Pasta Sauce...from scratch?!?!

One of Mr. D's claim to fame is that he can make pasta sauce from SCRATCH. I was honestly skeptical, but THIS sauce is amazing! I can't let Mr. D one-up me in the kitchen, so decided test my tomato peeling skills this week. Mr. D has a helpful technique, but peeling tomatoes is tough! They are slippery and messy...I had tomatoes flying off my counter and splattering on the floor.

It was all worth it because I was able to make two pots of tomato sauce and improve Mr. D's recipe by adding sausage and mushrooms. Now we have an extra jar in the fridge that will save me from cooking a few meals in the coming weeks. I also think I'm going to whip up another batch and freeze it for when I get lazy during the cold Chicago winter.

I started by using Mr. D's tomato peeling technique on my beautiful Roma tomatoes. It made it petty easy, but it still took me a good 30 minutes to get them all peeled.

I started by cutting an "x" in the bottom of the tomatoes. This helps the skin slide right off the bottom later on.

Working with 5 tomatoes at a time, place them in boiling water for 20-30 seconds and then immediately shock them in ice water. The skins should peel right off after about 5 seconds.

Now its time to take your tomatoes from gorgeous to MESSY. Be sure to guard your fingers watch out for slippery culprits. Cut each tomato in half lengthwise and squeeze out all the juice and seeds into the sink.

Chop your carrot, onion, and 4-5 cloves of garlic. Sautee the vegetables in olive oil until the onions are translucent.

I chose to add mushrooms and sausage to give Mr. D's recipe a little more pizazz. I went with spicy Italian sausage and 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes because like a little heat in my pasta sauce. Instead of regular white mushrooms, I got some flavorful Creminis at the market. Let the sausage and mushrooms cook then add the contents of the pan and peeled tomatoes to a slow-cooker pot.

Finish it off with some whole, peeled garlic cloves and fresh basil. I cut off the bottom of the garlic heads and zapped them in the microwave for 1 minute to make them easier to peel. Set your slow-cooker on simmer and cook for 10 hours. I broke some slow-cooker rules; occasionally stirring the sauce and breaking apart the tomatoes a little more. The sauce may look a little "juicy" when its done cooking, but I used a pastry blender and it really improved the consistency. If its still to runny when you go to serve it just pour the juice off the top.

Fresh Pasta Sauce

Prep Time: 45 mins          Cook Time: 10 hours       Original Recipe Yields ~6 cups

Ingredients

• 15 Roma tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium carrot chopped
• 2 medium onions (chop 1)
• 2 heads of garlic
• 3 Italian sausage links (use hot if you like spice)
• 3 cups of mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups basil, chopped
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

To peel the tomatoes:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
2. Cut an "x" on the bottom.
3. Cook in boiling water for 20-30 seconds.
4. Immediately shock in ice water, then peel off the skin.
5. Half each peeled tomato lengthwise.
6. Squeeze out the seeds and juices.
7. Place in slow cooker pot and break up. 

 For the Saucs:

1. Chop 1 carrot, 1 onion, and 4 cloves of garlic.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan.
3. Cook carrot, onion, and garlic for 10 minutes on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add sausage and break-up your links in the pan. Cook until browned.
5. Add mushrooms and red pepper flakes (optional) and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Combine contents in the saucepan into the slow cooker.
7. Add chopped basil.
8. Peel the rest of the garlic cloves and add to slow cooker.
9. Slice one onion in half and put in slow cooker.
10. Cooker on simmer for 10 hours.
11. Before serving break-up tomatoes with a potato masher or a pastry blender.

Garden Pasta

This summer my mom has been testing out her green thumb and had some major success! She's grown beautiful Roma tomatoes and a giant basil plant. I was lucky enough to receive my own supply of basil on my last trip home! Watching my mom whip up fresh tomato basil pasta, pesto, and summer pasta sauce from her homegrown ingredients inspired me to try my hand at garden cooking. Since I only had freshly grown basil on hand, I decided to head over to Chicago French Market to get the rest of my ingredients. 

