Taking a break

As the title would indicate, i'm taking a break from studying in attempt to get my weeks' meals planned.

First I would like I put up a recipe I like to use to make pasta sauce; No, I don't use this every time - i'm not betty crocker, but it's simple enough that you really could! Not to mention it is versatile and has multiple applications so it doesn't have to be a "sunday afternoon" type recipe. A friend came to the realization she was eating an atrocious amount of sugar, let alone everything else we don't want to think about, just from her store bought spaghetti sauce. I wont bore you with the details of why, but essentially these things are so bogus because they're meant to sit on a shelf for 6+ months before they are even consumed.

Ingredients:
10 tomatoes,
1/4 c fresh basil,
2 T olive oil,
1/2 t Italian seasoning (add more, less, or forgo and use your own mix based on taste, sweet basil oregano - fresh or dried, marjoram, red pepper flake etc. Get creative!)
2 T butter, room temp.
1 medium onion (more if you like chunky like I do)
1/4 c dark wine,
1 green bell pepper,
1 carrot, 1 bay leaf (dried),
2 celery stalk,
4 cloves of garlic (or mooooore if you love it like me),
And for the only canned item - 2 T tomato paste for a more intense flavor. 

There are two ways to prepare the tomatoes, but the easiest is probably blanching them. Plunge them into boiling water for about 1 minute until their skin peels. Remove from water and stick in an ice bath until cool enough to handle. Remove skin and squeeze out the seeds. Puree 8 of them, and rough chop 2.

In a stock pot, cook your chopped onion, bell pepper, carrot and garlic in butter (all chopped to your taste, fine if you like smooth sauce, chunky if you prefer. Once fragrant, about 5-6 min, add tomato puree and chopped tomatoes. Add basil, seasonings, bay leaf, whole celery stalks and wine. 

Bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. After 2 hours stir in paste, and more seasonings if you see fit. Simmer 1.5-2 more hours. When ready to serve remove bay leaf and celery. 

This is not only delish for pasta but I love dipping dry baguette bread in it, or making bruscetta style appetizers :)

This turned out to be longer than I anticipated and I'm afraid I still haven't decided what i'll be making this week, I do however LOOOOOVE the meal we made tonight: A salad of baby arugula, fingerling potatoes and fresh green beans with a homemade walnut/mustard/yogurt dressing. It was absolutely delightful, light and tangy with a roasted nutty flavor. Seriously I would eat it again tomorrow given the opportunity.

Have a wonderful week friends.