It’s a little tricky to share this one because it truly is a “Secret” when you never measure ingredients! But I think this should be close enough:
• 1 Large Can crushed Tomatoes
• 1 Large Can chopped crushed Tomatoes (with tomato chunks)
• 1 small can tomato paste
• oregano (use fresh if you have it, if not dried will do)
• basil (use fresh if you have it, if not dried will do)
• bay leaf
• ¼ cup red wine
• 3 cloves of Fresh Garlic-chopped fine (use garlic zoom if you have it)
• onion 2 tsp. sugar (this can be optional but it does help cut the acid)
• 2 TBS. of Olive oil
In a large kettle or stock pot Saute onion in oil Add Bay leaf, and 1 tsp. each of basil & oregano and crack some black pepper Saute these ingredients for just a few mins. until the onion turns translucent and tender Add 1 tsp. of garlic sauté 1 more min.
Add all tomatoes and paste Add red wine Add two more cloves of chopped garlic and sugar Sprinkle in more oregano and basil and black pepper to taste (approx. another 2 tsp.)
Simmer on low anywhere from 45 min. to 3 hrs. stirring occasionally making sure that it doesn’t burn on the bottom You can add any or a combination of all of the following options.
Options: Add 1 to 1 ½ lbs. sautéed hamburger meat Add Pork shoulder Roast/and/or Italian Sausage Add: Fresh grated Parmesan cheese ¼ cup
This sauce goes great over any pasta and is yummy for chicken, eggplant and veal parmesan too! This is a great sauce to put on any kind of pasta and it works great for chicken, eggplant and veal parmesan too!
First Published in the King Arthur Flour’s Catalogue in 1993 see original below with photo of Sally and her daughter Jenna
Crust
1 Cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup solid vegetable shortening
1 – 3 TBS. ice water (depending on how much you need to get it to stick together)
Preheat oven to 350º F
Put the flour and salt in a bowl big enough to work in half the shortening with your pastry blender. Put the remaining shortening in and blend ‘til it looks mixed, but lumpy. It’s OK to handle and mix at this point, but once you start to add the ice water, overhandling will make the curst tough, so try to keep handling to a minimum. The water should be ice cold and added gradually, mixing a little with a spoon after each addition.
When dough starts to hold together a bit you can grab hold of it with your hand sand form it into a ball. Be sure to use plenty of flour on your hands and on the wooden board, where you’ll roll it out. If it’s really sticky then you’ve added too much water so try to knead a little more flour into it, folding it in on the board. Remember don’t succumb to the dreaded Pie Crust Paranoia (you can do it!) Usually the harder the dough is to handle, the flakier the crust, so its’ worth it to be patient.
Transfer the dough to a floured board. Roll the dough as thinly and evenly as possible. Don’t worry about any imperfections when the crust is rolled out, because after you transfer it to the pan, any problems can be easily patched.
Filling
8 Cups peeled, cored and sliced apples*
¾ Cup granulated sugar
¼ Cup King Arthur Flour
up to 1 teaspoon cinnamon (to taste)
up to ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (to taste, I usually leave this out. Just a personal preference)
*Paula Reds are our first choice, then Cortlands our second; both are juicy and tart which makes for great baking apples. McIntosh are also acceptable.
Now for the fun part! For this we use our apple peeler/corer/slicer from the catalogue. It makes dealing with the apples so much fun that th e people in our house argue about whose turn it is to peel the apples. Really!
Once the apples are processed they can be mixed with the other ingredients. If the apples aren’t very juicy, you may want to cut back on the amount of flour a little. We like to use about ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and no nutmeg.
Topping
1 Cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
½ Cup brown sugar
½ Cup (1 stick) firm butter
The topping always seems to need the human touch to get the proper consistency. So, I cut the butter up with a knife a bit then mix it with my hands until everything is mixed together but still a little lumpy. Spread this mixture evenly over the top fo the apples.
