Salsa is a terrific snack. Its primary components are vegetables and its acidity, heat, and natural sweetness satisfy in a guilt-free way. It is no wonder that every grocery store sells so many varieties of salsa. We can walk down the condiment aisle and expect to be able to choose from a variety of roasted, tropical, and green salsas, each one suiting a different menu and mood.

For those savvy to a few tricks in the kitchen, salsa is also appealing because it is so easy to prepare. And the beauty of making fresh salsa is that you can combine the sweet roasted flavor of tomatoes with the soul-appeasing crunch of fresh peppers and onions.

With the recipe below, you will be such a star of your next Cinco de Mayo party with so little effort that you will find yourself trying your own tropical and tomatillo versions of this recipe. When you do , share them with us, because there is always occasion for a good salsa.

Ingredients

• 3 fresh tomatoes
• 2 sweet bell peppers, preferably a some combination of red, orange, or yellow
• 1 sweet white or yellow onion
• 1 jalapeno
• The juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• Salt, to taste

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Cut your tomatoes into quarters and remove the core.   Toss them in the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Spread them on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes or until they are caramelized and soft.  When you remove the tomatoes from the oven, allow them to cool and then, using a pairing knife, gently remove the skins.  Place in a bowl and gently crush.

Cut your sweet peppers and onions into 1/4 inch dice and place into a mixing bowl.  Finely dice your jalapeno and cilantro and add them to the mixing bowl.  Add the roasted rushed tomatoes and lemon juice.  Season with salt to taste.

Serve with chips or with your favorite Mexican entree.  Yields 3 cups.

My introduction to Harissa was with the super spicy version that’s served in falafel and shawarma restaurants like the famous Falafel in Central Square Cambridge. That version is pretty intense, and will really kick you in the ass if you’re not careful. This version is a bit milder, with more of a slow heat the builds over the course of your meal that you use it in. Some applications that have really worked have been mixing it in with mashed potatoes, putting some on scrambled eggs and even on pizza. My version uses sun dried tomatoes for the base of the sauce, instead of peppers, as was inspired by Ana Sourtun’s cookbook Spice.

We also benefit from a fantastic spice store here in Inman Square Cambridge called Christina’s (they also do ice cream…great combination, I know).  This place is really a dream for any culinarily minded people who can’t find certain more exotic spices elsewhere.  I recommend the smoked paprika, urfa chilies and aleppo as well – all really great spices that you’ll struggle to find elsewhere.  The urfa chilies are used in this recipe, and I recommend you get some (they’re fantastic!!).  If you can’t find them around your area, order them here.  Here’s the recipe that I’ve been using:

• 1 Cup Urfa chilies – try to use them, they’re great! But you can use another pepper of your choice as well.
• 3 cloves garlic – roughly chopped
• 5-6 sun dried tomatoes – poached in some boiling water until tender
• 1 cup water
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tbsp. spice combination (listed below)

Spice combination – add these prepped spices into your mortar and pestle:

• 1 tsp. cumin seeds – toasted
• A few saffron threads
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1/4 cup smoked paprika
• A few turns of your black pepper mill
• 1 tsp. dried ginger
• 1 tsp. mustard powder
• 1 Tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• Pinch of sugar

Prepare the spices and crush them to combine in your mortar and pestle.  Once you have this done, make sure you have your sun dried tomatoes prepped, then literally combine all of the ingredients into your food processor. Combine until smooth, then adjust the seasonings as desired.

Use your harissa on eggs, potatoes, pizza, in soup, etc…it’s great stuff with almost anything!  Enjoy -

I have taken on two challenges with the invention of this recipe:  the first is making a pasta-less lasagna that is hands-down delicious (you’re welcome, gluten-phobes and carb-free dieters!); the second is creating a dish that even the most critical loather of eggplant simply could not resist.  Eggplant is a touchy vegetable for some people.  How many times have I heard the claim that eggplant is “bitter”?  My response – slander!  How could such a succulent, beautiful gift from the Earth be given such a bad reputation?  The answer is the same as with most vegetables we grow to dislike.  It’s like a bad dog:  the problem is not the offender, it is the handler.  The bitter eggplant was poorly cooked.  But don’t worry, I am here to show you how to be the pack leader of eggplant.

