd like a saucier experience--I suspect I will too next time. Thanks to all who have suggested it! I only wish I had updated this sooner.]
Serves 6
For the meatballs:
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 1/4 cups fresh white bread crumbs (about 5 slices, crusts removed)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Olive oil
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup good red wine
1 (14-ounce) can pureed tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can chopped or diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan
Make the meatballs: Place the ground meats, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, onion powder, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs. (Or perhaps 24, which is what I ended up with. I’m sorry I cannot give you a more precise measure; I am sure your amount will fall somewhere in the middle.)
Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don’t crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don’t clean the pan.
Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. (The good news is that if, say, you’re still waiting for your pot of water to boil for the spaghetti when the meatballs are ready, it’s hard to overcook these. I ended up simmering ours a whole extra 20 to 30 minutes, and they were not in the least dried out. Heaven!)
Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

Sunday Must Try: Mississippi Roast, courtesy of an old friend from North Carolina

 

Mississippi Roast - - Put chuck roast in crock pot, Sprinkle with dry Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix, add packet of dry McCormick Au Jus mix, a stick of butter, 5 pepperoncini peppers. DO NOT ADD WATER. Cook on low for 7-8 hrs

But, I already have my chicken (that I deconstructed myself) soaking in prep to be fried (it is Sunday, after all), fresh green beans are simmering, and soon potatoes will be on the stove for some mashed potatoes. Yummy!

Cold and Snowy Night

Today I had an MRI done, so I was home this afternoon and had time to try my hand at making my own sweet Italian sausage. I attempted to add a little heat but it turned out to be more sweet than hot sausage (which is good since I have a 7 year old pallet to deal with as well.)

I used this spice:

And added garlic, red wine vinegar, and some actual red wine. I mixed and let it sit in the "walk-in" for about 2 hours.

I sweated onions and shallots, then browned my sausage.

 Once I had some nice fond in my pan, I deglazed it using our very own Italian Merlot blend.

Here is the wine...it is still pretty young but I think the strawberry component to this wine brought out the sweetness of the paprika in my seasoning.

 Deglazing.

Once the wine cooked off (no more cooking wine smell), I added a box of my favorite chopped tomatoes. Now, I this recipe actually only calls for about half the box. But since I did not have bell peppers in my pantry or fridge, I had to improvise.

I simmered and kept stirring to avoid having it burn on the bottom.

I served with al dente pasta, parsley, and parm cheese. It was quite yummy and went well with the wine!