Homemade Tomato Sauce

There is pasta under there somewhere!

To go with the best meatballs I've ever had, I sought out a recipe for a good homemade sauce. And sure enough, while perusing one of the blogs I frequent for recipes, I came across a simple sauce that sounded delicious! I made some adjustments, and here's what I came up with. The butter adds a real smooth-ness to the sauce, and the combination of onion flavoring (without the chunks) adds a sweetness to the tomatoes. Add a little salt, garlic and thyme, and ta-da!


Ingredients
5 tbsp. butter
28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt


Directions
1. In a medium pot or large skillet, melt the butter.
2. Add the can of tomatoes and begin to break them apart with the edge of a wooden spoon.

3. Cut the onion in half and remove the skin, keeping the root-end in tact so the onion layers do not separate and start to hide out in your sauce. Nestle the onion halves into the sauce.
4. Mince the garlic cloves very finely and do a quick chop of the thyme leaves. Add to the sauce.

5. Mix the ingredients around to incorporate, and cover with a lid.
6. Bring the pot to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 45 minutes.
7. Occasionally, remove the lid and continue to break apart the tomatoes with your spoon. As they cook down, this will become easier and easier.

8. After 45 minutes, remove from heat and discard the onions. Salt to taste. Serve over pasta or in stuffed bell peppers...or anything else you'd like!

*Note: I would double this recipe for even one pound of pasta, though I love sauce so this may be why it wasn't enough for me. I've even tripled it and will probably considered doing that every time going forward. It will keep really well in the freezer. Go through the "hassle" (I use this term loosely because this sauce is really easy) once, and let it last awhile!

Meatballs

Here's another goodie from the Barefoot Contessa...the meatballs in this soup are seriously the best I have ever had. They require a good amount of ingredients, but I've made my share of meatballs and, trust me, these are totally worth it! The only thing I changed was using mild Italian sausage in the place of chicken sausage, simply because I couldn't find any non-pre-cooked chicken sausage at my local grocery store.

Ingredients

3/4 lb. ground chicken

1/2 lb. Italian sausage, removed from casings

2/3 cup fresh white bread, crusts removed

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 tbsp. milk

1 egg

Salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Crumble white bread in a food processor until the size of bread crumbs.

3. Add garlic and parsley to the food processor and chop until just incorporated.

4. Remove the Italian sausages from their casings. As long as they're thawed, they will slide out no problem.

5. Prepare the meatballs. Place the ground chicken, Italian sausage, bread crumb mixture, pecorino and parmesan cheeses, milk, egg, salt and pepper  in a large bowl.

4. Combine gently with a fork or clean hands. Do not over mix or the meatballs will turn out tough.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon measure, scoop the mixture and roll into balls. Place one inch apart on the baking sheet.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

*Note: I would recommend making extra and freezing them. They are so good, and you can throw them into a pasta dish or onto a meatball sandwich any time...or even serve them as little appetizers. Yum!

Deviled Eggs

I spent Easter weekend with my mom and extended family, and one thing we can do really well is eat! After the Easter egg hunt and the Easter basket search...after games of Farkle (it's a dice game, people!) and movies, we had certainly worked up an appetite! And as can be expected from my good-cookin' momma, we had quite the feast! It's nice to be able to help my mom with the cooking in whatever way I can (not that she needs the help), but she has started to take me up on my offers more often...perhaps this blog is paying off ;) This time around, I was put in charge of Deviled Eggs.

Ingredients
1 dozen eggs, hard-boiled (see below)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Hot sauce (I usually do 4-5 dashes, but you can adjust to your heat preference)
Fresh chives
Paprika, salt and black pepper


Directions
1. First hard-boil your eggs. Start by bringing them to as close to room temperature as possible (leave them out on the counter for 30-60 min before you are ready to boil).
2. Place them in the bottom of a large pot. Don't cram them in or they could crack during boiling.
3. Add cold water to the pot so that the eggs are just covered.
4. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Once the pot reaches a rolling boil, remove the pot from the heat and let them sit in the hot water, lid still on, for 30 minutes to continue cooking.
6. Remove the eggs to a bowl of ice water and let them sit for about 20 minutes. Cooling them quickly should prevent that icky green ring from forming around the yolks.
7. Once the eggs are cooled, peel them and rinse under cold water to ensure all the bits of shell have been discarded.