When cooked properly and patiently, eggplant metamorphosizes, becoming tender and sweet.  In this recipe, it makes a great substitute for pasta because it is easy to cut thin and it holds its shape, but the sweet flavor it adds brings the dish to a new place.  It already created one convert when I made this dish for my good friend’s mother, unaware that she didn’t like eggplant.  She enjoyed the dish so much, she called me right after dinner to rave about how pleased she was to finally like eggplant.  Her daughter later verified that she had to ask her to stop saying, “Yum, this is so delicious,” after every bite.  Quite a compliment!

This lasagna has three different components, and then a nice cheesy top.  I find it easiest to prepare the three components separately, and then assemble and cook the lasagna.  I chose to make a tomato sauce that was loaded with veggies like fennel and kale for additional flavor and nutritional merit.  It would also be tasty with a more simple tomato sauce.  It is a little involved, so plan ahead and complete all of the steps except for baking it.  It can wait to be baked for a couple of days in your fridge.  Remember – it is a labor of love.  It is not supposed to be easy.  The messier your kitchen is when you are done and the more love you put into giving each layer just the right amount of sauce, the more delicious it will taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggplants
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 bulb of fennel, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup of chopped kale
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• A handful of fresh basil, chopped
• 1 28 0z can of whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 cup of dry white wine

• 1 large container of ricotta cheese, whole milk or part skim
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of grated Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• Salt and red pepper to taste

To prepare the eggplant:

Peel the eggplant.  Using a mandolin, slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4 inch pieces.  Lay them out on paper towels and season them liberally with salt.  Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat in a large, nonstick skillet and put a layer of eggplant in the skillet at a time.  Cover the skillet with a lid, as this will help the eggplant steam and become soft and sweet without having to use too much oil.  Cook for about three minutes and then flip.  Cook the second side for another three minutes and remove. Place cooked eggplant on the paper towels and reserve for assembly.  Repeat this process until all the eggplant is cooked, adding more olive oil to the pan as necessary.

To prepare the sauce:

You may use the same skillet you used to cook the eggplant if it is plenty big.  Heat another two tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onions, fennel, red bell pepper, and garlic.  Season with salt and crushed red pepper to taste.  Let the vegetables soften until they become translucent, about six or seven minutes.  Add the kale and toss or stir until it is coated with the olive oil. Add the wine and let the alcohol cook off for about 4 or 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste.  Allow the sauce to simmer over low heat while you prepare the ricotta mixture so that all of the flavors may blend.

To prepare the ricotta mixture:

Combine the ricotta, eggs, scallions, and basil in a large bowl.  Mix well. Set aside for assembly.

To assemble:

Assemble the lasagna in a large Pyrex cassarole dish.  I love using glass because you can see the beautiful layers of the lasagna.

Start with a layer of half of the eggplant on the bottom of your dish.  I alternate the pieces, fat side up, fat side down, for a more even layer.

Next, evenly spread a layer of half of the ricotta mixture over the eggplant.  Make sure you reach all the way to the edge so you can see each layer.

Next, ladle half of the tomato sauce over the ricotta layer and spread it out evenly, all the way to the edge.

Make one more layer each of the eggplant, ricotta mixture and sauce.  Top the dish with the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. If you are preparing the dish ahead of time, stop here and put it in the fridge.  Otherwise, it is ready to bake.

Baking the dish:

Bake the dish at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Turn the oven to broil and bake for another 5 minutes, until the top is golden brown.  Let the lasagna cool for about 15 minutes, and serve!  Serves 6-8 people.

You may think that the title of this post makes it sound like some big, heavy, complicated, difficult recipe to produce, but I want to assure you that it’s anything but.  One of the beauties of rustic Italian food is that it’s all relatively simple, even for an elegant meal such as braised duck.  This meal was almost done all in one pot, the only other hardware we used was the pot to cook the pasta and another small pan to being the pasta and braised duck sauce together with a little pasta water.

