Homemade Marinara Sauce - The Second Part of the Tomato Bounty

After making enough pizza sauce to last until next spring, I had several of my father's tomatoes left.  However, they were not enough to make a big pot of marinara sauce.  So I headed to one of our local farms  (William Bos Greenhouse & Farm) to buy some more tomatoes.  To my delight they had some beautiful, red, ripe Roma tomatoes so I grabbed myself a peck and made plans to spend the day making sauce.

What type of sauce?  Marinara Sauce.  Yum!

I started with this recipe from Allrecipes.com.  However, because I always like to change things up, I made several changes that are reflected in the recipe below.  The number of cups is approximate because I just estimated 3 Roma tomatoes equaled 1 cup.  After seeing how much it filled the pot, I think that estimate may have been a bit high.

With this basic marinara sauce, you can mix it up any way you want later.  Add ground beef or turkey, fresh basil, mushrooms, whatever strikes your fancy. 

Homemade Marinara Sauce
(Note:  This makes a very large pot of sauce, enough to fill 3 quart freezer bags)
Ingredients
9-12 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and run through the food processor to remove chunks
12 oz tomato paste
4 Tbs Italian herb blend
1 Tbs salt
1/2 onion
1 green pepper
1 head garlic
4 Tbs olive oil
3/4 c red wine

Directions
In a food processor, mince onion, garlic and green pepper
Add olive oil
Hat a large Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot
Place olive oil, onion, green pepper and garlic mixture into the pot
Saute until soft
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, red wine and Italian herbs.
Mix to combine thoroughly.
Turn down heat to low.
Simmer for at least an hour.
Cool and place in quart freezer bags.
Freeze for future use.

Homemade Pizza Sauce - Just One Part of the Tomato Bounty

We have decided that my father is the tomato whisperer.  Why?  Because he was able to grow, in a cold and rainy summer, a tomato bounty.  I was the lucky recipient of some of that bounty. 

With a big bowl of peeled tomatoes at the ready , I decided to make homemade pizza sauce.  Starting from this recipe from RecipeZaar, I created the recipe below. 

Once it had cooled, I used ice cube trays to freeze individual pizza sized servings, enough to last all winter long.  Now I just need to get started on making the pizza dough to go with it.

Homemade Pizza Sauce
Ingredients (Note this is a BIG batch.  You may want to halve the recipe if you don't want a year's worth of pizza sauce)
4 Tbs olive oil (add more if necessary)
3 cups fresh tomatoes, finely chopped (I ran them through the food processor).  Make sure to peel the skins off of the tomatoes to ensure a smooth finished product.
1 jar tomato sauce (24 ounces or more)
1 onion, minced (run through the food processor)
1 head garlic, minced (run through the food processor)
12 oz tomato paste
4 tsp Italian herb blend
4 Tbs sugar
1/3 cup red wine

Directions
Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot
Add onions and garlic, sauteing until soft.
Add tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, sugar and red wine.
Mix to combine completely.
Turn down heat to simmer.
Cook for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Optional:
Let cool completely.
Spray ice cube trays with Pam.
Pour sauce into ice cube trays, then freeze.
Once frozen, remove and place into a zipper freezer bag. 
Each cube is perfect for a personal pizza.

Friend Favorite from Ms. Fort - Chardonney Dill Sauce

One weekday afternoon, my good friend Ms. Fort came over for dinner with Mr. Gooch and I. Our only request was she bring with her a recipe for me to blog about. She brought a recipe from a friend of hers to serve over fish, chicken or shrimp.

Ms. Fort and I have been friends for year now, she was even in my wedding. How we met is a crazy story and just one more reason I believe in the whole "Six Degrees of Separation" theory. We met while we were both working for the same company in Chicago. While working at a Firm event, we got to talking about where we grew up. Turns out we both were from Michigan. As we talked more, we found out that we both lived in the same town for several years. Then as we discussed our families and where our families lived, we figured out that when she was little, her parents were friends with my aunt and uncle. They all lived on the same street, which was the same street my grandparents lived on. There is even a chance we played together as little kids. Talk about weird. We always ask ourselves what are the odds that in a city of millions, with hundreds of thousands of companies, we would end up working at the same company that employed thousands, helping out at the same event and start talking about where we were from?

OK, now back to the recipe. We made this to serve over a Parmesan breaded Tilapia.

It was so easy and came together without incident. The only complaint was that the mustard flavor was a bit strong (though I liked the flavor) and it would be better with shrimp (too bad fro Mr. Gooch that I don't eat shellfish).

We will definitely make this again. I have a feeling it will be tasty over chicken too.

