Penne in marinara sauce with spinach and mushroom

 I have been so engrossed in revamping my web page that I forget my meals. It is such a fantastic learning experience for me, that I feel so irritated to move away from my laptop to even cook. Now that mommy dearest has left, I hurry to make quick meals. That way, I can spend more time trying out nerdy stuff that can give my blog a new look .

So the easiest meal I could think of for this day was pasta. Hubby always wants veggies included in his meals. Hates carbohydrate-only meals. So, I think...................Penne with veggies in a marinara sauce. This he really  loves and so it is a win-win situation. Very easy for me to cook and meets his requirements too. It needs less prep time in the kitchen. 

To this day, I make a mean marinara sauce. Marinara is a sauce made from tomatoes, onions and herbs.

I learned to make good marinara sauce from my friend Katrin,  when we lived in Germany. She was gracious enough to let me in on 3 secrets to the most delicious and flavorful pasta sauce. As you read on you will know what they are.

It is essential to use a good, extra virgin olive oil to make a good sauce.
I have added spinach and mushrooms to my pasta sauce because I love the combination of these veggies with my pasta . Hmmmm! I just remembered that I could tell you something about mushrooms. There is a trick to know if your mushrooms are fresh or not.

Freshness of mushrooms can be seen and felt. They should look a healthy white, plump and firm to touch . But more than anything, mushrooms should always be closed at the bottom near the stalk. If they are open and show brown veins it means they are not very fresh. But, this doesn't mean that they are bad or unusable,  but, it is always better to buy closed mushrooms, which means freshness intact.

Now, here are the 3 little secrets to a good pasta sauce :

1.  Add tomato paste to the sauce.
2. Add a splash of good red wine.
3.  Let the sauce simmer for atleast 25 mins, but at best 30-45 mins.

Some people as scared or wary of using wine and alcoholic beverages in their cooking. But fact is, that the alcohol evaporates in the cooking process and leaves only a hint of the wine back.

 

I have used ripe, country tomatoes in my sauce beause they disintegrate easily into the sauce while cooking.  

Ingredients: (serves 2)

• Penne pasta - 2 cups (cooked as per package instructions)
• Olive oil - 2 tbspns
• Onions - 2 (sliced)
• Garlic - 10 large cloves
• Tomatoes -5-6 (cut in halves)
• Sun-dried tomato paste - 2 tspns
• Chili powder - 1/2 tspn
• Sugar - 1 tspn
  
• Salt  to taste
• Water - 2 cups
• Wine - 1/4 cup (optional)
• Mushrooms - 5-6 (sliced)
• Spinach - 1 small bunch (chopped)
• Dried oregano -  1/2 tspn
• Basil - 5-6 leaves (chopped)
• Parmesan cheese - Optional ( I did not use it)

Method:

• Heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic and onions. Saute till transparent.
• Add tomatoes and sun-dried tomato paste. Saute well.
• Add chili powder, salt and sugar. Saute for 2 mins.
• Add water and wine and cover and simmer for at least 30 mins. 
• Stir the sauce occasionally (about every 10 mins)
• Add mushrooms. Cover and cook for 6-8 mins.
• Add the spinach and cook for 2-3 mins
• Finally, add the herbs and serve with the penne.
• Grate a little parmesan cheese over the plate after serving. (optional)

 

Garlic bread

I know alot of people who love garlic bread and I myself fall into that category too. I love garlic and I love bread. So, how will I not like garlic bread? Serves as a great accompaniment for soups, pizza or fried chicken. I, usually, serve it with tandoori chicken. Usually garlic bread is made with garlic butter. But, to be on the healthier side, I've added a mix of olive oil instead of using large quantities of butter alone.
I'm not scribbling much today and that may provide some relief to many of you.
Just want to let you know one more thing. I received a huge bundle of awards from Purva of purvasdaawat.blogspot.com. Thanks Purva
I also got a friends award from Lavanya of vividharuchulu.blogspot.com. Thank you Lavanya. Much appreciated.