Bake pie in a preheated 350° oven for about an hour. You may want to put a cookie sheet under it to catch any drips and prevent burning on the bottom of the oven. Check at about 50 mins. It is done when the apple filling is bubbling and the topping is a golden brown. YUMMY
Please leave your comments below and feel free to SHARE too!
This has been a favorite for years. I alter a bit by adding some extra wine, hee hee or sometimes additional water/broth to expand it if I’m having a crowd over.
• 3 pounds boned venison or stewing beef
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 tsp. salt (optional)
• Lots of freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 TBS. vegetable (or olive) oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 TBS paprika
• 1 cup water (I put a beef bouillon cube in for extra flavor)
• 1 TBS tomato paste
• 1 ½ cups dry red wine
• 3 carrots peeled and sliced on the diagonal
• 2 potatoes peeled and chopped
• 1 small package frozen petit corn
• 1 small package frozen green beans
• 1 cup sour cream
Add salt and pepper to flour. Roll meat in the flour mixture to coat thoroughly.
Brown meat and onion in the oil in a dutch oven pot. When the meat and onion are starting to brown add the garlic. If you add the garlic too soon it will burn easily so I always add it later just a couple of mins. before adding the rest of the ingredients.
Add paprika, water, wine and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for a couple of hours.
Then add carrots and potatoes.
Simmer for about 15 mins. more then add the frozen veggies and simmer for about 10 to 15 more mins.
Add the sour cream just about 5 or 10 mins. before serving. (This is an optional ingredient. It’s really great with it added but if you’d rather leave it out the recipe will still be delicious)
Please share and leave your comments below. Thanks!
The combination of cold weather setting in and the last of the fresh corn on the cob inspired me to make some corn chowder. Even I was pleasantly surprised at how great this turned out!
This would also be a great basic soup to add oysters to or chicken or clams.
Ingredients:
• 1 ½ TBS. of butter
• 2 strips of bacon (replace with ½ TBS additional butter for vegetarian option)
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 carrots sliced
• 2 celery stalks chopped
• 4 or 5 ears of fresh corn on the cob, cut from cobs (you can use up any that are already cooked and leftover as long as it was fresh when you steamed it)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ cup flour
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 Idaho potatoes Fresh ground black pepper
• Salt
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
2 TBS. Fresh chopped parsley
Directions: Melt butter and add bacon strips and fry until bacon has rendered its fat. Add onion and sauté for a few minutes until soft then add carrots and celery and cook for a few more minutes. Pour in the flour over the veggies.
Then pour in vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the cream and the potatoes and bring to a boil and boil for about 7 mins. to break them down a bit and thicken the soup. Add the Thyme leaves. Cut the corn off the cobs and add to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and simmer about 10 more minutes until corn is tender. Stir in parsley and a dash of olive oil. Ladle into soup bowls and serve.
• 1 package or 3 teaspoons of active dry yeast (check the expiration date on the package)
• 3 cups flour (All purpose works well if you use a higher gluten one like King Arthur Flour. Or you can use a bread flour)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
Add the sugar and wait a couple of minutes for it to “proof.” Then add the rest of the ingredients with the flour being last. Add 2 cups of flour and mix thoroughly then add the remaining cup a little at a time. You can mix this in a mixer with a dough hook or use a manual dough hook or just mix it with a wooden spoon until it all comes together into a nice ball and you can plop it out onto a flour covered board and knead it for a few minutes working additional flour in as you go. Once you have kneaded it to the point where it springs back when you poke it you can put it in a bowl with a little olive oil on it to prevent sticking. Then cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rest in a nice warm spot. If you have a gas range and it has a pilot on in the oven that it perfect. You will only need to let it rise for 45 min. to an hour and it will be ready to assemble.
Once it has doubled in size you can take it out of the bowl and punch it down. Knead it for a minute then roll it or push it into the shape you desire. You can bake it on a pizza stone or on a pizza pan or a pizza screen. Whatever you have will do. Also, keep in mind that if you don’t have something round you can make it into any shape. It will taste just as good if it rectangular.