The market opened last December in the Loop and has tons of fresh, organic vegetables and meat. They also have some great food stalls filled with local vendors that offer lunch options, pastries, and great cheeses. I walked away with organic tomatoes, pine nuts, and reasonably priced shrimp that was peeled and deveined. (Less work for me!) I also made a stop at the Pastoral Artisan Cheese stall and picked up some wonderful Pecorino Romano. The man who helped me said it was saltier than Parmesan, but is wonderful for grating and when used in recipes. Overall, I would consider my trip to the French Market a success! I headed home and set-off on my mission to make homemade pesto.

 I started by cleaning my basil and chopping off some of the longer stems. I figured I had about 2 cups of packed basil to work with and had no clue how much pesto I would end up with.

I knew I needed pine nuts, garlic, onion, cheese, and olive oil to complete my pesto, but had no clue how much of each ingredient. Barefoot Contessa had the answer: I just scaled her recipe and adjusted it for the ingredients I wanted to use.

The next step was toasting the pine nuts. This is apparently one of the KEY steps to delicious pesto, but proved to be the hardest for me. Mine ended up charred, but www.bonappetit.com has a helpful "how to" for next time. I'll have to make sure to shake the skillet more frequently next time. I'll also have to remember to take some pics of the process.

Once all my FRESH ingredients were ready to go I broke out my trusty Magic Bullet as a food processor substitute. I added 2 cups of packed basil, 3 cloves of chopped garlic, 1/4 cup chopped red onion, and and 1/4 cup of my burned pine nuts to the bullet.

I blended those ingredients for 20-30 seconds, then added 1/4 cup olive oil (you can mess around with this measurement) and 1/4 of my grated cheese. I blended until I had a nice puree and added about 1 tsp of pepper to adjust the taste.

With the pesto completed I began preparing 1/2 pound of fusilli pasta. I just used whatever pasta I had on hand, but usually when I cook shrimp I like to use linguine.

I heated about 2 T of oil in a skillet on medium heat. I added my 10 scrimps (aka shrimp), peppered them, and brushed them with about 1 T of pesto. Scrimps always cook much faster than I expect and taste kind of chewy when they are over done. I try to cook them for 1-3 minutes a side depending on the size. You know they are done when they turn pink and are overdone when they shrivel up really small. Shrimp are a great way to change up your weekly menu and can be added to any quick meal!

Once the pasta cooks, I strain it and return it to the pot. I added 2 T of my fresh pesto and tossed into the pasta. This alone would be an easy, delicious weeknight meal with some left over chicken!

Since I was making a little lunch for myself; I just added some pasta, four shrimp, a handful of chopped Roma tomatoes, and some grated cheese to a bowl. The rest will make great lunch or dinner leftovers some other day this week. The fresh basil really stood out in the pesto and the tomatoes I got at the French Market were fabulous. If I had my own outdoor space I'd be makign garden fresh meals everyday.

Homemade Pesto

Prep Time: 10 mins     Cook Time:   5 mins         Recipe Yields: 1-2 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan (I used Pecorino Romano)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion

Directions

1. Toast pine nuts in a small frying pan.
2. Chop onion and garlic.
3. Grate cheese.
4. Add all the dry ingredients to a food processor for 20-30 seconds. Add olive oil and blend until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. 

Pesto Shrimp Pasta

Prep Time: 10 mins          Cook Time: 15 mins           Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1/2 lbs pasta
• 8-10 uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 T olive oil
• Pepper to taste
• 3 T pesto
• 1/4 c shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 2 Roma tomatoes (chopped)

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium pot and cook pasta as instructed.
2. Season shrimp with pepper and then toss with 1 T pesto.
3. Heat olive oil on medium in a skillet, when hot add shrimp. Cook shrimp until pink. (1-2 minutes per side)
4. Drain pasta and return to a large bowl.
5. Add 2 T of pesto and toss in the pasta.
6. Add chopped tomatoes to the pasta and toss again.
7. Top with cooked shrimp and sprinkle with cheese.