Easy Marinara

3-6 oz olive oil (good quality, but need not be extra virgin, save your money. The more oil you add the more flavor it will have. Beyond 6 oz will make it seem oily though.)
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (don't use the pre minced crap, it has a bitter taste)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (find a good brand that doesn't have too many seeds, skins, or other unwanted crap)
1-2 fresh leaves of basil
or
5-8 fresh leaves of Italian parsley.
3/4 to 1 lb of pasta

Directions:
1. Start the water for the pasta to boil. For this recipe I use a big pot, and a little bit less than a gallon of water. Salt it with about four teaspoons of salt, don't skimp on the salt, you can always tell when pasta hasn't been salted correctly and there is no remedy after it's cooked.
2. In a 14 inch skillet or a deep sided 10-12 inch saute pan heat the oil to a medium temperature. The size of the pan is important (more on this later). Add the garlic and let it cook for a few minutes. Do not let any of the garlic get brown, at that point it's overcooked which makes it bitter.
3. Add the tomatoes and stir together with a wide, flat wooden spoon or spatula. Bump up the heat to medium high until it starts bubbling and then back it off back to medium.
4. At this point the water should be close to boiling, when it is, add the pasta. This recipe will make up to a pound of pasta, but it's best with just a bit less than a pound. Cook it until it's just al dente.
5. While the pasta is cooking you want to take your spoon/spatula and smash the tomatoes up with the flat side. Do this until it becomes somewhat smooth and the chunks are not noticeable. Depending on how much the tomatoes have cooked before you start it shouldn't take but a few minutes to get it to the right consistency, which for me is not chunky, but definitely not a smooth paste.
6. When the sauce is at this consistency it's basically done, cooking it any more will not help it. You can add a lot of different things at this point or you can leave it like it is and just add the basil or the parsley. If you just want the simple tomato sauce then turn off the heat and add the chopped basil. If you like a bit more acid, try a dash of basalmic vinegar (I'd recommend investing in a decent quality one from Caputo's in Salt Lake . . . they have this white truffle-infused number that's delicious). We will do a dash or two of Tabasco at this point, too.

This recipe is quite adaptable to various types of seafood, particularly shellfish. Use parsley instead of basil of using seafood.. When the pasta is done, the dish is done. Drain it and then put it into the saute pan with the sauce still in it. This is key to getting the best flavor from your sauce. A lot of people make the mistake of cooking their sauce in a small pan and then pouring it over the pasta in a separate dish or in the big pot, thus leaving a lot of the flavor that has been built up in the sauce (the oil that stays in the pan holds the flavor). This is one reason why it's important to cook your sauce in a large pan, you want to be able mix the pasta with it while it's still in the pan. The other reason is that it with more surface area it will cook faster, which is a big part of this recipe's convenience.

A word on serving and garnishing

Italians always eat pasta in bowls. A standard place setting includes a dinner plate with a pasta bowl on top. Pasta is always a first course, so when it's done you clear the bowls and you have a clean plate to serve your second course (which for us is usually a simple salad).

Garnishes
The most common garnish for pasta is of course Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. A few other good cheese options include Grana Padano (very similar to Parmigiano Reggiano) or pecorino romano, which is goats cheese and therefore much more pungent. Sometimes when I'm making just a simple tomato sauce I'll add a small pat of butter while I'm mixing it with the sauce. It gives it a nutty flavor that goes well with the cheese.

An Italian would never add cheese to any dish that had any sort of fish in it. It's seen as repulsive and a big no no in Italian cuisine. To garnish the sauce with seafood you can add a few drops of a high quality, robust and fruity extra virgin olive oil to each individual dish and maybe a bit of fresh pepper. I really like Greek olive oils for this (Hygea is a favorite brand) because they are similar to a lot of strong southern Italian oils.

There you have it a great meal in 30-40 minutes depending on how long it takes you to boil water and cook pasta.

