Category: sauce

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Weeknight Mushroom Ragu


I was home alone on a Sunday night, staring down Peter Berley, Mario Batali, and some hen-of-the-woods mushrooms that I’d picked up at the farmer’s market. Peter said to oven-roast the mushrooms before returning to the skillet — too fussy for a weeknight. Mario demanded his delicious tomato sauce as a basic ingredient, and I had none on hand.

Could I make a rich, delicious mushroom ragu using only a skillet and a knife, without having so much as removed an onion from the pantry drawer, in only 30 minutes? Nah. I could do it in 25. Boys? Game on.

Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4, with whole-wheat pasta, thick slices of toasted whole-grain bread, or polenta.

Ingredients:
2 T EVOO
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, diced
1 bay leaf
3 baby carrots, sliced (optional)
12-16 ounces of wild mushrooms, or a mix of wild and button mushrooms, chopped coarsely or sliced into pieces appropriate for a chunky sauce
1 c red wine
1 t salt
1.5 t thyme
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1 T butter or heart-smart margarine (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
2. Add onions. Saute about 5 minutes until golden-brown. Add garlic and bay leaf and carrots, if using.
3. Add mushrooms. Saute about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until ingredients are well-mingled and mushrooms have released most of their liquid.
4. Add wine and stir to deglaze pan.
5. Add salt, thyme, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Grind in some fresh black pepper. Reduce heat.
6. Stir in additional 1T butter/margarine, if desired. Taste to adjust salt and pepper and correct seasonings.

image shared pursuant to the GFDL

Posted on

Weeknight Mushroom Ragu


I was home alone on a Sunday night, staring down Peter Berley, Mario Batali, and some hen-of-the-woods mushrooms that I’d picked up at the farmer’s market. Peter said to oven-roast the mushrooms before returning to the skillet — too fussy for a weeknight. Mario demanded his delicious tomato sauce as a basic ingredient, and I had none on hand.

Could I make a rich, delicious mushroom ragu using only a skillet and a knife, without having so much as removed an onion from the pantry drawer, in only 30 minutes? Nah. I could do it in 25. Boys? Game on.

Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4, with whole-wheat pasta, thick slices of toasted whole-grain bread, or polenta.

Ingredients:
2 T EVOO
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, diced
1 bay leaf
3 baby carrots, sliced (optional)
12-16 ounces of wild mushrooms, or a mix of wild and button mushrooms, chopped coarsely or sliced into pieces appropriate for a chunky sauce
1 c red wine
1 t salt
1.5 t thyme
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1 T butter or heart-smart margarine (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
2. Add onions. Saute about 5 minutes until golden-brown. Add garlic and bay leaf and carrots, if using.
3. Add mushrooms. Saute about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until ingredients are well-mingled and mushrooms have released most of their liquid.
4. Add wine and stir to deglaze pan.
5. Add salt, thyme, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Grind in some fresh black pepper. Reduce heat.
6. Stir in additional 1T butter/margarine, if desired. Taste to adjust salt and pepper and correct seasonings.

image shared pursuant to the GFDL

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Whole Wheat Pasta with Sardine and Tomato Sauce

Quick, easy, delicious, and nutritious. Sardines are a low-mercury fish and are great for heart health. Sardines packed in oil have zero carbs and 24 grams of protein per tin, plus lots of essential omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and niacin. This dish can be made in less than the time it takes the pasta to cook.

Serves: 2 (easily multiplied)
Total time: About 15 minutes
Work time: About 15 minutes

2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
pinch dried or fresh thyme leaves
pinch red pepper flakes
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
3 tins sardines packed in olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 lb whole wheat pasta shapes or spirals

1. Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions, but undercook by 1 minute. You can prepare steps 2-? while waiting for the water to boil.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil (or just use olive oil from sardine tins), diced onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to caramelize (soften and brown, but not burn).
3. Add a thyme and red pepper flakes.
4. Add sardines and tomatoes. Break up sardines with cooking utensil. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
6. Stir pasta into skillet and cook for 1 minute with sauce. Serve.