In terms of the sauce with the braised duck, well that’s actually pretty simple too.  There’s a protein: fresh organic duck legs that we bought at Savenor’s here in Boston – Some vegetables: standard mirepoix (carrots, onion and celery) along with garlic and fennel – Some liquid that starts as braising liquid and ends as the pasta sauce bringing everything together.  Other than that, a few herbs and a very simple garnish of basil and Parmesan and you have a dish that’s wholesome, hearty and a great way to serve duck!  Here’s the idea:

Serves 6-8

• 4 organic duck legs, skin on
• 3-4 medium carrots – cubed or diced
• 4 medium stalks of celery – trimmed and cubed
• 1 large yellow onion  – diced
• 1 large head of fennel – sliced in half and then cut lengthwise into strips
• 4-5 cloves garlic – rough dice

• 2 bay leaves
• A handful of dried mushrooms – porcini or shitake
• Around a cup of dry red wine (good quality preferred!) – I eyed it, like 1/3 of the bottle
• 1.5 cups good quality chicken stock
• 1 28 oz. can of peeled whole tomatoes (San Marzano preferred if you can find them)
• 1.5 lb dried Tagliatelle nests
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Basil and Parmesan for garnish

The best equipment to do this recipe in is your classic dutch oven.  If you don’t have one of those trendy Le Creuset or other models, then a good sturdy heavy bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid will do ok, but will make you stir more.

Start by removing the fat and skin from your duck legs.  Reserve a couple little pieces of the skin and fat though, instead of tossing it out straight away.  Salt your cleaned duck on both sides and pour a glug of olive oil into your pot that you should start over medium-high heat.  Once the oil is almost smoking, add the duck legs and sear on one side until it’s brown.  Flip them and do the same on the other side and then remove the duck from the pot.  Add in the reserved pieces of duck fat and lower the heat to medium.  Render out some of the fat, then remove the skin pieces and discard them.

Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the pot along with bay leaf and stir to combine.  You don’t want to color the vegetables, so stir often to prevent them from browning.  After 5 minutes or so, add the fennel and stir to combine.  Cook all of the vegetables together for around 10-15 minutes, then add the wine and the mushrooms.  Let the alcohol cook off for 2 minutes, and then add the tomatoes and chicken stock to the mix. Once the tomatoes are added, crush them up a bit with the back of a wooden spoon on the side of your pot.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then add lower the heat to low, maintaining a melow simmer.  Add the duck legs back to the pot and cover.  Let this cook for around an hour or until the meat starts to pull back from the end of the leg bone.  Once the duck is done, remove it and pull the meat off of the bones, shred the meat with 2 forks (should look a little like the pic) and then discard the bones.  Leave the sauce uncovered and turn the heat up slightly, then put the pulled meat back into the post.  Sitr frequently, letting the sauce cook down to your desired consistency – around 15-30 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking down, cook your pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water.  Once the pasta is finished, combine it in a warm skillet with a little pasta water from the cooking process.  Plate and top the dishes with fresh basil (chiffonade) and some fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

During the holiday season, we are treated with many decadent culinary delights.  It is the time of year when calories don’t count (because, clearly, it is important for your health to develop a “winter layer”) and heavy cream and cartons of butter are staples in your refrigerator.  After our fourth holiday party, having never missed out on the bacon-wrapped appetizers, gravy coated roasts, festively sweet cocktails, or cream-cheese filled desserts, I was ready for a meal that was a little less…indulgent.

Adrian and I love to host dinners, though, especially during the holidays, and when his parents were in town for a night, my first instinct was to go with seafood.  Not only is fish a very lean source of protein, I love it because it still feels “special” enough to serve to your mother-in law during the holidays.  I went with monkfish, because it is local to the Atlantic and it was really fresh.

Monkfish is probably the most bizarre looking fish in the world, at least on the outside.  We are talking prehistoric, extraterrestrial kind of ugliness.  I’ll be honest, if I were a fisherman, and I reeled one of these creatures in, I probably would have tried to throw it back as quickly as a home run ball hit by Alex Rodriguez in Fenway Park.  But the fillet you get from the seafood counter is quite lovely.  It is almost snow white and has a wonderful firm texture many people equate with lobster.  In fact, it has the nickname “the poor man’s lobster”; that is, of course, when people are not referring to it as the “sea-devil”.

