Italian Marinara

In 2011 I took a trip to Italy and became inspired, how can you not?! Italy is the culinary heaven!  I learned a lot about the Italian way of life while I was there and think America should adopt these old world techniques that have somehow gotten lost how to grow and appreciate flavorful foods.

1) Small refrigerators means less storage, so less food in the house. Many Italian's go to the market every day to get just what they need for the meal they will be preparing that day.

2) Your day is a five course meal, not really but kind of. Breakfast is just a snack and consists usually of an espresso, a light pastry, and a piece of fruit. (my favorite a macciato, a croissant and a peach, mmmm...) Lunch is an appetizer with cheeses, breads, meats, pesto, balsamic, tomatoes. Dinner is dinner and often eaten out late, at around 9 pm people start meeting up for supper and it lasts for hours. Unlike American restaurants where we eat, drink and converse in 40-60 mins and are given our ticket (hint, hint) and on our ways. Dinner starts with sparkling water, wine and bread, then you move through the courses, salad, pasta, meat, dessert and in the meantime spend hours enjoying your food, wine and company, and the staff at the restaurant is not trying to bustle you out, if you don't know to ask, you will think your wait staff to be rude, because they will never bring you your ticket, until you ask.

3) Fresh, local, and organic. In Europe you know you are eating quality food because they do not allow GMO's and have not modernized their farming. Many farmers drive their produce into the city daily and  are using property and technique that has been passed through generations for ages. Everything tastes ripe and full of flavor, cooking with these ingredients makes for amazing meals, the Italians are onto something and old world technique will survive in Italy as long as they continue to keep their traditions in the fields and in the kitchens. One rule if its not in season, you won't find it at the market!

So anyway I suppose you would like to learn how to make some marinara as well. But I do want to describe my inspiration on this, the sauce we buy in the store is NOT like the sauce in Italy. The marinara in Italy is fresh, slightly watery, and full of flavor! The sauce here is tasty, but too "tomato pasty" flavored and the sauce is usually thick and overbearing. My sauce inspired by the sauce I had in Italy is as close as I could get to recreating the unique flavors and consistency I experienced eating real marinara in Italy. Deliciouso!!!

Marinara Ingredients:
10-12 Ripe fresh tomatoes

1 bunch Fresh Basil
1/2 cup white wine
2 crushed cloves of Garlic
1 tsp of Salt
1 tsp of pepper
Fresh Italian herbs such as thyme,
rosemary, oregano



Directions:

1) Add light coat of olive oil to a sauce pan at medium high, lay halved tomatoes face down to saute for about 10 mins. Traditional Italiano style is to de-seed them and de-skin them, but I personally like the seeds, its up to you how you want your sauce. If you are going to de-skin them you will need to blanch them for 5 mins in boiling water and remove by peeling off. To de-seed, scoop out with finger once its cut in half.

2) Reduce to medium heat and add wine, start smashing tomatoes when they start heating up, so they are cooking in their own juices and the wine. Continue mashing throughout the process. 

 3) Cook down for about 30 mins and add all spices and any sauteed vegetables you would like to add.

 3) You can freeze, can, to store for months or use the sauce within 10 days of creation. Enjoy!

Listed below are many of my recipes you can make with this marinara:

Savory Mini Calzones

Pizza

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Chicken Parmesean

Savory Stuffed Pastries AKA Healthy Homemade Hot pockets

Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Serves 4
Oven heated at 350 degrees

These calzone shaped mini pastries are great with a hearty side salad or by themselves and are quite filling. The great thing about these pastries are they are extremely versatile, if your making them for breakfast you can use bacon eggs and cheese, you make a bunch at once and freeze them for "healthy hot pockets," and this is also a fun "party dish" to allow your guests to create their own unique combinations. Whatever you decide you will love them so much you will want to make them again and again.

Options for my guests were:

-steamed brussel sprouts

-broccoli, sauted onions and peppers,

-marinara

-feta, cheddar and mozzarella cheese

-cooked chicken sausage

Ps they are a huge hit with the kiddos, especially if they get to choose the fillings and be a part of the process.

Ingredients for Crust:

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour1 cube of real butter (cold)
2 tsp salt
1/4-1 cup of water

Ingredients for Filling:

Depends on what you want to fill them with!!