Cranberry Ginger Scones

These are dainty, British tea-party scones. NOT fried batter with cinnamon-sugar scones (Which are delicious but NOT scones. Sorry. I don't make the rules). I got turned on to scones when my roommate made them for me and served them with lime curd and Devonshire cream. Now they are an obsession. If you're shy about ginger, leave out the crystallized ginger and stick to the fresh and powdered gingers. But for those of you who love ginger, it's not overpowering. I promise!

Cranberry-Ginger Scones
Serves 12 scones

3 cups flour
1/2 cup plus 1 TBS Sugar (plus more for dusting)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Dash of salt (or 1/2 tsp if using unsalted butter)
3/4 cup COLD butter (1-1/2 sticks)
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/4 cup baker's crystalized ginger, diced fine
1 tsp dried ground ginger
1 TBS fresh grated ginger
1 cup buttermilk OR 1/2 C plain yogurt + 1/3 C milk


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, placing rack in the lower third of the oven
2. In a large bowl mix dry ingredients then cut in butter by hand with a pastry blender (or forks if you don't have a pastry blender) until its mixed and looks like crumbs.
3. Add lemon zest, cranberries and ginger(s).
4. Make a well in the center of your mixture (think mashed potatoes with a well for the gravy--same idea). Pour the buttermilk or yogurt and milk into the dry ingredients. Mix until JUST BARELY combined with your hands. Seriously. DO NOT OVERMIX THE SCONES! Unless you're into tough little rocks.
5. On a lightly floured counter, knead the lump once or twice. Divide the lump in half and pat into a flat circle 3/4 in. thick. Your circle will have cracks on the edges. Leave 'em. Don't work the dough any more than you have to.
6. Cut into pie-wedges (about 6 per circle)
7. Put scones on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper (I just use my silicone-glass baking sheets). You can freeze the scones at this point and thaw them for a later date.
8. Brush the scones with heavy cream and sprinkle sugar on top before baking.
9. Bake until the scones are golden-brown and cracking (about 20-25 minutes).
10. Serve with lemon or lime curd and Devonshire cream.

Key Lime Bars

Spring is coming. If I post enough fruit, fresh, and barbecue recipes it will make it true! These amazing little bars are addictive and tangy and springy. They are courtesy of everyone's favorite felon, Martha Stewart. I love all her recipes.

Crust:
1 C plus 2 1/2 TBS finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/2 C sugar
5 TBS unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
2/3 C lime juice

Garnish:
Whipped cream
Key limes thinly sliced into half moons

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Make crust: Stir graham crackers, sugar, and butter into bowl and press evenly onto bottom of greased 8 in square baking dish, bake for about 10 mins, let cool completely
3. Make filling:
• Mix egg yolks and lime zest mix on high w/ whisk attachments, until thick, about 5 mins.
• Add sweetened condensed milk in a slow steady stream mixing constantly. Raise to high, mix until thick, about 3 mins.
• Reduce speed to low, add juice, mix until just combined

Spread filling evenly on crust. Bake 10 mins, cool completely, cool at room temp until cool to the touch and then in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.


Garnish

My Mom's Dinner Rolls

Yeah, I know. Three recipes in one day. I got laid off from my job and I'm now made of time.

My mom always forgot to make rolls beforehand and very rarely did they get a chance to rise. Somehow, these always turned out great.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. dry yeast

2 c. warm water

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. olive or vegetable oil

1 egg

2 1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 c. nonfat dry milk

5-6 c. all-purpose white flour

Directions:

1) In a large electric mixer (or use a hand mixer with dough attachments) combine yeast and warm water. Let stand 5 minutes

2) Add sugar, oil, egg, dry milk, and salt, plus 2 cups of flour.

3) Mix on high speed until mixture is smooth.

4) Add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough forms a soft ball.

5) Shape into round balls for rolls. Dough should fill one jellyroll pan, or make 30 balls.

6) Bake at 400 degree for 15-20 minutes.

