Pasta Ala Easy

It's summer, and my garden has exploded.  It's what makes this part of the year so wonderful, the fresh produce and simplicity of the food I can make with it.  This previous weekend I did not plan for dinner.  It's these times that I enjoy much more than my wife.  While I think "oh man, I can make something really unique and fresh" and Emily thinks "what kind of Chinese should we get?"

Well, thankfully it's the summer, and my garden has been producing well.  Rather than opt for something complicated, I chose to create a fresh tomato and basil pasta, something the Italians call "pasta cruda".  Tomatoes, garlic, and basil tossed with a few other ingredients make a delicious and simple sauce.  You should easily be able to make everything you need for the sauce in the time it takes the pasta to cook.  And my wife never once mentioned anything about Chinese.

Easy Tomato Pasta

1 pound penne, rigatoni, or other tube pasta

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup basil, chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese

Salt a large pot of water and bring to a boil.  Boil pasta as directed, reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes until soft.  Add garlic and oil to a large bowl with remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil.  Add red pepper flake, salt, pepper, basil, cheese, and tomatoes to bowl.  Drain pasta, add to bowl, and toss to combine.  Add a little bit of water as needed to loosen sauce.  Serve warm.

Tomato Sauce

It's nearing the end of summer and my tomatoes are overwhelming me in every way possible.  The squirrels are getting their fill as well, as on some days I just cannot pick them fast enough.  It's ok, I would rather them enjoy a small tomato than my beans and herbs.  

Right now we all enjoy tomatoes to the fullest, but in 3 or 4 months it's back to the bland, pithy varieties gassed to oblivion in the food market.  My tomato consumption dips quite a lot in the winter months.  To counterbalance this, I'm trying to preserve what I can this summer so I may enjoy it throughout the year (jam too, but that's another post).  Not to mention it saves me a fortune by using seasonal ingredients now.  So what's fresh this week?  TOMATOES!

A good tomato sauce can make dinner a pinch by topping a pizza, tossed with pasta and meat, or combined with numerous other ingredients to make my life a little bit easier.  So I season and prepare this sauce like I want to eat it straight up.  It makes preparation in the future much easier.  I also use a food mill to remove skins and seeds


Roasted Tomato Sauce

1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
3-4 pounds tomatoes
3 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ c red wine
Salt (at least 2 tablespoons)
Pepper
2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped fine
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Preheat oven to 400°C.  Arrange tomatoes in a large baking dish and drizzle with 2 tablespoon olive oil.  Roast for 30 minutes.  If you do not have a food mill, remove the skins before roasting!  Do this by cutting a small "x" in the bottom of each tomato (skin deep) and blanching in hot water for 30 seconds.  The skin should peel off.


 In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and some salt, sauté until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bay leaf, red pepper flake, and wine, allowing the wine to mostly bubble off. 


Remove tomatoes from oven and run through a food mill (if you do not have one, you can use a potato masher in the pot). Add the tomatoes and bring the sauce to a simmer. Once it reaches this, simmer for 30 minutes or until starting to slightly thicken, stirring occasionally. Add the basil, parsley, and tomato paste. Cook for another 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to your liking, blend to a coarse sauce if desired (with an immersion blender or in your food processor), cool, and use. Can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen for future use.

The Salsa and Guacamole Show

With my cooking quite often, a lot of people have started assuming I cook only fancy food. Look folks, I'm a recent college graduate working hard to pay off my student debt. The only time I have truffle oil is when I'm in a restaurant. Plain and simple. My cooking has always been about ease and taste. Sure, I occasionally like to break outside the mold and make something that takes me way too long (looking at you, smoked ribs), but my schedule usually consists of my coming home, running, playing with the dog, doing any other chores around the house, and then cooking dinner in the space of about an hour. In fact, I imagine that's most people's schedule. It's all about time. One reason I write this blog is to inspire people to cook, to not buy prepackaged food and spend the little bit of time in your kitchen making something you and your family will enjoy.

That's my inspirational statement of the month. But continuing with that theme, here are two recipes I have posted a long time ago, but easily made together in the space of about 15 minutes. Salsa and guacamole. They can be made side by side, and I keep most of the ingredients on hand at all times. Hope you enjoy.

Salsa (Easy Variety)
1 15-ounce can diced (or petite diced) tomatoes
1 4 ounce can diced green chiles
3 green onions
¼ cup cilantro leaves

Salsa (Fresh Variety)
3 tomatoes, diced
2 green chiles, roasted, peeled, and diced
3 green onions
¼ cup cilantro leaves

For the chunky- chop green onions and cilantro fine. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, season with salt, pepper, a little garlic powder, and cayenne if you want more spice. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

For the not-so-chunky- Cut green onions into quarters. Add all ingredients into a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times to a desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper, a little garlic powder, and cayenne if you want more spice. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Guacamole
2 avocados
2 green onions, chopped fine
2 tablespoons lime juice
½ cup salsa (the stuff you just made)
Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Mash avocados in a bowl. Add the lime juice and stir well. Mix in the green onions and salsa, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (don’t leave that out). Serve immediately, or if keeping until
later, cover with plastic wrap pressed tightly against the surface.