Tomato sauce, and EASY Chicken Parmesan

So I’ve been auditioning recipes for use when I make my first foray into home canning. I’ve made some apple butter already, which I think came out too runny, but seems to have gone over well for those who I’ve given it to (and a special thanks to my family for being guinea pigs :oD). I tried this pasta sauce recipe the other night, and wasn’t too impressed, so I decided to tweak it a bit. I added a few things to make it a bit spicier, and some extra herbs to punch up the Italian-ness a few notches. It came out so-so, but I rarely ever think a pasta sauce is more incredible than a poached egg. It’s nice and all, but really, it’s not anything special.

Two of my roommates, both who are Italian and have very discerning taste buds when it comes to Italian food, thought that this was an acceptable sauce, and one that would be great for canning. I still want to tweak it a bit and make it better. Also, since we’re carnivorous college men, I threw together some basic Chicken Parmesan that I thought would taste good, and it came out adequate (I’m sorry, but I never can fawn over Italian food, or at least those containing red sauces, like others. They just don’t impress me).

Now that I’ve bashed this sauce, and probably a lot of your grandmother’s recipes, I’ll stop putting my foot in my mouth and just give you the recipe. Hopefully you find it more satisfying than I did.

Tomato Sauce (Adapted from simplyrecipes.com)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot or 1/2 large carrot, finely chopped
1 small stalk of celery, including the green tops, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
8 white button mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1 Large pinch of Red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp of Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (I used both to boost the flavor)
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, including the juice, or 1 3/4 pound of fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (I’d recommend the canned tomatoes. I spent about 30 minutes peeling and seeding tomatoes)
1 6oz can tomato paste, plus 2 cans of water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chicken Parmesan

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup parmesan cheese, finely crumbled (the stuff in the bottle works just fine)
½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
Parsley, for garnish
Shredded Mozzarella for topping

SAUCE
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the diced carrot, celery, onion, and parsley. Reduce heat to medium low, and cover, cooking 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. Add in the garlic, and red pepper flakes, cooking only for about 30 seconds. Add in the tomatoes (with juice if using canned) and the basil, both dried and fresh. Add in the tomato paste, water, salt, and pepper. Stir, and let simmer on medium-low until thickened, about 15 minutes. Serves over pasta, chicken, or whatever you would normally serve with red sauce. Serves 4.

CHICKEN PARMESAN

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large zip-top bag, combine the bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Combine the ingredients. Drop the chicken breasts into the bag, and (Shake and Bake style) shake until coated. Place the chicken breasts on a cookie sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Cover the tops with cheese, and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Remove from oven and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Gnocchi - o

Recently, I’ve been on an Italian food binge. I don’t really know why, but something about the weather just makes me crave pasta. My roommates call me a pregnant woman because I crave random foods at random times, but whatever. I’ll eat what I want, when I want…assuming I can afford it. This dish is super affordable. Everyone has flour, oil, salt and eggs all the time. If you’ve got two potatoes and a large pot of boiling water, you’ve got yourself a meal. Of course, I added in a few extras, but I’m sure even in a butter sauce these little gnocchi would be wonderful.

I’ve never had gnocchi before, nor have I ever made it. According to one of my roommates who spent the winter in Rome, these were on par with the Italians and everyone else liked them as well. I didn’t use a fancy gnocchi board, a dough cutter, or any tool I didn’t own, however, I would recommend investing in a potato ricer. Not only can you save time in this recipe, but it makes mashed potatoes in no time at all. Definitely worth the $17.47.

I think I made these gnocchi a bit too large, as the recipe was meant to make 100 and serve 10 people (but again, college guys eat lots of servings). You don’t have to do the extras, but I feel like they add more texture to the sauce and improve the overall dish. Enjoy!!

Basic Potato Gnocchi (Adapted from anticiplate.com)

2 large russet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
2 Egg yolks
1 ½ cups All purpose flour

My Sauce

½ red onion, cut into large chunks
1 large roma tomato, cut into large chunks
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp minced Garlic
1 24 oz jar of pasta sauce (or homemade)
A few leaves fresh basil, cut into ribbons (optional)

GNOCCHI

Spear the potatoes and coat them with the olive oil on a cookie sheet. Season well with salt and pepper. Roast at 375F for about an hour, or until soft. Once roasted, rice the potatoes on the hot cookie sheet, and let cool for about 5 minutes. While cooling, prepare a pot of boiling water. Once cooled, mix in the flour and the egg yolks. (I found it easier to mix in the egg and a little of the flour, then knead the rest in by hand on a board). On a well-floured board, roll the dough into a 1” diameter tube, and cut 1” sections off. Quickly roll these sections into balls. Drop the balls into the boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface, about 3 minutes. If necessary, do this in batches, making sure to not overcrowd the pot. Serve with your favorite pasta sauce. Serves 4.

SAUCE

In a large skillet, sauté the onion and tomato together, until slightly softened, but still firm. Add in the garlic and Italian seasoning and stir, cooking for about a minute more. Add in the pasta sauce and warm through. Serve over gnocchi.

Crunchy Cheesy Baked Rotini

Have you ever had a craving for something that makes no sense with the season, weather, or even the time of day?? Breakfast for dinner is generally my folly, but the other night I really wanted baked pasta…on the hottest day ever in June. Something is wrong with me. Luckily, my roommates are complacent to eat whatever I make, generally. Unfortunately, when I opened the fridge that evening, the only vegetables we had were baby carrots and some limp lettuce. Needless to say, I took the time to walk to the store and get some real food.

I realize now that squeezing sausage out of it’s casing is not such a strange thing to do, but it had never even crossed my mind before reading some of Alton Brown’s recipes. Not only does it allow you to use the meat in many other ways, but it’s an interesting experience, at least when it’s your first time (I am still a bit tactilely defensive, and sausage casings are slimy). However, since doing it, I am considering all the new possibilities I have using sausage meats instead of plain ground ones.

So in my first venture into Italian cooking from scratch, this Irish-Polish-Greek cook made something that garnered a welcome, “YUM!!” from my Italian roommates and placed this dish on my top three list of things to make again. It should serve 8, but 4 hungry college guys demolished it in one sitting…heh.


Crunchy Cheesy Baked (Rotini) (You can use any pasta you like, but I’d stick with the heartier varieties like Rotini or Penne so it doesn’t turn into mush when you bake it)

SAUCE
5 cloves garlic, minced
5 sweet Italian sausages, squeezed from casings
3 medium tomatoes, diced
2 medium green peppers, diced
½ large red onion, diced
1 ½ Tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt
Pepper
1 24oz jar pasta sauce (or homemade if you prefer)

PASTA
1 lb whole wheat rotini
Olive oil
Salt
1 heaping Tbsp fresh basil ribbons*

TOPPING
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
¼ cup parmesan cheese, crumbled
½ cup shredded mozzarella or jack cheese

In a large skillet, season the sausage with salt and pepper and cook until browned. Add in the diced vegetables and garlic and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add in the Italian seasoning and the pasta sauce and simmer for at least 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the mixture looks homogeneous.

Cook the pasta for about 3 minutes less than the package says leaving it more al dente than usual. In a large bowl combine the pasta, sauce, and fresh basil. Pour this mixture into an ungreased 9x13 pan, and cover with the topping. Bake at 375F for about 20 minutes, or until the top is golden and everything is bubbly. Serves 8.

*Basil ribbons: Place all of the fresh basil leaves on top of each other, and roll tightly into a tube. Slice the tube along the short axis forming small “ribbons” of basil.