Now, onto the filling.
8. Cut each egg in half and discard the egg yolks into a medium mixing bowl.
9. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, chopped chives, salt and pepper to the yolks.
10. With a fork, mix until well-combined.
11. Place your egg whites on a serving platter.
12. Put the filling into a piping bag (if you don't have one of these, you can use a Ziplock bag with the corner snipped off...or just use a spoon), and pipe a generous amount into each egg white.
13. Sprinkle with paprika and more fresh chives. Serve.

Honey Mustard Chicken

As I referenced in my last chicken post, cold weather makes me crave something warm and comforting. So a couple months ago, I had limited groceries left in the refrigerator but needed to find something to make for dinner. I entered a google search for something involving chicken and parsnips (the two ingredients I had left to work with), and I came across a one-pot meal with mustard and honey. Yum! I have now made it a few times, and after some adapting (and grocery shopping for more tasty additions), it's ready for a post. Here goes...


Ingredients
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 onion
3 medium parsnips
3 medium carrots
4 cloves garlic
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. honey
Thyme (optional)
Olive oil
Salt, black pepper and onion powder


Directions
1. In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil.
2. Pat chicken dry and season on both sides with salt, black pepper and onion powder.

3. Brown the chicken in the Dutch oven until golden. Remove and set aside.
4. Add more olive oil and add onions. Cook until softened, about five minutes.
*Note: they will turn brown because they are being cooked in the "chicken crud" - it just adds more delicious flavor!

5. While the onions are cooking, peel and dice the parsnips and carrots. Also, mince the garlic.
6. When the onions are cooked, add the white wine to de-glaze the pan (this will get all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan and into the sauce...lots of flavor here!)

7. Add the parsnips, carrots and garlic. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper.
8. Return the chicken into the pot and nestle amongst the vegetables.

9. Whisk together the mustard and honey, and add the chicken stock.
10. Pour over the chicken, add some fresh thyme leaves, and cook over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

*Note: you can also buy bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe, which will likely provide an even more moist finished product.

Baked Feta Chicken

Yesterday may have been 60 and sunny in Chicago, but we've had many rainy (sometimes snowy) days, and I had all but given up hope that spring would come. The long months of cold weather meant that I was making a lot of warm, hearty dishes, and this is one that I came across on Real Simple's website and adapted to suit my tastebuds.


Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 zucchini
1 turnip
3-4 carrots
1 onion
4 oz. crumbled Feta cheese
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a glass baking dish, drizzle olive oil. Set aside.
3. Heat more olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
5. Saute the chicken on both sides until browned. This will help keep some of the juices in  during roasting.

6. While the chicken browns, slice the zucchini, turnip, carrots and onion. 
7. Mix the vegetables with salt, pepper and fresh parsley. Squeeze half of the lemon over the top and toss to coat.

*Note: The original recipe calls for the lemon to be sliced and roasted with the chicken, but I found I couldn't taste any lemony-freshness this way. So instead, I would try using the juice.
**Note: Before cutting the lemon in half to squeeze, you can zest it and reserve the zest to sprinkle on top with the feta cheese later on if you want some extra lemon zing.
8. Spread the mixture into the baking dish, and nestle the seasoned chicken breasts into the dish.
9. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top.
10. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 
11. Before serving, squeeze the other half of the lemon over the top.

Greek Un-Panzanella

Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa's Greek Panzanella, I have made this recipe a dozen times since the first go-round, and it has been equally delicious every time. I call it Un-Panzanella because Panzanella is a Tuscan bread salad, and I leave the bread out of this one. I have always made it as a side dish to accompany something more hearty, but if I made it on its own, I suppose adding the bread would amp it up a bit.


Here's how you do it:


Ingredients
Salad:
1 english cucumber, peeled and seeded
2 bell peppers, seeded
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1/2 lb. feta cheese (the chunk, not crumbled)
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
Olive Oil
Salt and black pepper


Vinaigrette:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil


Directions
1. Quarter the english cucumber and dice it into bite-size pieces and place in a large serving bowl.

2. Dice the bell peppers and red onion into equal size pieces and add to the bowl.

3. Halve the cherry tomatoes  and olives, and add to the bowl.

4. Now, begin the viniagrette. First, mince the garlic.
5. Whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper.
6. Add the olive oil while continuing to whisk...this makes an "emulsion."
7. Add the viniagrette to the salad and toss until evenly coated.
8. Dice the feta cheese and add to the bowl. Toss gently so as not to crumble the feta.

9. Allow to sit at least 30 minutes at room temperature for flavors to blend. Serve.

Italian Cheesecake

To celebrate Jen's birthday, we invited some friends over for an appetizer/dessert party. A few months prior, I had promised Jen I would make her whatever cake she wanted...it started off as brownie pudding, then changed to lemon yogurt cake, then carrot cake (until I realized I made that for her last year). She finally settled on something...a Dobos Torte. 


