What's Cooking?
On January 7th I started a 6 month intensive online cooking course at Rouxbe.com. We started out learning about kitchen and food safety, and progressed to knife skills before we actually got to cook anything! Our first assignment was to make our "go-to" dish. I wasn't really sure I had a go-to dish, but I do make a rustic tomato sauce that I use in many different recipes. I love everything this sauce. - from chopping and sauteing the onions, carrots, and celery, carmelizing the tomatoes, and tending to it as it simmers and reduces and the mingling smells fill the house!
For this assignemnt we had to photograph all the ingredients ready to go (this is refered to as mis en place), the dish in process, and the finished dish. Prepping everything ahead of time is important so your ingredients will be at the ready when you need them, and you will not be surprised when you are in the middle of the recipe and go to the cupboard for, say, canned tomatoes only to find you used them all last week. (Ask me how I know this!)
So here's a photo of all my ingredients, deglazing the pan, and the final prodct. Frankly, it's really no that photogenic, but it sure eats well. :-) The recipe follows....
Rustic Tomato Sauce
(adapted from Alton Brown's Pantry-Friendly Tomato Sauce recipe)
2 (28-ounce) cans whole, peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 ounces olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 ounces olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Pour the tomatoes into a strainer over a saucepan. Squeeze each tomato break them up with your hands. (You can remove the seeds if you want, but I can't be bothered.) Set the tomatoes aside.
Place saucepan with the the tomato juice on a burner over medium heat and add the red wine, red pepper flakes, oregano, and basil. Stir and cook over high heat. Once bubbles begin to form on the surface, reduce to a simmer. Allow liquid to reduce by 1/2 or until liquid has thickened to a loose syrup consistency.
Heat olive oil in a medium sized saucepan and add carrot, onion, and celery. Cook the veggies (called mirepoix) until the carrots are tender and the onion becomes translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. Add garlic, saute for 5 minutes, then add the crushed tomatoes.
Cook on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the mixture becomes dry and begins to brown the bottom of the pan slightly. Add the white wine to deglaze and get all those lovely, tasty brown bits off the bottom of the pan and cook for a few more minutes over medium heat until the wine evaporates.
Next, add the reduced tomato sauce and let simmer for at least 15 minutes. To finish and thicken the sauce, use an immersion blender to chop the veggies to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Heat olive oil in a medium sized saucepan and add carrot, onion, and celery. Cook the veggies (called mirepoix) until the carrots are tender and the onion becomes translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. Add garlic, saute for 5 minutes, then add the crushed tomatoes.
Cook on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the mixture becomes dry and begins to brown the bottom of the pan slightly. Add the white wine to deglaze and get all those lovely, tasty brown bits off the bottom of the pan and cook for a few more minutes over medium heat until the wine evaporates.
Next, add the reduced tomato sauce and let simmer for at least 15 minutes. To finish and thicken the sauce, use an immersion blender to chop the veggies to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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