Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

so easy and delicious.



Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
as found on Smitten Kitchen
Adapted from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking

Ingredients:

28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes from a can
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste







Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Serve with spaghetti, with or without grated parmesan cheese to pass. Serves 4.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Batter adapted from Magnolia Bakery
Frosting adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2006

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 bottle red food coloring
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 stick of butter (4 tbsp)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour three 9- by 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.

To make the cake: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

While the batter bakes, prepare the frosting.

Frosting:

Beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar. Spread frosting on cupcakes, leaving 1/2-inch plain border.

When the cake has cooled, spread the frosting between the layers, then ice the top and sides of the cake with the cream cheese frosting.

Epicurious Test-Kitchen Tip: This recipe also makes 2 dozen cupcakes. Use 2 muffin pans, each with 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups, and line each cup with a paper liner. Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and bake the cupcakes, switching positions of the pans halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before icing. To ice, mound about 1/4 cup of frosting on top of each cupcake and use an icing spatula to make a swirl on top.

*Actual recipe found on Sassy Radish

The Best of Trader Joe's

maybe I'll make this into a series.

at the moment... feast your eyes on one delicious sandwich recipe:

1 baguette, sliced all the way through and cut into thirds
"Trader Giotto's" pesto Genovese (fresh)
Italian truffle cheese, in slices
Italian-cured turkey breast (the one that's all peppery)
1 large onion, sliced
2 tbsp oil
salt & pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Caramelize the onions by cooking them in the pan over medium-low, stirring constantly to make sure they don't burn. Caramelizing takes a long time. Do other things. or do ahead.

Once onions are ready, assemble all items for pretty much the best sandwich you've ever had in your life. Serves 3 and keeps well.

Bucatini Carbonara

Bucatini Carbonara
as found on The Kitchen Sink

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bucatini (I used a fine linguini)
2 ounces pancetta, finely diced
1 leek, trimmed and sliced in half moons
1 egg, plus 1 egg per serving (i.e. if you’re serving two, you’ll need 3 eggs)
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigano-reggiano
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
splash of vinegar

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the bucatini until almost al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta to skillet and cook until slightly browned. Add the sliced leek and cook for a minute until the leek is softened. Transfer the leek-pancetta mixture to a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 egg, cheese, and pepper.

Once the pasta is almost al dente, transfer it to the large bowl holding the pancetta and leek. Reserve the pasta water and hold it at a simmer. Add a splash of vinegar to the water and crack the remaining eggs into small cups. Then gently pour the racked eggs into the simmering water. For a runny egg, cook the eggs for 2 to 3 minutes and remove carefully with a slotted spoon.

Whisk a tablespoon or so of the reserved pasta water, in a slow stream, into the egg mixture. Add the egg mixture to the bowl holding the pasta and pancetta-leek mixture. Toss for several minutes, until the sauce is thick and creamy.

Serve the pasta in bowls and top each bowl with a poached egg and, if desired, more freshly cracked black pepper. Serves 2-4.

Crack Pot Pot Roast

My roommate owns a Crock Pot. No one's ever used it. I felt it was my duty.

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs chuck roast
2 large onions, sliced
4-5 medium potatoes, diced into 1-inch pieces
2 large carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp oil
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper



Season a 3 to 4 pound roast with salt and pepper then dust with flour.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once oil is hot, brown meat in skillet on all sides. Remove to a plate.

Add 1/2 cup beef broth to the skillet; stir to loosen browned bits. (I like my roast with a little more stew, and added in 1/2 cup of red wine as well.) Remove from heat.



Place onions, potatoes, and carrots in the bottom of a 3 1/2-quart (or larger) Crock Pot. Place browned roast on the vegetables.

Pour skillet juices over the roast and vegetables, and season with a little more salt and pepper. Add in 2 bay leaves.

Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 9 to 11 hours, or on the HIGH setting for 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours. Remove the roast and vegetables to a serving platter; keep warm until serving.