For anyone unfamiliar with a Dobos, it's probably one of the tastiest desserts I've ever had. It's named after its creator, a Hungarian baker named Dobos, and it really is a sight to see. It consists of multiple layers of a vanilla-like sponge cake (we're talking really thin layers, so the cake totals upwards of 15-20) layered between a German chocolate whipped filling. It's one of those desserts that you see and think...how the heck did they do that?!


Jen's aunt Gagi makes a very impressive Dobos torte - so during one of her visits to Chicago, I asked her to show me how to make it. After seeing a finished product, I was not surprised to learn how intense a process it is. But oh so worth it! I won't share the Dobos recipe on here, since I got it from Gagi and it's not mine to share, but here's a picture. I have to say, I felt pretty excited about the final masterpiece:

 

But I will share the recipe for the Italian cheesecake I made to accompany the Dobos at the dessert party.


Here is how you make a simply delicious Italian cheesecake:


Crust
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan (I use Pam Baking Spray). Set aside.

2. Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave.
3. Place graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl and combine with a fork.
4. Add melted butter and gently mix with a fork until fully combined.

5. Dump the crust mixture into the pan and spread over the entire bottom of the pan.
6. Press down on mixture gently with a large spoon or measuring cup and press excess up the sides of the pan.

7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.
*Note: You can certainly crumble graham crackers in a food processor to get the crumb-form you need for this recipe, but I find it easier to just buy a box of graham cracker crumbs. They may cost a little more, but it does save some time and you can find them in the baking aisle at any grocery store.


Filling
Ingredients:
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
16 0z. whole milk ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 pint sour cream


Strawberry Topping
Ingredients:
1 pint strawberries, washed and diced
Sugar (amount to your liking)


Directions:
1. The night before you plan to serve your cheesecake, dice up the strawberries and place them in an airtight container with the desired amount of sugar. This is called "macerating" the strawberries...sounds dangerous, I know!
2. Stir occasionally, leaving in the refrigerator overnight.
3. Remove from refrigerator and serve on top of sliced cheesecake.


4. Melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Set aside to cool.
5. In a large bowl with a stand- or hand-mixer, combine the cream cheese and ricotta cheese until well incorporated.
6. Add the sugar, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, cornstarch, flour and cooled butter.
7. Add the sour cream and stir until just incorporated.

8. Add mixture to prepared springform pan (crust should be cooled).

9. Bake for one hour (the center will still be very jiggly).
10. Turn oven off and leave in the hot oven for one more hour.
11. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
12. Place cheesecake in refrigerator to cool completely before serving.
*Note: making a cheesecake without a crack in the top is a feat I have not yet mastered. After much searching for techniques on-line and consulting with more frequent cheesecake-bakers, I have yet to be able to make a crack-less cheesecake. However, this recipe turns out so wonderfully-tasty, the crack doesn't even matter. Just decorate it with whipped cream or pre-slice it and display on a serving tray, and your guests won't know the difference!

This is me with the Dobos torte, cheesecake and fruit/cheese/meat tray
before it was consumed by all our guests!

Swiss and Parmesan cheeses, spicy Hungarian sausage and salty Proscuitto
alongside sweet strawberries, kiwis and grapes.

Italian Wedding Soup

Wow, has it been a long while since a blog post! Please don't infer my absence to be laziness...the past month has been completely jam-packed! I traveled four weekends in a row, interviewed for doctorate programs in two different cities, tried to keep up on homework and my internship, and then dealt with being sick for the last week. Oy!  


My roommate has totally stepped up to the plate and done a lot of the cooking around here in the midst of my crazy schedule, but I'll be posting recipes for the few things I did make. Here's another goodie from the Barefoot Contessa.


Ingredients
1 onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
4 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 lb. pasta (any of the small varieties...I used elbows for this one)
1/4 cup fresh dill, minced
6 oz. baby spinach leaves
Meatball Recipe


Directions
1. Make the meatballs and set aside.
2. Dice the onion, carrots and celery. Mince the garlic.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven.
4. Add the onion, carrots and celery and saute until soft. Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute.

5. Add the chicken stock and wine. Bring to a boil.

6. Reduce to a simmer and add the pasta. Cook for 8 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
7. Mince the dill, and add it to the pot. Then add the meatballs and simmer for another minute.

8. Stir in the spinach and cook for one minute until the spinach wilts.
9. Serve and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.