Staple Corner: Homemade Pasta Sauce

When I first started cooking, I relied heavily on preprepared tomato sauces for my dishes. Since I learned how to make my own from fresh tomatoes, I never purchase tomato sauce anymore. It is relatively easy to make, and you can control the consistency and seasonings. I have a preference for thick sauces, and so when I saw this recipe over at Dalitoy, I adapted it somewhat for a pasta dish I plan on making. The key to a nice thick sauce is to simmer the tomatoes over medium-low heat, uncovered, for about 30 - 40 minutes.

Tomato Sauce with Sun-dried Tomatoes

1 tablespoon of olive oil
5 - 6 large tomatoes, diced
10 - 12 sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup of robust red wine (optional)
1 large onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 - 3 hot chilies or jalapeno peppers (optional, but recommended)
salt

Soak the sun dried tomatoes in a small bowl in enough warm water to cover the tomatoes, for 15 - 30 minutes. Cut the sun dried tomatoes into bits and set aside. Reserve the soaking liquid.

Heat the olive oil in a medium large pot. Add the onions, garlic and carrot and stir and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the hot peppers and chili flakes and saute for a minute or two. Add the dried and fresh tomatoes and red wine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer over medium low heat until the liquid is reduced and the sauce thickens - about 30 - 40 minutes. If required, add some of the reserved liquid used for soaking the sun-dried tomatoes.

Remove from the heat and add salt to taste. Transfer the sauce to a blender - or use an electric hand blender - and process until nice and chunky.

Makes approximately 5 cups.

Baby Artichokes and Peas

Artichokes and peas are wonderfully complementary vegetables, and the vermouth in this Italian dish adds a perfect dry and slightly spicy finish to their flavours. I cooked this Carciofi con Piselli the other night and they didn't last long at all! I've adapted this recipe from one in Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian, but instead of using the hearts from large globe artichokes as she suggests, I've used baby artichokes for the added texture and variety of the edible chokes, or petals, of the smaller plant. Baby artichokes are actually not immature artichokes, but fully grown artichokes that remain small because they grow closer to the ground and under the shade of the plant's large leaves. They still require plenty of trimming, but because they have developed no fuzz or fibrous leaves in the center of the chokes, much of the soft and barely developed petals can be eaten along with the hearts. I've included instructions on the trimming, but if you prefer a visual demonstration, see these Ocean Mist instructions.

Baby Artichokes and Peas

juice from two lemons
large bowl of cold water
12 baby artichokes
4 cups water
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and lighly crushed but left whole
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup water
dash of celery seed
3 tablespoons dry vermouth
6 tablespoons parsley, chopped
freshly ground black pepper

Put the juice of one lemon into a large bowl of cold water.

Rinse the artichokes and cut the stems to about 1/4 inch from the base. Peel off the petals until two thirds of the artichokes show yellow. Pare off the green top and any remaining green around the base. Immediately put the artichoke into the bowl of water and lemon to prevent it from becoming discoloured, and continue preparing the rest of the artichokes the same way.

When the artichokes have all been pared, retrieve them one at a time from the water and slice crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Return immediately to the water.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the peas. Cook for just a couple of minutes until the peas are just tender but still undercooked. Drain and set aside.

Just before cooking the artichokes, dry off the artichoke slices between paper towel.

Heat the oil in a heavy non-metal saucepan over medium-high heat. When very hot, add the garlic and artichoke slices and fry, stirring gently, for 5 minutes or until the garlic and artichokes are golden brown. Sprinkle in the celery seed and a little of the salt, and add the 1/2 cup of water and vermouth. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down to low and let the vegetables simmer for 5 minutes.

Uncover, add the peas, parsley, the juice of the other lemon, the rest of the salt, and black pepper to taste. Turn up the heat to medium and bring to a simmer again, without returning the cover. Turn the heat back down to low and simmer, stirring gently, for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Thinking Blogger Award - what a thrill!

Last week, I got an email from the lovely Kirsten – she had nominated me for a Thinking Blogger Award. Can you guys believe it? I was so happy! She’s one of my favorite foodies and it was a thrill to know that she likes my blog that much. Thank you, sweetie!A few days later, I found out that Steven had nominated too. Again, one of my favorite foodies – and he lives on the other side of the planet

Chickpeas in a Spicy Mint Sauce

This dish is often sold as a snack food on the streets of northern India, where it is known as Paraati Chana from the round tray known as a paraat in which it is served. Another reason to go to India. One might think that the large amount of mint leaves would overwhelm the spices that flavour the chickpeas, but in fact the mint forms a perfectly complementary background layer to the predominant cumin and coriander seasoning, combining to make a wonderfully multi-textured taste. As I often do, I've adapted this recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian to pack it with an extra punch. It is filling and nourishing enough to be served as a meal with grains or breads and a vegetable dish.

Chickpeas in a Spicy Mint Sauce

1 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 cup dried chana dal or yellow split peas
1 cup mint leaves, packed and coarsely chopped
5 green chiles, or to taste, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive or sesame oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Soak the chickpeas overnight in 6 cups of water and a spoonful of yoghurt whey or lemon juice.

Bring the chickpeas and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and cover, simmering for one hour. Add the chana dal or split peas to the pan, cover, and continue simmering for another 45 minutes, or until the chickpeas and chana dal are tender. Drain and set the beans and cooking water aside separately.