Chardonnay Dill Sauce
(source: Steve Kovachevich)
Ingredients
1/2 cup Stoneground Mustard
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
2 Tbs Chardonnay Wine
2 Tbs Cider Vinegar
2 Tbs Granulated Sugar
1/2 Tsp Dill Weed
1/8 Tsp Black Pepper

Directions
Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Refrigerate to let flavors blend.

Serve over fish, chicken or shrimp.

Alton Brown - My Food Crush (All because of some Turkey and Gravy)

I have a new food crush. Alton Brown from Food Network is the man!

Why do I feel this way, you ask? What is it that inspires my new devotion? It is all because of my search for the perfect Turkey recipe using brine and a good gravy recipe.

Alton not only had recipes, he has a video on how to make the gravy. As both a turkey and homemade gravy virgin, this was absolutely imperative. So at this point we have a win (recipe) win (video) situation.

Once we made the turkey and the gravy, I realized that this was actually a win win win win situation. Those last two were for the great tasting turkey, so moist I couldn't believe it and a gravy that Mr. Gooch can't get enough of.



Good Eats Roast Turkey
To view the recipe on the Food Network site, click here.
Ingredients
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

1 gallon vegetable stock
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

1 red apple, quartered
1/2 onion, quartered
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil.
Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket.
Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine.
If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

The Day you are eating:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes.
Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 151 degrees F.
A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting.
Let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.



Perfect Turkey Gravy

Ingredients
1 Good Eats Roast Turkey, recipe above
24 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth
8 ounces red wine
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh herbs such as oregano, thyme or rosemary
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Remove the turkey from the roasting pan and set aside to rest.
Leave the drippings from the turkey in the pan and place the roasting pan over medium heat.
Add the broth and wine at the same time. Whisk to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan until all of the bits have come loose.
Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes in order to reduce the mixture slightly.
Transfer the liquid to a fat separator and let sit for 5 minutes to allow fat to separate.
Return 2/3 to 3/4 cup of the fat to the roasting pan and place over medium-high heat. Discard any remaining fat.
Add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture starts to thicken and become smooth, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
Once this happens, gradually add the liquid back to the pan and whisk until smooth and you have reached your desired consistency, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Remember, your gravy should be slightly thin in the pan as it will thicken once you serve it.
Add the herbs and whisk to combine.
Season with salt and pepper.

Basil Cream Sauce with Tortellini

With the demise of my herb garden, a bunch of basil and tortellini in the freezer, I had the makings of a meal.

Using my homemade pesto as the jumping off point, by adding only a few ingredients, I was able to make a delish basil cream sauce. It complimented the saltiness of the beef and prosciutto tortellini perfectly.

So easy and so tasty, I can't wait to make this one again.

Basil Cream Sauce
Ingredients (all amounts are guesstimated)
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves pressed garlic
1 Tablespoon Italian herbs
Pesto
Half and Half

Directions
In a skillet, place olive oil and pressed garlic.

Sweat the garlic over medium heat.

Add Italian herbs to garlic olive oil mixture.

Add at least 3 heaping tablespoons of pesto to skillet followed by a small amount of half and half (this amount is determined by how creamy you want the sauce).

Turn heat down to low and simmer ingredients together for able 5 minutes.

Serve over tortellini.

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

During a recent trip to a neighboring village, we stopped into an olive oil and vinegar tasting shop. While we didn't get any olive oil or vinegar, I did get a bottle of chimichurri sauce. At that time, I had no idea what dish I would use it for.

Fast forward two months and I am trying to figure out what to make for dinner. During a rummage through our pantries, I find the bottle of chimichurri sauce. Eureka!

I marinated the flank steak with about 3/4 cup of sauce for approximately 6 hours.

The steak was then grilled, over low heat, for about 20-25 minutes. Make sure to regularly apply extra marinade to keep the meat moist.

Sliced across the grain and served with crashed potatoes and a salad, we will definitely be making this dish again.

Garden Tomatoes = Homemade Pizza Sauce

I have a bit of a like and hate relationship with the tomato. I am just not a big fan. Not sure what the problem is. Is it the slippery seeds? Is it the "jiggliness" when you cut one open? Is it the variety of textures in one single tomato? It could be all of these things.

But this home made pizza sauce is helping to change my opinion. Made with a variety of tomatoes from my neighbor's plants, it was easy as (pizza) pie to make. You just put it on the stove, stir from time to time and just go about your other stuff around the house.

It did take forever to reduce but it made enough to fill 5 small containers that should make about 2 thin crust pizzas per container.

I created the recipe below by combining several recipes for homemade pizza sauce from allrecipes.com. My version is below.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

Ingredients
3 Cloves Garlic, Pressed
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Lbs of tomatoes, pureed
6 Oz. can Tomato Paste (the kind I got had Italian Spices)
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Directions
In a large saucepan, saute garlic in oil until tender.

Add all other ingredients, stir to combine and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer uncovered until desired thickness is reached.