Monkfish is a great selection for this recipe because its meaty texture holds up well to such a flavorful sauce.  If you can find it, skate wing would be delicious as well.  The rich flavor of the wine and the saltiness of the olives give this  dish an almost “puttanesca”-like flavor.  Try it out!  Your family and guests will be impressed with the diversity of your ingredients and you will have given everyone a decadent meal that is a nice break from the usual weightiness of holiday cuisine!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. of fresh Monkfish fillets
• 1/2 cup of roughly chopped green olives
• 2 tbs. of freshly chopped basil
• 2 cups of hearty red wine
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes
• 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by seasoning your monkfish fillets with salt and pepper dusting them generously with the flour.  Melt the butter in the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat.  Add the dusted monkfish fillet to the pan, and cook for about three to five minutes on each side, depending on the size of your fillets, or until it becomes a nice golden brown color.  Remove the monkfish from the pan and place in a very low temperature oven (200 degrees) while you prepare the sauce.

De-glaze the pan by adding the wine and stirring up the little bits stuck to bottom of the pan.  Add the tomato paste, olives, and chili flakes.  Let the sauce thicken and reduce by about half. Taste the sauce to see if you need to add salt.  Pour the sauce over the fish, garnish with the chopped basil and serve immediately.  Serves four.

It is excellent served with rice or over egg noodles.  I also served steamed artichokes with a curry aioli  along side, which was absolutely delicious (that post will come soon!).  Enjoy!

Ketchup has always held a special place in my culinary eye.  As a kid, I put the stuff on literally everything – even chicken, steak and pork chops – rather than just the standard french fries and burgers (which I of course enjoyed also).  These days, I’ve cut way back on my ketchup consumption, but I still like it on the standard stuff.  In fact one of the times I really enjoy it is at breakfast time on eggs and omelets.

Don’t get me wrong, I do think the Heinz company makes a great product – their ketchup really hasn’t wavered in quality over the many years – they’ve stayed very consistent which is great.  I’ve always been tempted to make my own ketchup and when I found Jamie Oliver’s recipe in a recent cookbook, I thought hey, why not give it a shot.  My recipe is a lot like Jamie’s, with a few variations.

Being winter time, I unfortunately had to opt for standard grape tomatoes, instead of those awesome multi-colored heirloom tomatoes that will enable you to create cool looking yellow and green (or even purple) ketchups. This variation turned out really well, though I may have added a little bit too much vinegar.  The straining of the sauce through a sieve is a critical step in the cooking process, as it gives the condiment that great clean sheen and smooth texture.  Do this multiple times if you can.  Here’s how to make your own ketchup happen:

• Around 2 cups of cherry tomatoes (best quality you can find) or the equivalent amount of awesome heirloom tomatoes – halved or chopped
• 2 medium sun dried tomatoes – soaked for at least 45 minutes in hot water, then chopped finely
• 1/2 bulb fennel – chopped
• 1 large onion – roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 large celery stick – cubed
• 1 large clove garlic – diced
• 1 Tbsp. ginger – peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp. dried basil flakes
• 1 tsp. red chili flakes (more if you want it spicier)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar – start with 1/2 cup and add more to your taste
• Salt
• 1 Tbsp. white pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Start by prepping your vegetables.  Once your onion, fennel, celery, garlic and ginger are ready to go, add them to a heavy bottomed pot such as a dutch oven and add the olive oil ahead of time.  Add in the coriander seeds,  pepper flakes, basil, sun dried tomatoes, salt and white pepper and cook the combination slowly over medium/low heat.  Soften the vegetables, stirring often for somewhere in the range of 20-30 minutes.  Be sure not to brown the vegetables at all if you can help it.

Next, add the tomatoes into the mix, stirring to incorporate.  Add around 1 cup of water into the pot as well and bring the liquid to a boil (turning the heat up a bit).  Reduce the liquid a good amount (by about half).

