Monday, November 14, 2016

Easy Tomato Sauce

The amount of salt in prepared, store bought pasta sauce can be shocking. Yes, shocking! This recipe provides an delicious, easy alternative that can quickly be made at home.

Ingredients

3 - 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Two 28-ounce cans of whole, plum tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 - 3 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Using a roasting pan large enough to hold the tomatoes, add the garlic to the pan and then cover with the tomatoes. Top with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil, and then the balsamic vinegar, over the tomatoes. Add the bay leaf. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Either in the roasting pan, if it is large enough, or by transferring to an appropriate bowl, use an immersion blender to blend the tomatoes to desired texture.

Enjoy!

Adapted from The New York Times.

Cranberry Relish

Fresh cranberry relish is simple to make and essential to the Thanksgiving table. Its color and zippy flavor add a needed spark to a plate of turkey, stuffing and potatoes. Here is an easy recipe which can be made a day ahead.

Ingredients

1 12-ounce package of fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
2 tsp orange zest
1/3 cup orange juice

Method

Rinse the cranberries in cold water. Then combine the cranberries and the remaining ingredients in a large sauce pan. A large pan is needed because as you cook, the hot berries and sugar will rise up in the pan.

Over medium heat, bring the ingredients to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the cranberries pop and the relish is somewhat thickened, about 7 to 10 minutes. Skim off any white froth and cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Tip: Before serving, give the relish a little bit of a stir.

Enjoy!