Chicken with Homemade Pesto

Monday night we had chicken with homemade pesto and pasta.

We ended up with this menu choice because we both got sidetracked in figuring out what to have for dinner. When 3 pm rolled around and neither of us had a clue, it was off to the freezer in the basement to see what meat we had "in stock." While we had several options, I went with the boneless skinless chicken breast. They are very versatile. As I was opening the door to the freezer I had remembered that our basil plant had gone a bit crazy and needed to be cut back.

Presto, we would have pesto!

I used a recipe I posted earlier for the pesto. (scroll down for the recipe).

For the chicken I didn't have a real recipe. I received, at some point, a number of spice mixes from "Tastefully Simple" so thought I would use those.


Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Cloves Pressed Garlic
1 Tablespoon Italian Blend Seasonings from Tastefully Simple
1/2 Tablespoon Seasoned Salt from Tastefully Simple
1 Tablespoon Dried Tomato and Garlic Pesto Mix from Tastefully Simple
grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions
Cube 2 chicken breasts into small pieces.

Heat up skillet and add olive oil and garlic. Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds then added the cubed chicken.

Add spices and cook until done.

When serving, instead of mixing the chicken in with the pesto pasta, it was placed in a separate bowl so portion control was easier.

Peach BBQ Sauce

When one of my friends found out that I was spending more time cooking and baking, she sent me this recipe for peach BBQ sauce. Actually, I think that she was so shocked that when I asked her if she had any good recipes, she just blurted out "Peach BBQ Sauce." You see, before I got married and moved to the 'burbs, I was the queen of delivery and take out. I had a stack of 50+ menus that I flipped through to choose my dinner, if I even ate at home. So the thought of me baking and cooking is a stretch for many that know me.

But when she sent me the recipe and I thought about the combination of the sweetness of the peaches and the spiciness of the more traditional BBQ components of the sauce, I knew I had to try it.

This recipe is one of her family's favorites, from their farm days. According to my friend, she and her sisters were the "laborers" of the family - picking all the fruits and veggies. Once they were done, their mom made this recipe and they had BBQ on the grill.

So off to the farmer's market I went to get the peaches. They just have a better taste than the ones I have gotten at the grocery.

We used the sauce on chicken breasts. They were really tasty.

The only change I would make is to add some heat since the sweetness and spiciness are already in the sauce with chili powder and/or cumin. Look for an update once Mr. Gooch and I doctor up the sauce next time.

Peach BBQ Sauce

Keeps in the fridge for weeks. Easy to can for gifts. Great with ribs, chicken, pork chops on the grill. Also used for roasted, pulled pork or beef.

Ingredients
16 oz. Can Drained Sliced Peaches (Can double this recipe and used a quart of home canned peaches)
½ Cup Brown Sugar
¼ Cup Ketchup
¼ Cup Vinegar (wine, white, cider) [I used cider vinegar]
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Clove Garlic – crushed
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Ground Ginger or Mustard (can use 1 Tbsp table mustard if no ground) [I used a spicy brown table mustard]
Dash of Pepper

Directions
Puree all ingredients together in blender [I used my food processor]

I put the sauce in a glass jar for storage and let the flavors mingle overnight.

My Tiny Garden

This year, I have a garden...a small garden...think of it as a garden with training wheels. I only have a few herbs, two pepper plants and three tomato plants in this little garden of mine. But Mr. Gooch and I are getting excited because it looks like the pepper plants will each have a pepper to pick early next week. I can't believe how excited we are for 2 peppers.
And the test run has been pretty good so far but I swear, the weeds grow faster than I ever imagined. Another problem was that the cilantro went to flower faster than I thought it would. Next year, I will have to watch that one like a hawk. All the herbs smell so good when we are cutting them for use in our cooking. Earlier today I hauled out the food processor and made fresh pesto from our basil plant for dinner tonight. It smelled so great. I also harvested parsley, dill and oregano. I am going to make a dill sauce for salmon tomorrow night. This batch of oregano and parsley will be washed, air dried then frozen for use this winter.

For next year, the plan is to have a large garden. So we will have cucumbers, french beans, peppers, corn, tomatoes, strawberries and salad greens. I can't wait. I have already started ordering seed/vegetable catalogs and have started saving my yogurt cups to start the seedlings in next spring.

Basil Pesto
Ingredients
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts or shelled pistachios (omitted)
2 sprigs fresh parsley
2-3 large clove garlic, mashed
6 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions: Place all ingredients except oil in food processor. Process with several on/off turns until blended. With processor running gradually add oil to make a smooth thick paste.

Lemon-Dill Sauce
Ingredients:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: Combine all ingredients at least one hour before serving. Cover and chill. (May make the night before.)

Yield: 1 1/4 cups