Next add the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree for a minute or two until all of the chunks have been reduced to almost nothing.  Add the puree to a medium fine sieve and strain through the sieve into a clean pot – do this a couple of times at least to get the right texture.  Bring the heat back (on low) and add in the vinegar and brown sugar, stirring to incorporate.  Cook down as you wish to the right texture and consistency.  That’s it!  Can this sauce as you wish and enjoy the tomato goodness.

For most families, the thought of cranberry sauce evokes images in your mind of the gelatinous substance that slides out of the can, little ridges still intact, that you can slice with a knife and smother over your turkey.  I know this is an American classic, and I am not here to suggest that you should leave it out of the shopping cart this year.  If that is too much of  a stray from the traditions of your family,  I am simply suggesting that you try making this super easy, super delicious cranberry sauce as well.  That is what I do in my family, mostly for my step dad Paul, who appreciates my efforts but would never dare substitute the canned variety with anything else.

If you do give it a try, what you will gain is a wonderful texture as a result of the apples and whole cranberries, a nice sweetness from the orange juice, and a freshness from the orange zest.   Another bonus to making the fresh cranberries, aside from delighting your family with the extra effort, is the absolutely beautiful, bright red color which will help to make your table look gorgeous.

Here in Massachusetts, we are very lucky because most of the cranberries in the Unites States come from bogs right here on the South Shore.  I was able to find local, organic cranberries from Duxbury, MA that were bright red and firm.  If at all possible, use fresh cranberries.  Even if they do not grow in your area, they travel well and are widely available this time of year.

Feel free to make this recipe up to a week in advance.  It will keep very well in a sealed container in the refrigerator.  This will take pressure off of the big day!  If someone else is hosting you this Thanksgiving, this might be the perfect things to offer to bring.  It also makes a great gift if you package it a mason jar with some nice, fall-colored ribbon.

Ingredients:

• Two 12 oz. bags of fresh cranberries
• 2 oranges
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups of water

Rinse all of your cranberries in a large strainer.  Comb through them to look for soft cranberries and stems and remove these.  Put the cranberries in a deep pot.  Next add the chopped apples.  Using a microplane or a grater, remove the zest from one of the oranges and add it to the pot.  Add the juice from both oranges.  Add the sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the water and stir the ingredients well.

Cook the cranberry mixture over high heat until it boils.  Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 30 minutes, or until all of the cranberries have burst and the apples are soft.  The sauce should be thick enough that it sticks to a wooden spoon.  Put the sauce in a covered container and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

I do call this recipe ‘hot sauce’, but I am not talking about the packets of orange liquid they serve along with your order at Taco Bell.  This sauce is chunky and bursting with fresh pepper flavor and acidity, and can be as mild or as insanely hot as you or the crowd you are serving can handle.

October is a wonderful month for peppers of all kinds.  The fruit has had plenty of time to grow and ripen without damage from frost.   The peppers that you choose for this recipe are really up to you.  If you cringe at the idea of spicy food, this same recipe can be made with all sweet bell peppers and will make a deliciously tangy sauce with barely any spice.  If you really love the burn, you may choose to include one or two habaneros or scotch bonnets.  If you are not sure about a pepper’s heat, check out the Scoville scale to get an idea of how much heat a certain kind of  pepper has.  Either way you want to use peppers that are as fresh as can be so that your sauce has good flavor.

The best part of this recipe is that it is easy as can be, especially if you own a food processor or blender, and it has great Mediterranean flavors that make a wonderful accompaniment to fish or meat, and an awesome condiment for burgers or omelets.  I particularly love using it on fish tacos.

Ingredients:

• About two pounds of assorted fresh peppers (I used a mix of sweet, banana, jalapeno, Anaheim, cayenne, and habanero peppers)

• 1 head of garlic
• Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
• 1 cup of basil
• 1/2 cup of parsley
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of good balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Place all of your fresh peppers on the baking sheet.  Cut off the very top of your head of garlic.  Pour about 1/2 teaspoon of the olive oil over the exposed to of the garlic and place it on the baking sheet as well.  Place the peppers and garlic in the oven for 40 minutes or until they are soft and turning brown.  Remove the peppers and place them in a bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap so the peppers steam, which will make it much easier to remove their skin.