While the beans are simmering, combine the mint, chiles, garlic and ginger in a blender with 6 tablespoons of water. Blend, pushing down the mixture with a rubber spatula, until all the ingredients are puréed. Set aside.

Heat the olive or sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and stir fry until well browned. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes are reduced and oil begins to show at the sides of the pan, about 10 minutes. Add the puréed mint mixture and continue to stir for another 5 minutes. Add the chickpeas and 2 cups of the cooking liquid, and stir in the coriander, cumin, garam masala, salt and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly, cover and lower the heat. Let simmer gently for half an hour. If necessary, add more cooking liquid or water to the pan, but the mixture should be fairly thick. Serve hot.

Mushroom, Ricotta and Asiago Cheese Pizza

If you like mushrooms and cheese, this is the pizza for you. In addition to the cheese used for the topping, the no yeast crust contains cottage cheese. The flavour of three different types of mushrooms provide a perfect earthy complement to the cheese. It takes a while to make, but every delicious bite makes it worth the effort. It's very filling, so all you need is a simple salad for a very satisfying meal.

Mushroom, Ricotta, Asiago Cheese Pizza

For the crust:

3 tablespoons of cornmeal
2 cups of unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
3/4 cup of cottage cheese
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of milk
2 tablespoons of olive oil

For the sauce:

3 medium sized tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 can of tomato paste (78 mL or 2.75 fl oz)
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 bay leaf, crushed
2 - 3 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the topping:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small clove of garlic, finely minced
2 green chillies, finely chopped
2 cups of mixed mushrooms (cremini, portobello, white), sliced
1 - 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano
8 ounces of asiago cheese, sliced or shredded
1/4 - 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese

Begin by making the sauce. Place all the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.

While the sauce is cooking, prepare the topping and crust.

For the crust, sprinkle the cornmeal over a greased 12 inch pizza pan. Set aside. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, all of the olive oil, sugar and milk. Whisk together until smoothly pureed. Add the flour mixture, and stir just until the mixture begins to form until a dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead several times, until the dough holds together. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin and transfer to the pizza pan. Alternately, you can flour your hands and flatten and stretch the dough with your fingers on the pizza pan.

To make the topping, in a large frying pan, fry the garlic, green chillies, mushrooms and oregano in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.

To complete the pizza, spread the tomato sauce over the pizza dough. Brush the edges with a bit of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cheese. For the ricotta, use a small spoon to scoop small dollops of cheese over the pizza.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Garnish with a few fresh leaves of oregano.

Pasta shells with Italian tuna and artichokes

photo by Terry BLast January my foodie friend Terry cooked a recipe I’d sent him: rice and beans, Brazilian style. After that, I thought it would be lovely to cook something he would send me the recipe for, and to have some of this witty text and beautiful photos around here.Terry, time for you to take the stage:"When Patricia graciously invited me to do a post here at Technicolor Kitchen, it was

Tempeh Breakfast Hash-Up

Tempeh is an old Indonesian invention made from partially cooked soybeans fermented with a Rhizopus fungal culture that binds the beans into firm, chewy cakes or patties. Soybeans are by themselves a very detrimental source of proteins and nutrition due to a very high content of enzyme inhibitors and phytic acids that block the absorption of essential minerals and cause potential intestinal problems — however, thorough fermentation in the production of tempeh, miso and soy sauce removes both the inhibitors and phytates. The process of precipitation used to make tofu or bean curds, on the other hand, removes only some of the inhibitors and hardly any of the phytates, so these soy foods should be generally avoided. Through fermentation, however, tempeh becomes not only an excellent source of proteins but one of the best sources of vitamin B12 you can find — but only as long as it has been properly innoculated with the Rhizopus culture, so make sure to check the label. Look for it frozen or refrigerated in 8 or 12 oz. packages in natural food stores.

Apart from the benefits of good quality tempeh, it is a wonderfully versatile food to cook with that can be fried, baked or boiled and can be combined with any kind of seasoning or vegetable. This fried breakfast hash, adapted from a suggestion in Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café, is a simple and very satisfying way to start your day.

Tempeh Breakfast Hash-Up

12 oz. (340g) package of tempeh, defrosted and cut into cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 small onions, chopped
4 small chili peppers, or to taste, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced or crushed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Soak the tempeh in water with a little sea salt for ten minutes before cooking.

Heat a 10-inch frying pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, wait a few seconds, and then swirl around the pan. Add the cubed tempeh and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 or 6 minutes or until all the surfaces are golden brown.

Remove from heat and mash the tempeh in a bowl, then return to the frying pan and continue stir frying for several minutes until the hash is well-browned throughout. Sprinkle in the balsamic vinegar and let it sizzle and reduce on contact for a few seconds before stirring into the mixture. Continue frying for a couple of more minutes before removing from heat and setting aside in a bowl.

Wipe the frying pan with a paper towel and return to the heat, adding the other tablespoon of olive oil and tossing in the onions a few seconds later. Stir fry the onions for a few minutes until they begin to brown, then add the peppers and garlic and sauté for a couple of more minutes until the peppers turn soft.

Pour in the hashed tempeh and cook for 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally and sprinkling in the sea salt, until everything is heated through. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Serve hot or warm with a seasoning of fresh ground black pepper.

Optional: throw in chopped vegetables like spinach, broccoli, green or red peppers, etc. at the same time that the chilies and garlic is added.