Preheat oven to 450°
Once you have it spread out into the shape you want then you can start the assembly layering the sauce and herbs/seasonings first. Next the cheese. Then add your other desired toppings and drizzle a little olive oil over the top.
Bake in a hot preheated oven 450° for 10 to 15 mins. or until the crust is browned on the edges and underneath.
Dipping sauce for the crust: Just before serving melt some butter in a small dish and then add some pressed garlic to it.
Pizza Ingredients
• Tomato sauce (you can make some quick sauce by using canned puree or sauce and then add fresh or dried herbs to it right on the pizza as you assemble. Basil, oregano, fresh ground black pepper and garlic)
• Mozzarella, shredded
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Feta cheese
• Mushrooms, thinly sliced
• Black olives sliced
• Fresh spinach
• Bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, thinly sliced (I like to sautee them first in some olive oil)
• Italian sausage, cooked ahead
• Chopped fresh basil
• Fresh Garlic, chopped or crushed (I’m Italian so I always use plenty of garlic) • Roasted Garlic (you can use garlic that you have roasted in the oven first)
• Pesto
• Pepperoni, thinly sliced
• Onions, thinly sliced (I like to sautee these too)
• Sliced ham and pineapple
• Cooked bacon, crumbled You can assemble one using just fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil (I always use garlic too) Let your imagination go wild! You have permission to build it any way you want!
You can assemble one using just fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil (I always use garlic too)
Let your imagination go wild!
You have permission to build it any way you want!
Be sure to leave your comments below and please SHARE too!
Eggplant Parmesan/Lasagna I could not resist stopping at the local farm stand one last time to get some fresh produce! And I just had to share it with everyone because it is just too good. YUMMY!
Eggplant is so delicious if it is really fresh. Many recipes recommend soaking the cut up eggplant in salt prior to cooking to cut the bitterness but I find that it is much too salty for me and if it is really not bitter at all if it is truly fresh. So, the best thing to do is get the freshest eggplant possible!
Remember “Fresh is Best.”
This recipe is not for the faint of heart cooks who just want some “instant gratification.” It makes one heck of a mess and takes some time to make but I can assure you it WILL be worth it!
Here are the ingredients:
* 2 medium fresh eggplants Italian bread crumbs
* Eggs (beaten)
* Flour
* Canola oil for frying, enough to cover a large skillet to about one inch deep. (for a healthier version put a little oil on a baking sheet and bake them in a hot oven preheated to 400 degrees for 10 mins per side)
* Grated mozzarella Ricotta Cheese (I use half regular and half part skim and mix them together)
* Grated Parmesan cheese (the finely grated kind)
* Italian Tomato Sauce
Cut the eggplant into ½ inch slices
Put the flour, eggs and bread crumbs into three separate flat bowls
There are two ways you can attack this, one is to “multi-task” like I do and heat the oil and start frying the slices while you are simultaneously coating them in flour, egg and bread crumbs. Or, alternatively you can wait until you have them all coated and ready to fry so you can just concentrate on one thing at a time (I recommend the latter if this is your first time). Coat each slice of eggplant with the flour then coat with beaten eggs, then coat with bread crumbs.
Tip: I use a fork when coating with the eggs then plop it into the bread crumb bowl. I then use my fingers to pick up some of the bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top to make sure it coats it all. Then I place each slice on a baking sheet to wait to be fried. Once you have coated all the slices you can heat the oil to medium/high.
It should be hot enough to sizzle when you put a slice in but you will have to be careful that it doesn’t get too hot and burn them. Usually I turn it down just a little once I start frying them but keeping it still hot enough to sizzle and brown them. You’ll get the hang of it once you start doing it.
Just check them once in a while to make sure they aren’t getting too dark and you’ll be fine.
I have to warn you that the “eggplant gremlins” will find them while you are doing all this frying and you may only end up with 2/3 or even ½ of what you started with because they are pretty darned tasty just in their fried state!
