Month: April 2009

Since my internet was down yesterday, we’ve  moved Mmmm Monday to today for this week. Enjoy!!

Another GREAT recipe from the Culinary Cafe

I adore pasta…and all the possibilities that it entails. You can mix any sauce with any pasta and it tastes fantastic…well usually! Certain pasta shapes are designed for certain sauce, in many cases. Like twisty, cavatappi and rotini have their ridges which hold chunky sauces and cheese well. And then tiny pastas like orzo are great in soups and salads, because they don’t necessarily need to be catching a sauce.

This Roasted Marinara Sauce is a staple in my fridge. I make it often and use it for all sorts of dishes. It’s yummy on spaghetti or even better for sopping a big slice of garlic bread in. I’ve also used it as a pizza sauce…it’s DELICIOUS, but don’t take my word for it. Try it your self!!

The ingredients:

2 cartons of cherry or grape tomatoes

2 shallots, sliced

4-5 heads or garlic, I like lots of garlic…but what ever suits your fancy

fresh basil, cut chiffonade style (Like thin ribbons)

1-2 tbs. balsamic vinegar

Salt & pepper

olive oil

First do all your chopping. Just slice the shallot, and the garlic, nothing needs to be finely minced or anything.

Then add all the tomatoes, shallot, and garlic to a rimmed baking sheet. Generously coat with olive oil. Season it all with salt and pepper. Toss it around to make sure everything is oiled up!! Now pop the baking sheet into a 400 degree oven. Roast for about 20-25 minutes. You’re house will smell incredible. I mean roasting shallots and garlic, what’s not to love!!

Scrape everything into a mixing bowl. Even get the olive oil in there, it has tons of flavor!! I like this sauce kinda chunky, so I use a potato masher to “sauce” it up. But you could put it all in the food processor if you want it smoother, just be careful…it’s hot!!

Now add in your balsamic vinegar, just gives it a tiny bit of a tang.

And last but certainly not least…the fresh basil. Oh Lawsy Mercy…fresh basil is one of my food weaknesses. I can’t pass by the big beautiful bunches of it at the grocery without buying a little. It’s good stuff…salads. sammies, on your eggs…but I’m losing focus here. Back to the marinara!