Variation: Try cumin or rosemary in place of the thyme. Serve over brown rice or a whole grain instead of pasta.

Posted on

Whole Wheat Pasta with Sardine and Tomato Sauce

Quick, easy, delicious, and nutritious. Sardines are a low-mercury fish and are great for heart health. Sardines packed in oil have zero carbs and 24 grams of protein per tin, plus lots of essential omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and niacin. This dish can be made in less than the time it takes the pasta to cook.

Serves: 2 (easily multiplied)
Total time: About 15 minutes
Work time: About 15 minutes

2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
pinch dried or fresh thyme leaves
pinch red pepper flakes
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
3 tins sardines packed in olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 lb whole wheat pasta shapes or spirals

1. Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions, but undercook by 1 minute. You can prepare steps 2-? while waiting for the water to boil.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil (or just use olive oil from sardine tins), diced onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to caramelize (soften and brown, but not burn).
3. Add a thyme and red pepper flakes.
4. Add sardines and tomatoes. Break up sardines with cooking utensil. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
6. Stir pasta into skillet and cook for 1 minute with sauce. Serve.

Variation: Try cumin or rosemary in place of the thyme. Serve over brown rice or a whole grain instead of pasta.

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Recipe: Simple Cranberry Sauce

So good, and so easy, it will make you wonder why canned red glop was ever invented. A delicious and unexpected way to get your daily fruit.

Total Time: ~15 minutes
Work time: <5 minutes
Makes: 2 1/4 cups
Freezes well.

4 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup water
white or brown sugar, maple syrup, maple sugar, or other sweetener to taste

Method 1:

Combine cranberries and sweetener in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add cranberries, reduce heat, and Simmer ~10-15 minutes until cranberries begin to break apart. Adjust sweetener to taste.

Method 2:

Bring cranberries and water to boil. Simmer ~10-15 minutes until cranberries begin to break apart. Add sweetener to taste.

Variations: add nuts, dried fruit, orange zest, orange slices, apples, pears, cinnamon (stick or powdered) and/or nutmeg with the cranberries

Posted on

Recipe: Simple Cranberry Sauce

So good, and so easy, it will make you wonder why canned red glop was ever invented. A delicious and unexpected way to get your daily fruit.

Total Time: ~15 minutes
Work time: <5 minutes
Makes: 2 1/4 cups
Freezes well.

4 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup water
white or brown sugar, maple syrup, maple sugar, or other sweetener to taste

Method 1:

Combine cranberries and sweetener in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add cranberries, reduce heat, and Simmer ~10-15 minutes until cranberries begin to break apart. Adjust sweetener to taste.

Method 2:

Bring cranberries and water to boil. Simmer ~10-15 minutes until cranberries begin to break apart. Add sweetener to taste.

Variations: add nuts, dried fruit, orange zest, orange slices, apples, pears, cinnamon (stick or powdered) and/or nutmeg with the cranberries

Posted on

Recipe: Simple Cranberry Sauce

So good, and so easy, it will make you wonder why canned red glop was ever invented. A delicious and unexpected way to get your daily fruit.

Total Time: ~15 minutes
Work time: <5 minutes
Makes: 2 1/4 cups
Freezes well.

4 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup water
white or brown sugar, maple syrup, maple sugar, or other sweetener to taste

Method 1:

Combine cranberries and sweetener in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add cranberries, reduce heat, and Simmer ~10-15 minutes until cranberries begin to break apart. Adjust sweetener to taste.

Method 2:

Bring cranberries and water to boil. Simmer ~10-15 minutes until cranberries begin to break apart. Add sweetener to taste.

Variations: add nuts, dried fruit, orange zest, orange slices, apples, pears, cinnamon (stick or powdered) and/or nutmeg with the cranberries