Mixed Bag

Hearty Tomato Sauce

This is my favorite quick dinner, I could eat this every day of the week. During the summer season at the farmer’s market I buy loads of little yellow pear tomatoes. This sauce is especially wonderful with them in it.

Serves 4

Cooking Tools:

• 4 qt. sauce pan w/ lid
• 6 qt. sauce pan
• knife
• slotted spoon

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• pasta (I like 12 minute spaghetti)
• 4 tbs. olive oil
• 3 small zucchinis (washed and dried thoroughly) sliced into 1/2″ rounds
• half a medium onion diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic sliced thinly
• 2 lbs. cherry tomatoes (washed and dried thoroughly)
• 1/3 cup chiffonade of basil
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 1/2 tsp.  red chili flake
• salt
• sugar

First slice the zucchini then add 2 tbs. olive oil to a 4 qt. pot. Add zucchini and cook over medium heat turning occasionally. While the zucchini is cooking dice half an onion and slice the garlic and basil.

The zucchini will splatter while it cooks so put it on a burner furthest away from you.

Browned zucchini

Once the zucchini is browned remove from pot with slotted spoon and set aside in bowl. Add 1 tbs. olive oil, onion, garlic, chili flake, and a pinch of salt to the pot you cooked the zucchini in. Put on low heat, stirring occasionally till the onion is translucent. Add tomatoes to the pot, stir thoroughly, then raise heat to medium. Cook till the tomato skins start to crack. Next add basil and a pinch of salt. Mix, then cover the sauce while it cooks, stirring occasionally. While sauce cooks put some water on to boil in the 6qt. pot for the pasta (remember to add salt to the water).

Tomato sauce before the addition of zucchini and olives.

When water is at a rolling boil add noodles. At this point add the cooked zucchini and olives to the sauce. Mix and let sauce cook uncovered for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally. After the 10-12 minutes drain noodles and check the zucchini to make sure it is soft and if needed add salt and sugar to taste. If sauce is a little too thick add one additional tablespoon of olive oil to it. If it is too thin cook it uncovered a little longer. Portion cooked pasta into warm bowls with a good sized ladle of sauce over.

Note: If you are not adding olives then put one to two tablespoons of red wine vinegar into the sauce when you add the basil.

Finished sauce over spaghetti.

Popped Corn with Cracked Pepper

An old favorite with a twist.

Cooking Tools:

• heavy pot w/ lid
• large bowl

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs. cooking oil
• 1/2 cup popping corn
• 3 tbs. butter
• 1 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• salt

First heat oil and a couple kernels in heavy pot over high heat. When the kernels start to pop add the rest.  Move pot in a back and forth motion while tilting the lid open at a slight crack to allow moisture from the popping kernels to escape. Once popping slows down to two seconds per pop empty popped corn into a large bowl. Over low heat add butter and pepper to the same pot letting the pepper simmer in the butter for two minutes. Drizzle pepper butter mixture over popped corn toss then add salt to taste toss again. Insert movie.

Finished popped corn