Red Sauce and Pasta

The end of summer.  It's official at our house.  The sprinkler guys blew out our system this morning  To celebrate the end, the wife and I ate the last of my homemade lasagna.   Our good neighbor, Paul, was generous with his prolific tomatoes.  We ate many fresh salads, but finally used a couple of batches to make a chunky garden sauce.

Fresh tomato red sauce

2 pounds of fresh tomatoes - any kind
4-6 leaves of fresh basil
1 onion
1 -2 cloves of garlic
1 tbls sugar
1 tbls olive oil.

Easy stuff. Cut an X in the bottom of the tomatoes. Put a pot of water on to boil and fill a bowl with ice water. Plunge the tomatoes in boiling water for 60 to 90 seconds. (It takes a bit longer at high altitudes). Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and place tomatoes in the ice water.

Spaghetti and meat balls

Meanwhile... for spaghetti: chop and cook an onion in a 3 or 4 quart pan. When the onion is soft and translucent, add as much garlic as you like.

The skin should peel right off the tomatoes. Discard skin and cut out the stem top. Add the tomatoes to the pan. Chop or crush them and bring the mixture to a simmer.  Cooking this for a long time would probably result in a traditional sort of sauce.  But, we are after a fresh garden taste.  After about 30 minutes remove from heat and blend.  A stick blender works well in this situation.  Don't try for a smooth sauce - leave it a bit chunky.

It's good to go right now.  I had some homemade meatballs in the freezer and some cooked Italian sausage. I added those to the sauce and let it simmer until everything was hot.  Serve over spaghetti noodles. (I had some of those in the freezer, too.)  The sauce will soak into the pasta making a very satisfying dish.

Lasagna

I used the second batch of sauce to make lasagna.  Start by cooking some onion garlic and hamburger in a 3 or 4 quart pot.

Prepare the tomatoes using the same methods detailed above.  When the hamburger is browned, drain as much fat as you care to and add the prepared tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes with a spoon against the side of the pot.  Let he sauce simmer. This sauce should be a bit thicker than the spaghetti sauce.


Rather than pre-cooking the lasagna noodles, soak them in warm water.  I used the lasagna pan. It leaves the noodles soft and they will not stick together. (This can be done with any kind of dried pasta. It works well for any type of casserole)

To build the dish start with a non-stick spray and the few spoons full of meat sauce.on the bottom of the pan. Next add a layer of noodles, a layer of cottage cheese (it's what I had - you could use ricotta), and a layer of mozzarella cheese. Top with a layer of meat sauce.  Add another layer of noodles, cottage cheese and - whoops - I ran out of mozzarella cheese. So I added a layer of 4 cheese Mexican blend and a final layer of meat sauce.  I had some provolone cheese slices in the deli drawer.  I added those and a good sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.  Cover the pan in foil and bake 30-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Nancy said it was the best lasagna she ever had.

I know the lack of detail in these recipes can be frustrating, but cooking should not be a chemistry lab.  It's about using ingredients on hand along with your intuition and taste to make something good.

Zucchini Boat

It's the end of the garden season.  I had only one zucchini plant, and I tried to pick them when they were small.  One or two got away from me - hid under the big leaves. Here's one next to an apple for size comparisons.  Cut a couple of slits in the zucchini and cook it in the microwave until it is soft.  Let it cool.

I started with a variety of stuff from the vegetable bin.  Some sliced onion, chopped peppers, and a few carrots. Sautee the vegetables with a lttle olive oil until they are softened.

 Next I cooked a pound of ground beef.

When the zucchini is cool enough to handle, slit it in two. Discard the seeds and pulp.  Scrape out the cooked zucchini and add it to the sauteed vegetables.

 Mix the vegetables and the ground beef.  Fill the two halves of the zucchini with the mixture.  Some small tomatoes on top add color and flavor.  Cook at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Add a topping of cheese and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

Stuffed burgers

If you like meatloaf, you will like these burgers.  In fact, maybe meatloaf burgers is a better name.  The recipe can be made into a loaf and baked, but these were made into burgers and cooked on the grill.  The veggies give a nice taste and help keep the burgers moist.