Once the peppers have steamed for about ten minutes, you should be able to peel the skin easily.  I do this with a pairing knife.  Remove the seeds (unless you want your sauce extra hot – the seeds contain most of the heat of a pepper) and stems.  Squeeze out the roasted cloves of garlic.  Put the peppers and garlic in the food processor with the basil, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt.  Pulse the ingredients until the are will  combined but still chunky, as I think this is what makes this sauce taste so fresh and delicious.  Taste the sauce cautiously, and if it is hotter than you would like, add lemon juice and salt to tone down the heat a bit.  Serve as a condiment for anything you would normally use hot sauce for.   You may want to let guests apply their own!

Summer has come and gone and as usual, I’m wishing for more of the nice weather and great fresh, simple ingredients and recipes.  Fall season is here though, and with it brings the awesome earthy, organic flavors of squash, apples and mushrooms.  I gotta say, it might be my favorite season of the food calendar.  The nights get shorter, the beer gets darker and so does the food.  Bring it on!

Our local farmer’s market is still hanging on to some of the last fruits of the summer though, as there was still an abundance of summer squash, as well as some late season tomatoes, which I’m happy for as I try to wrap my head around doing some canning for the winter.  This recipe really was thrown together at the last minute and the final product was good, so I’ve decided to post it – if for nothing else then as another good idea on using summer squash – an ingredient that I find sort of difficult to innovate dishes around.  When in doubt – make a pasta, it is really hard to screw up.

The dish is sort of similar to one of Aimee’s classic pasta recipes like Linguine with Little Neck Clams and Chorizo Sausage or Pork, Spinach and Feta Ragu with Vodka Sauce. The one thing that differentiates this dish from the rest is some of the ingredients, the fact that it doesn’t include any meat (hence the ‘Primavera’ aspect of it) and the combination of summer and fall flavors.

I also added some Marscarpone cheese to the dish to finish it, as it added a layer of creaminess to the dish, something I like with veggie pastas.  The other tip I want to share is a method of finishing a pasta, something I will always do now (especially after reading Bill Buford’s book ‘Heat’).  This method entails actually under-cooking your pasta somewhat in the pot, then removing it and finishing it in another pan with a tablespoon or two of your pasta water.  This really creates an awesome binder between the flavors that are in play and will make any pasta better, I promise.  The pasta itself will finish cooking and your final result will be perfect!  Here’s how it went:

For the tomato sauce first:

• 1/2 a large white onion (1/2 for the sauce, 1/2 for the veggie portion)
• 1 medium carrot – shredded on large holes of a box grater
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup good (at least decent) red wine
• 1 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 – 1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes (optional and add based on your own heat preferences)
• 1 tsp. fresh oregano (optional)
• Salt and fresh pepper
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil

Start the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion and carrot and season with salt.  Sweat the onion and carrot and let them cook for 5-10 minutes.  Add the garlic, oregano, a little more salt and red pepper flakes and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so.  Add in the wine and let it reduce by half to 3/4.  At this point, you should start the rest of your dish!!!  Add in the tomatoes and the bay leaf with a little more salt and pepper, reduce the heat to low, add a little water and keep the sauce at a slow simmer while you cook the rest of the dish:

• 2 medium summer squash or 4-5 small round summer squash – shredded on a box grater
• 1 bunch red kale (or green) – chopped
• 1 small head fennel – sliced lengthwise
• 1/2 a large onion (large dice)
• Small bunch of basil, 1/3 to 1/2 a cup – roughly chopped
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup almonds – whole and chopped, then toasted in a small pan over low heat until golden brown
• 1/2 cup good dry white wine
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese, ricotta, feta…)
• 1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Start a large pot of boiling water.  In another large skillet (aside from the sauce) over medium/low heat, add the butter and olive oil.  When they’ve come up to temperature, add the onions and fennel and cook them for around 10 minutes, until they begin to caramelize.  Add in the kale and combine it with the other veggies – it should wilt a little as it cooks down.  Before adding the squash, turn up the heat on the pan a bit and make some room for it on one side of the pan.  Add it in and let it brown a little bit before mixing it together with the rest of the veg.  Finally, add the basil and cook to combine.

