Marinara Sauce

I strongly believe in sauce - mostly every food I can think can be enhanced by being dipped in, drizzled with or doused in sauce. Sure there are exceptions, but they are few and far between. I woke up yesterday morning craving one of my very favorite marinara sauces. It's simple to make and arguably one of the best things to come out of one of my failed relationships (he gave me The North End Italian Cookbook, which this recipe is adapted from).

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup diced onions

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon mixed dried Italian herbs

28 ounce can of whole plum tomatoes, hand crushed or chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped

In large heavy skillet, on low heat, slowly heat the oil, garlic, onions, red pepper flakes and dried Italian herbs. Let cook for about 5 minutes or until garlic is brown. Raise heat to medium-high and add tomatoes and carrots. Let sauce come to soft boil and cook for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and basil. Use blender or hand immersion blender to reach desired texture (I gently pulsed for about 20 seconds).

Italian Egg Sandwich

This past weekend I was in Chicago visiting some girlfriends from college. We decided to save money and make brunch at home before a bloody mary bender. We found a simple, satisfying recipe in a Giada De Laurentiis cookbook (recipe can be found at link). My friend works at Naha and brought home an amazing loaf of cabbiatta, which made the sandwich really stand out.

I consider myself a bloody mary connoisseur and was very impressed by The Bad Apple. The bartenders were friendly and didn't mind when we inquired on what made their marys special (spice mixture, V8 juice and a really fun garnish of pickled peppers, olives, pickled cucumbers, etc).

'Twas a lovely Sunday in Chicago!

Pizza Margherita

The day I realized I wasn't going to be able to find a good Margherita pie in Columbia was the day I went out and bought a pizza pan and ingredients. One of the highlights of living in NYC (foodwise) was that at any time of day, pretty much whatever area you were in, you could get a decent slice of Margherita pizza...oh how I miss those days. If you ever find yourself in Park Slope, Brooklyn, check out Peppe's . It's an unassuming storefront joint, right next to the Prospect Ave R train stop, whose pies have caused a buzz among pizza lovers. Their chewy crust and simple sauce made from canned imported San Marzano tomatoes is bright, fresh-tasting and lightly seasoned. Sadly, I lack a coal oven, so my substitute isn't quite the same, but what can ya do?

Enter, delightful homemade pizza:

Ingredients:
Pre-made dough (just makes life easier)
1 small bunch basil cut in a chiffonade
1 cup Fresh mozzarella ciliegine (small mozzarella balls)
1 1/2 cups canned whole Roma tomatoes (San Marzano if you can find 'em)
4 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Cover bottom of pizza pan with 2 tsp olive oil and spread dough thinly over pan. Cook dough in oven for 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven and drizzle remaining olive oil over pie. Cut tomatoes roughly and squeeze to remove moisture (I find this prevents the pie from getting soppy or wet). Scatter tomatoes and cheese over pie and cook for 9-13 minutes, until edges brown and the cheese is bubbling. Remove pie from oven and sprinkle basil over. Let cool for a few minutes before cutting.

Indulge and love it.