FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

A Marinara Non-Recipe

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Spaghetti Plate

Over the weekend, I filmed a video describing why I love Italian food for the Michael Angelo’s “Share Your Taste for Italy” contest.  I couldn’t believe how long it had been since I got in front of the camera!  But what I couldn’t believe even more was that I have never really posted my go-to, non-recipe for marinara.

I say non-recipe, because it varies slightly every time I make it.

Sliced Tomatoes

FoodFash Marinara

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

6 tomatoes, cores removed and pureed in a blender or food processor

salt and crushed red pepper to taste

fresh basil and parmesan cheese

Pour olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat.  When the olive oil is warm, add the crushed garlic and let cook until it’s just starting to brown.  Add the pureed tomatoes, salt, and crushed red pepper and let boil for about 40 minutes.  Pour over a bed of pasta and top with basil and parmesan.

Boiling Marinara

I really love how fresh this sauce tastes and how it lightens up a pasta dish.  It also goes really well with spaghetti squash and turkey meatballs.  And I bet it would be super wonderful over some homemade gnocchi!

Pizza Dough Now!

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I bought a gynormo jar of green olive salad from the olive lady at Sweetwater.  I knew within seconds of exchanging dollars for jar I’d be dolloping this spread all over homemade pizza as soon as possible.

I googled ‘pizza dough recipe’ in the grocery store, knowing I’d be able to find a familiar blog on the first page.  Sure enough 101 cookbooks appeared.  I confirmed I already had all of the necessary ingredients and moved on to the produce department to buy a boat load of roma tomatoes.

When I got home, I noticed that the 101 Cookbooks recipe required the dough to refrigerate overnight.  That was not a part of my plan!  I ran to my computer and without a second thought searched Eat Live Run.  Surely Jenna wouldn’t have me wait twenty four hours for pizza I wanted now!

I whipped up some FoodFash marinara while the dough was rising.

Then I rolled out the dough, opting for a “rustic” shape requiring little patience and even less skill.  I spread the marinara and olive salad over the dough and used some of the oil from the olive salad to coat the exposed dough/future crust.

The crust was PERFECT!!  It’s always a gamble whether or not a hearty portion of marinara will create soggy crust, but there was no sog in sight tonight.  As far as the rest of the pizza goes, it was exactly what I had imagined earlier in the day at checkout.

White Wine-O

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Since discovering how easy it is to make marinara sauce from fresh tomatoes, that’s what I do!  Well, as often as I remember that’s what I do.

It’s always olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and basil.  However, I never use the same proportions, because what I also can’t remember to do is write this stuff down.

Well, tonight I made a mental note to make a mental note of proportions.

And I changed it up a bit!

FoodFash Marinara

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

5 Cloves of Garlic, Crushed

4 Vine Tomatoes, Chopped

1/4 Cup White Wine (perhaps leftovers from a meal gone wrong?)

Lots of Fresh Basil, Chopped

Heat olive oil over medium heat and add the crushed garlic.  Just as the garlic starts to brown, add the tomatoes.  Increase heat to medium high and let the tomatoes cook down for about 10 minutes, stirring often.  Add the white wine and cook at medium high for another 10 minutes, again stirring often.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook until tomatoes are mush.  Add basil, stir, remove from heat, and serve!

Do you think it’s a coincidence that I stumbled upon a kick butt sauce creation and a newfound appreciation of freezing in the same week??