Ingredients : (5 -6 servings)

• Baguette bread(long french bread) - 1 Loaf
• Garlic - 3 medium cloves
• Butter(room temperature) - 2 tbspns
• Olive oil - 2 tbspns
• Oregano - 1 tspn ( or italian seasoning)
• Salt - to taste

Directions :

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make a very fine paste of garlic and salt.
• In a small bowl, take the soft butter along with olive oil, garlic-salt paste and oregano. Mix well.
• Cut the baguette, lengthwise, into 2 halves.
• Apply the butter mixer on the bread and bake for 7-8 mins , till the bread turns slightly golden brown.
• Cut and serve hot.
  

Luv 'n' luc'

Smitha

Spaghetti with broccoli and spinach in tomato sauce

Ciao!

What's smoking my chimney today? It's Italian food. I love Italian food. Well, who doesn't???

Italians are very warm hearted and that overflows into their food as well. Pizza, pasta, Parmesan topped lasagna, tiramisu, pannacotta and the list goes on and on. Just the thought of these makes me go bonkers.

In Rome, I was surprised at how pizza's were served. They come in the form of sandwiches. One square slice of pizza topped with another inverted slice. Yes, that's the way it's served in Rome.It tasted great. They looked sandwich-ish but tasted pizza- ish. This style of serving pizza is good for tourists who just grab and eat on the run. No mess, no fuss.

Anyway, I don't know why I'm harping on pizza when today's recipe is spaghetti served with broccoli and spinach in tomato sauce. In summer I use fresh tomatoes for this sauce. But, in winter, since we hardly get good tomatoes, I opt for the canned ones.

The secret of a great tasting sauce is to cover and cook it for about 20-30 mins on low heat, stiriing occasionally. But if you don't have that much time on your hands, just cook the sauce for 10 minutes.

Ingredients: (sauce serves 5-6 )

• Olive oil- 3 tbspns
• Onions - 1 large (sliced)
• Garlic - 5 cloves
• Tomato paste - 2 tbspns
• Diced Tomato - 1 (30 oz.) can ( substitute with 12-13 fresh tomatoes)
• Carrot - 1 (chopped)
• Chilli powder - 1 tspn( or to taste)
• Salt- to taste
• Sugar - 2 tspns
• Half and half or cream or evaporated milk - 1/4 cup
• Vegetable stock - 1/4 cup( can be substituted with water)
• Dried oregano leaves - 1/2 tspn
• Basil - 14-15 leaves
• Grated Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup
• Steamed broccoli florets - 2 cups
• Spinach - 1/2 bunch( chopped)
• Any variety of pasta - As much as required.

Directions:

• Heat oil in large pot on medium heat. Add garlic and onions and saute till translucent.( about 3-4 mins)
• Add carrots and saute another minute.
• Add the tomato paste and and stir for a minute.
• Add the diced tomatoes, chilli powder, salt and sugar and mix well. Cover and let it cook on low flame for a minimum of 10 minutes. (The sauce tastes better if it is cooked for 20-30 mins on low flame. If you don't have the time for that, then 10 mins. is sufficient)
• In the mean time, cook the pasta according to the directions specified on your pasta packet.( All you need to do is boil the pasta in salted water for the time specified on the pasta packet and then strain it. I have used thick spaghetti. I just had to boil it in salted water for 15 minutes. I add a few drops of oil to the salted water to prevent the pasta from sticking together. Stir pasta occasionally while it cooks.)
• When the sauce is cooked, transfer it to a blender and make a puree.
• Return the sauce to the pot and heat. ( be cautious as the sauce tends to splatter when the puree is heated)
• Add the chopped spinach, oregano, basil, half and half or cream and the vegetable stock. Stir well and let it cook for a minute.
• Turn of heat and add the steamed broccoli. Stir gently.
• Serve pasta with this sauce and sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Luv 'n' luc'
Smitha