Next comes the assembly: In a 9 X 13 pan or something similar to that size will work.
Layer everything in this order:
* Tomato sauce first on the bottom of the pan
* thin layer Eggplant (enough to cover the pan as well as you can.
* Ricotta cheese (spoon it on top of each eggplant slice) Sauce
* Mozzarella (sprinkle over the top of everything)
* Grated Parmesan (sprinkle over the top of everything) Eggplant Ricotta Sauce Mozzarella Grated Parmesan Keep layering until you fill the pan (leave just a little room on top so it doesn’t bubble over and burn the bottom of the oven) Always end with the mozzarella and Parmesan on top
Bake in 350º oven for about 40-45 mins.
Remove from oven and let it rest 5 or 10 mins. before you start to serve (it’s less likely to be runny if you let it rest a few mins.)
Serve with some nice crusty artisan bread or garlic bread The bread is best if you warm it up a few minutes in a hot oven 400º for about 10 mins. prior to serving. This brings back the nice crust and it is still moist and tender inside.
Please leave your comments below and feel free to SHARE too!
This is really fast to throw together and very tasty!
One bunch of Fresh Asparagus (I choose the fattest ones as I have found that they are the most tender, contrary to what many others may think!)
One large clove of garlic Freshly ground black pepper
Regular Olive Oil (the regular Olive Oil is meant to be used for anything prepared with heat) (the extra Virgin Olive Oil (or EVOO as Rachel Ray says) is best for use with anything that is not going to be cooked, sauteed, grilled or baked) Wash the asparagus then snap off the tough part of the ends.
You can usually feel where they will snap off easily. Then put them in a pan (glass or metal, in this case size doesn’t matter, as long as they fit!)
Drizzle the olive oil over the asparagus Crack the pepper over it Slice the garlic (This is where my new toy comes in handy, get your mind out of the bedroom folks, we’re talking about kitchen gadgets here. It’s called a “Garlic Zoom”)
Sprinkle sliced garlic over asparagus
Bake in hot oven at around 375 to 400 or put it on the grill for about 20 minutes. Stir them occasionally. Be careful not to over cook. They are best when they are “crisp tender”
When someone starts out with “Ingredients are approximate” you know they have been getting creative on their own now.
Olive oil
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
1 bag of spinach (I prefer the baby spinach, it’s not as tough)
1 cup of stewed tomatoes cut in quarters
1/4 cup of chopped kalamata olives
Pecorino romano cheese
Small handful of spaghetti
While pasta is cooking, put oil in a medium pan over medium heat and add sliced onion, salt and pepper. Wait ’til light brown and add spinach. Let cook a couple of minutes then add garlic and tomatoes. Cover for a few minutes. Add pasta. Top with Olives and Cheese when serving.
Weber’s Black Peppercorn marinade Follow the directions on the marinade package.
Put the steaks in a large gallon size ziplock bag in the marinade
The best part about this marinade is that you marinate it NO MORE than 15 minutes!
Put steak on a hot grill or in the broiler and cook until desired doneness.
We like to accompany this one with some roasted idaho potatoes. You can cook them 3/4 of the way done in the microwave then slice them lengthwise down the middle then down the middle again so that you have spears. Drizzle some olive oil over them then sprinkle spices all lover them.
We like: fresh ground black pepper cayenne pepper tarragon garlic powder Then roast the herbed potatoes on the grill for about 20 minutes turning at least once.
August 19th, 2012 
In a large kettle or stock pot Saute onion in oil Add Bay leaf, and 1 tsp. each of basil & oregano and crack some black pepper Saute these ingredients for just a few mins. until the onion turns translucent and tender Add 1 tsp. of garlic sauté 1 more min.
Ingredients:
Eggplant Parmesan/Lasagna I could not resist stopping at the local farm stand one last time to get some fresh produce! And I just had to share it with everyone because it is just too good. YUMMY!