I tried a few flavors and variations, you can try my'n or you can always create your own, most of all HAVE FUN!!!


On hand ingredients you can use;

-Veggies of any kind, cooked up
-1 red or yellow bell pepper
- 1/2 onion
-2-3 cloves of garlic
-marinara or cooked down tomatoes with fresh diced garlic
-10-15 steamed brussel sprouts

-1 head of steamed broccoli
-Several kinds of cheese
-Prosciutto, bacon, sausage, chicken. 

Directions for making Crust and Savory Pockets:

1) Crust is a tricky one, butter must be cold!!! Mash cold butter with pastry tool into flour and get as small a possible. Add salt.

2) Slowly mix in water until sticking, kneed together, the right consistency will be sticking without falling apart.

3) Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thick and create 4-6 inch circles. Cut these in half and put aside.

4) Fill with ingredientts, and cut away edges create semi circle shape.

5) Use fork to stick edges together and place on floured cookie sheet to bake.

Variations to try:

Calzone- Canned or homemade marinara, warm on low with wine, minced garlic and seasonings.
Sauted Veggie and Feta

Broccoli Cheese and Brussel's
Chicken Pot Pie- fill with cooked peas and carrots, cream of mushroom soup w/o milk and cooked chicken diced small and cheddar cheese
Philly- Sauted onions and peppers with strip steak and provolone cheese
Breakfast- bacon, eggs, and cheese

Community Garden 2012

Welcome to our community garden space. 

Just grab a tool and start where ever you like. 

Heck we'll even pour ya a glass of wine if you like ;)

Since I do not have much space of my own I have asked to utilize and help with a garden space at some friends house. This is great for me because I am highly motivated, will get to use as much produce as I like, and have partners to work with in the garden. Here are my two besties helping get motivated to start working. 

Planting some lovely tomatoes and creating a nice walkway between the rows. My nephew is only 2 but we let him help, I believe that is how one develops a lifelong interest in gardening.

This is our large space, so large we have decided that its too much for our first year so we will be using about 3/4 of the space for gardening and 1/4 for a safe fire area.

 We got a late start, but decided to plant some seeds anyway. They are up on the tables to help prevent snails from getting them while they are still so small. Always read the start to finish duration listed on each packet of seed so you know if your plant will have enough time to grow to produce.

Look how happy the tomatoes are a couple weeks after planting, also notice the gravel? Tomatoes do their best in gravel, so keep that in mind. Good luck gardening!!

 Beds rotatilled several times

 Bamboo and twine for tomato vines to grow on

Bamboo structure for beans and peas to grow up

Stir Fry with Spicy Ginger, Pineapple, and Tomato Sauce

DIRECTIONS AND INGREDIENTS:

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins
Serves 4

Helpful advice:

Prep work- cut veggies, marinade protein, boil water for rice

First- start sauce, start oil and seasons on wok, add rice to boiling water, start baking or bbq'ing protein

Next step- add dense veg to wok, add thickner to sauce, check and rotate protien

To Finish- Add less dense veggies with a "cover" over to "steam" for last part, Cover protien with sauce for last 5 mins of cooking, stir rice and sauce, taste!

Stir Fry Ingredients:

Broccoli, bok choy, carrot, bell pepper, onion, zuchinnis, pineapple ect...

Directions for Stir fry:

Coat large frying pan or wok with sesame oil at medium high temp.

Add minced garlic and ginger and other seasonings such as salt

Add in denser veggies like carrot, zuchinnis, onions and let saute til slightly soft then;
Add in rest of veggies (dense to less dense) until steaming hot and slightly fried, crisp but not overcooked.

 I like my veggies more crispy, they are healthier as well, and less nutrients are cooked out, when still "living"

Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced Pineapple
1 whole tomato
1/4 + tsp cayenne (to taste)
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. water
1/8 c. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. thickening agent like arrowroot or cornstarch
ground ginger to taste

Directions for sauce:

Mix all ingredients into saucepan and cook on med/ low while preparing stir fry veggies, stir often, if too thick add more water, add more cayenne if you have a spice for life.
Optional Protien- Marinated Tempeh or Chicken:

Marinade: Tamari, rice vineager, pineapple juice, sesame oil and seeds, and cayenne pepper.

Bake or grill strips of marinated chicken or tempeh on shish-ka-bob sticks