My Favorite Waffles

I often rely on commercially-available, just-add-water pancake mixes. I wouldn't dream of this for waffles, as it's impossible to get the ideally ethereal, whispery light waffle batter from a mix.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 3/4 c. milk (2% is best)

1/2 c. oil (can be halved if watching your figure)

2 eggs, yolks and white separated (set whites aside)

Directions:

1) Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl.

2) In another bowl, beat egg whites only with hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Stiff peaks means when you pull the hand mixer blades up, the egg pulls up from the mixture in little points.

3) In a blender, mix egg yolks, milk, and oil.

4) Pour egg yolk mixture into dry ingredients, stirring until just wet. Do not overmix. Batter will be slightly lumpy.

6) Gently fold in stiffened egg whites. Leave a few egg fluffs visible on top.

7) Pour onto a lightly greased waffle iron. Will make 8-12 waffles depending on the type of waffle iron you use.

Hummus

Motion DeSmith's post about onion dip inspired me to post this easy and delicious homemade hummus recipe. It requires a few ingredients you might not have hanging around the house, but are becoming increasingly available at many food retailers. I could probably die happy eating only Greek/Moroccan food, so I make this stuff pretty frequently.

Ingredients:

1 can 16 oz. chickpeas/Garbanzo beans

2-3 minced garlic cloves

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/3 c. tahini paste (sesame seed paste; typically comes in a jar or a tin)

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or more to taste)

1/3 c. chickpea liquid, reserved

Directions:

1) Drain chickpeas, reserving liquid for later.

2) In a small skillet over low heat, cook garlic and cumin in 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil, until garlic is soft and cumin is fragrant, about 1 minute.

3) Turn out over chickpeas.

4) Add tahini (it's about the viscosity of peanut butter, so be prepared with a spatula to dig it out of the measuring cup), lemon juice, and salt. Mix in a blender or food processor until smooth.

5) Add chickpea canning liquid to achieve desired consistency.

Variations:

1) At step 4, add some bottled roasted red peppers to the mix.

2) Add roasted eggplant for a variation on baba ghanouj.

3) Add a dash of cayenne for a spicy hummus.

Serve with warm pita bread. You can make your own by setting the oven to 425 degrees and placing a jellyroll pan upside-down in the oven. Make a basic bread recipe, roll out 6-in pieces to 1/8 in thickness, and flip onto the pan for 3-5 minutes (watch carefully! You want them golden brown but not crispy). The heat from the pan and the heat from the air cook the dough on both sides, creating an air bubble inside and thus the enviable pita pocket. This process can take practice, so don't be discouraged if your pitas don't puff up. They will still be tasty.

Carmelized Onion Dip

This is the ultimate dip for ruffley chips for a summer barbecue OR for when you get laid off and want to loaf around in your sweats all day and watch the Food Network. The genius of this dip is that it tastes vaguely reminiscent of the onion dip of your youth, but classed up a notch or two with the addition of caramelized onions and yogurt. Yogurt is necessary for your digestive system, so basically when you eat this dip you're practically doing your body a favor.

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions (they look like a lot now, but they'll shrink like a frightened turtle)
• 3/4 C sour cream
• 3/4 C plain or Greek yogurt
• 2 TBS dehydrated onion flakes (to taste)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt

Finely chop onions. Saute onions in the olive oil along with a pinch of salt on medium heat. Stir occasionally, cooking until the onions are deeply golden, brown, and caramelized - roughly 25 -30 minutes. Let cool.

In the meantime, stir together the sour cream, yogurt, onion powder, and salt. The important thing is to add whatever onion powder you are using to taste. Add a bit at a time until it tastes really good. Set aside until the caramelized onions have cooled to room temperature. Stir in 2/3 of the caramelized onions, scoop into a serving bowl, and top with the remaining onions. I think this dip is best at room temperature.

Makes about 2 cups.

From 101 cookbooks.