Recipe # 39 Stuffed burgers

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion

1 cup chopped cabbage

1 carrot

1 or two slices of bread (or 1/4 cup bread crumbs)

1 egg

1/4 cup liquid (beer, cider, water, etc.)

Cook onions and cabbage until they are soft. Packaged  slaw mix makes it easy to add a handful of cabbage.  Chop the carrot or use a peeler to cut thin strips. Mix everything together in a bowl. Form mixture into patties and cook on the grill. After cooking side one, top the burger with a little catsup or sauce.

Lentil soup

Soup and a sandwich is a classic combination. This lentil soup has a Mideast flavor. Lentils are high in protein, high in fiber, easy to cook. Unlike bigger legumes, lentils do not need soaking and cook in as little as 30 minutes.

Recipe #40 Lentil soup

1 cup lentils
3 cups water or stock
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
additional spices to taste

Add a little oil to the bottom of a sauce pan.  Cook onions until soft, add garlic and cook a few minutes more.  Add lentils and liquid. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.  Lentil soup is spiced up with peppers, curry, or garam masala (dry-roasted, ground spices, such as black pepper, cumin, cloves, and cardamom, used in the cooking of northern India.)

Red Chili

I like to play in the kitchen. Sometimes, putting together a complicated project is an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. But, it doesn't always have to be hard.

I've been cooking this chili for fifty years and I still like it. It is an easy, kid-friendly recipe that my brother and I learned at an early age. It was a way for us to help out and get dinner started.

Recipe #28 Red Chili

1 pound hamburger
1 can chili beans
1 can tomatoes

1 chopped onion
1 minced garlic clove
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 beef bouillon cube
pinch red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

Brown the hamburger, adding onions, garlic and about half the seasonings. Dried onion or onion powder and garlic powder can be substituted. This is especially helpful for younger kids who lack knife skills. It's also good for camping when prep space is difficult.

Add 1 can of beans and one can of tomatoes. Kuner's Chili Beans are a Colorado product that uses pinto beans. There are several other brand of chili beans to chose from. I used Mexican style stewed tomatoes, but whole, diced, or crushed are equally good.

Add about 1 cup of water. How much water added will determine the thickness of the final dinner. Add the remaining spices. Bouillon cubes have a lot if salt, so don't add too much additional salt. Simmer for 30-60 minutes.

Serve with a bit of cheese on top. Add a warm tortilla or saltine crackers on the side.

Fast, easy and cheap

First Published in January of 2007-
The prices have gone up a bit, but it is still a inexpensive and tasty meal. Sometimes people look askance at me when I describe this recipe, but it has never failed to please. Give it a try.

I was going to title this post “Simple recipes for simple guys“, but She-who-must-be-obeyed gave me one of those looks. So, I hope she likes this.

Note to my male readers: A man’s ability to cook an edible meal and clean up afterward is an attribute highly valued by women.

There is no shortage of cooking shows, magazines and websites. So I say, “why not me too?” Too often, recipes are unnecessarily complicated. There are too many ingredients and too many pans. So let’s simplify it.

Simple recipe #1 Beef and Beans
1 pound hamburger
1 can pork and beans
1 drizzle of molasses (you can use catsup instead)

Brown the hamburger in a skillet. Pour off the fat. Hold back the hamburger with a spatula while draining the fat. (Try not to lose too much of the meat. Don’t use a strainer - it’s just something else to wash.) Add one can of beans and some molasses (or ketchup). Stir well then heat over medium low heat until it bubbles. If you are feeling fancy you can add some extras - not necessary to the recipe: a splash of Worcestershire sauce, and/or sprinkle some cheese on top. Let it melt. I’ve used grated and sliced cheese. Use what’s on hand. It’s surprisingly good with a slice of bread or a hot buttered tortilla to push it on the fork. It’s dinner for two and maybe some extra. The clean up is a snap. Cost:
hamburger = $.99
beans: = $.50
generous estimate for extras: =$.50.
Grand total= $1.99


Easy, cheap, and fast. It’s what a guy wants in a good recipe.