Quick Marinara Sauce

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I’ve been making my own tomato sauces for a few years now, but most take at least a couple hours on the stove. I made up a batch of this quick marinara from Teresa Giudice’s book last week when I made the stuffed artichokes, and I was so pleased with how the sauce turned out after only 15 minutes on the stove! I always have these ingredients on hand in the pantry, so I know I’ll be going to it from time to time for a quick dinner when things “run amuck” in the kitchen.

It was great with the artichokes, and then I enjoyed the leftovers with pasta for lunch throughout the week. I love a chunky tomato sauce, so I just used my hands to break up the whole tomatoes when adding them to the sauce. But, if you prefer a smoother marinara – give the tomatoes a few pulses in a food processor first. Will keep in fridge for up to a week, or you can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.

Quick Marinara Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
One (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, broken up, with their juices
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
kosher salt

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and their juices and the tomato paste. Bring just to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the basil and sugar. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Source: Fabulicious! by Teresa Giudice

Seared Striped Bass with Chorizo Salsa

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This weekend we went over to my parent’s house for dinner. My dad had gone fishing earlier in the day, and came home with a nice sized “rock” as we call them around here, striped bass to the rest of the world. He cleaned it when we were finished with dinner (a gorgeous bushel of steamed #1 blue crabs) and sent us home with a nice sized filet, that I portioned into 4 smaller sized filets.

We get so much gorgeous, fresh seafood around here, I really take it for granted. I already had a menu set for the week, so I decided to make the fish for lunch on Sunday. Usually, I’d fry it an call it a day –  but the filets were so gorgeous, I wanted to do something special. I came up with this dish with what I had on hand, and it really knocked our socks off. I was afraid the salsa would be overpowering, but it wasn’t. The smokey sweetness just played up the flavor of the fish, and it was a nice change of pace from our standard fish fry! Plus, I got to use the pea shoots I’d bought on a whim at Trader Joe’s the week before. They soaked up all the juices from the dish, made for a surprisingly good salad.

If you’re looking for something to do with that abundance of rockfish we’re so lucky to have in our waters right now (or any other substantial white fish – mahi, halibut, etc.) bookmark this recipe! I’m hoping Dad shares some more with us this spring. I’m more than happy to send out a First and Second mate with him!

Striped Bass with Chorizo Salsa

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
4 (6-ounce) striped bass fillets
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
8 ounces chorizo sausage, casing removed
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn fish over; cook 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan; keep warm.

For the salsa, return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil and the chorozio, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Cook until nice and browned, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, stirring a moment until mixture becomes fragrant. Add the water and balsamic vinegar, turn heat to low, and simmer until tomatoes soften, stirring frequently. Add remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste. Serve sauce with fish over a bed of greens.

Source: adapted from Cooking Light, July 2010

Rosemary Chicken Salad

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I don’t like to brag, but I do make a pretty good chicken salad. Which, is great, because we eat it A LOT of it for lunch or a light dinner during the summer months. There’s usually chicken leftover from one meal or another during the week, or I’m grilling so often it’s no biggie to cook a couple extra chicken breasts to make up a batch.  It keeps great in the fridge for a few days, and makes for an easy and quick lunch during the week.

The fresh rosemary certainly sets it apart from other chicken salads. But, I think the thing that really makes it shine is the addition of honey. I like the hint of sweetness it brings. I like mine on a whole wheat bread, with lots of sprouts on top. However, when served on crostinis, it makes a lovely appetizer.

Rosemary Chicken Salad

1 pound cooked chicken (about 2 cups), shredded
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Make the dressing in the bottom of a large bowl by combining mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, dijon mustard, and honey. Whisk until combined.

Add in remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Serve on multi-grain bread with desired toppings.

Penne alla Vodka

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Do you ever have those nights when things don’t go as planned? And, your intended dinner for the night falls by the way-side? It happens to me more often than I’d like to admit. While ordering a pizza is very tempting on nights like those, this pasta dish is almost as easy as picking up the phone and ordering. This was one of the first dishes I learned to make “by heart”, and I can always turn to it in a pinch.

You probably have everything you need in your pantry already. The sauce just takes a few minutes – saute the onion, add the tomatoes and vodka and allow to simmer, you add the cream and basil at the last minute. One note of caution, don’t use inexpensive vodka. I’m not saying to go out and spend $40 on Grey Goose just for this recipe, but lets not go for the $7.99 special either! The flavor of the vodka is concentrated in the sauce, so you really want to use the best possible. With a green salad, this is the perfect summer meal for those warm nights.

Penne Alla Vodka

1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 small onion minced (about 1/4 c)
1 Tbs tomato paste
2 medium garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 C vodka
1/2 C heavy cream
1 lb penne pasta
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh basil
Grated Parmesan for serving

Puree half of the tomatoes in food processor until smooth. Dice remaining tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces, discarding cores. Combine pureed tomatoes and diced tomatoes in liquid measuring cup add reserved liquid to equal 2 cups.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Add onion and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are light golden around the edges, about three minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes; cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 tsp salt. Remove pan from heat and add vodka. Return pan to medium-high heat and simmer briskly until alcohol flavor is cooked off, 8 to 10 minutes; stir frequently and lower heat to medium if simmering becomes to vigorous. Stir in cream and cook umtil hot, about 1 minute.

Add pasta sauce to penne pasta that has been cooked to al dente. Stir in basil and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, top with parmesan.

Source: Cooks Illustrated, November/December 2006