In a small separate pan over medium/low heat, add in the almonds and brown them until golden, then take them off the heat.  When the water comes up to a boil, add a few pinches of salt and the pasta, stir and cook until it’s JUST al dente and kill the heat but don’t drain it!

Meanwhile, when the veggies are cooked to a desired doneness, add in the wine and cook off until there’s very little left.  At this point, add in the tomato sauce that you made in the separate pan to the veggies and cook together for a few minutes.  Remove the bay leaf and adjust the seasonings to your liking.  Add in the marscarpone and mix together.

So now you should be ready to combine the sauce and the pasta.  The way I do this is in a separate pan (the one I used for the sauce).  Simply ladle around a cup of the sauce into the pan once it’s gotten hot, and grab a bunch of pasta with tongs and add it to the pan and combine it with the sauce.  Next, add in around 1-2 tablespoons of the water you cooked the pasta in to the pan and mix together.  Serve the pasta on a dish of your choice and top with grated Parmesan.  Buon appetito!

What’s not to love about classic spaghetti and meatballs?  I don’t think you can name me a more loved food in America today – kids love it, teenagers love it and adults love it too (if you don’t, try this recipe).  Since our humble blog here tends to have somewhat of an Italian swing to it, where would we be if we didn’t do a post about the family classic?  So here it is, in two parts mind you, so you can get the full effect.

The first part of this post is the sauce, in this case a beautifully simple summer tomato-fennel based sauce that includes lots of veggies and herbs.  This sauce is our go-to tomato sauce because of its simplicity and excellent taste and body.  When I make this sauce, I usually try to do it with a large can of tomatoes, so then I can use some of the sauce that night and freeze the rest.  In the summer’s waning months, I’ll make a double dose with 2 large dutch ovens to freeze to have over the winter.  There’s nothing like pulling it out on a cold day in December and tasting the summer fennel and tomatoes:

• 1 large can of whole canned tomatoes (106 oz.) or 4 28 oz. cans
• 2 medium yellow onions – large dice
• 2 large carrots – orange and/or yellow – grated on the large holes of a box grater
• 2 medium fennel bulbs – chopped width wise
• 10 cloves of fresh garlic – small dice
• 3 Tbsp. fresh thyme
• 3 Tbsp. fresh oregano
• 5 large bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp. dried red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Check out the picture of the ingredients to see what you need, it’s all there besides the oil and salt and pepper.  Remember that this makes A LOT of sauce, so if you don’t want to freeze it and only make enough for one night, then you’re going to want to quarter this recipe.  The portions listed above serve 8 people.

Start with the onions and fennel and a large dutch oven or the largest pan you have  over medium-low heat (if you’re making the large dose).  Add in the olive oil, onions, fennel, red pepper, salt and pepper and sweat them for 5-8 minutes until they become translucent but not colored.  Cover the pot and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring all the while.

Once the veggies are soft and beginning to become soft, add in the carrots, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and oregano and stir to combine.  Cook everything together for 8-10 minutes until the carrots become soft, but not colored.  If you need to lower the heat or cook the veggies for longer do so, you want everything to be uniformly cooked, soft and sweet.

Next, begin adding in the tomatoes by removing them from their can with your hands and crushing them into the pot of veggies and herbs.  Be careful, as this can make a major mess, so do a ‘controlled crush’ of the tomatoes.  One by one, crush and add the tomatoes into the sauce, along with any liquid that’s left behind in the can.  After the tomatoes are added, being the pot to a soft boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer everything for 45-60 minutes.  Give your sauce a taste and adjust for seasoning.  Turn off the heat and let the sauce rest for a while before canning and/or using in a dish. The sauce can be kept in the fridge for a week or two, but frozen for up to 6 months.