Giada is a lush...
On Tuesday, I received the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers on my front porch. I brough them inside and the entire house was filled with the most wonderful aroma. Good smells always make me want MORE good smells so I decided to create my second favorite smell in this world...simmering pasta sauce! For my birthday, I got Giada's Everyday Italian cookbook. Of course, like every good Italian, she has a recipe for homemade Marinara sauce...my goal for the evening. The result: Success! My house smelled so wonderfully and, at 10:30pm, I put the sauce in fridge for future use (of course, you could freeze it if you so desired)...it makes about 8 cups of sauce so be prepared to do something with it!
Last night, I decided to make my first use of this labor of love by using it in;
one of Andrew's favorite things! I, however, am completely NOT a fan of vodka marinara. Every single time I have had it, I find it leaves a strange aftertaste or just doesn't mesh well in my mouth. Determined to fix this, I got out all of my ingredients and started to work!
The result: ICK! It looks very pretty and smells pretty good too. However, the recipe calls for way too much vodka. I put in less than she suggested to begin with and I still felt like it was too much. The sauce is required to simmer for 20 minutes until it reduces by half. So, basically, that vodka is intensifying in taste during that 20 minutes! In addition, I don't think that the recipe allows for enough time to let the flavors really meld. When eating the sauce, you taste the tomato and vodka separately. I didn't care enough to try it as leftovers and see if time made any difference.
Andrew's rating: 6 out of 10...not so good for a vodka marinara lover. He says we should stick to the Trader Joe's version. Ouch!
Eh, I figure you have to learn from your failures...
Perfect Al Dente...crappy sauce
For dessert, we had peaches with nutella. Nutella should be remained to heaven in a jar. I can't believe that the chocolate lover in me didn't discover it sooner. Anyways, the dessert was quick and easy. The only change would be to dry the peach slices off a little more as it made the nutella a little runny.
Everything is better with chocolate
Giada's Marinara Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
Directions:
In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)
Vodka Marinara
Ingredients:
3 cups marinara sauce
1 cup vodka (I recommend 1/2)
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Directions:
Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.
Nutella Sauce (This can be used with pineapple or other fruit...I just picked peaches because that is what I had on hand)
Ingredients:
2/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
6 tablespoons whipping cream
Directions:
Combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small bowl and stir to combine. Place in a microwave on high for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds to blend well. Alternatively, you can combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small saucepan, set over low heat, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Heat until satiny smooth and easy to pour, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Last night, I decided to make my first use of this labor of love by using it in;
one of Andrew's favorite things! I, however, am completely NOT a fan of vodka marinara. Every single time I have had it, I find it leaves a strange aftertaste or just doesn't mesh well in my mouth. Determined to fix this, I got out all of my ingredients and started to work!
The result: ICK! It looks very pretty and smells pretty good too. However, the recipe calls for way too much vodka. I put in less than she suggested to begin with and I still felt like it was too much. The sauce is required to simmer for 20 minutes until it reduces by half. So, basically, that vodka is intensifying in taste during that 20 minutes! In addition, I don't think that the recipe allows for enough time to let the flavors really meld. When eating the sauce, you taste the tomato and vodka separately. I didn't care enough to try it as leftovers and see if time made any difference.
Andrew's rating: 6 out of 10...not so good for a vodka marinara lover. He says we should stick to the Trader Joe's version. Ouch!
Eh, I figure you have to learn from your failures...
Perfect Al Dente...crappy sauce
For dessert, we had peaches with nutella. Nutella should be remained to heaven in a jar. I can't believe that the chocolate lover in me didn't discover it sooner. Anyways, the dessert was quick and easy. The only change would be to dry the peach slices off a little more as it made the nutella a little runny.
Everything is better with chocolate
Giada's Marinara Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
Directions:
In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)
Vodka Marinara
Ingredients:
3 cups marinara sauce
1 cup vodka (I recommend 1/2)
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Directions:
Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.
Nutella Sauce (This can be used with pineapple or other fruit...I just picked peaches because that is what I had on hand)
Ingredients:
2/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
6 tablespoons whipping cream
Directions:
Combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small bowl and stir to combine. Place in a microwave on high for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds to blend well. Alternatively, you can combine the chocolate-hazelnut spread and cream in a small saucepan, set over low heat, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Heat until satiny smooth and easy to pour, about 3 to 5 minutes.