Candace in the Kitchen

Archive for the ‘Sauce/Salsa’ Category

I’ve tried lots of marinara recipes and while this isn’t exactly what I’m looking for it’s pretty good.

Making the ricotta was SO easy. I think I may drop the lemon juice down to 1 tablespoon because I could taste the lemon in the final product.

Marinara:

2 large cans San Marzano tomatoes

1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled

2 t salt

1/2 t red pepper flakes (or to taste)

olive oil

sugar

additional salt as needed

dried herbs (I used an Italian herb blend) to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°

Put all items into a large ovenproof pot and drizzle with olive oil

Cover and cook in oven for one hour

Remove from oven and puree with an immersion blender. (You could also put through a food mill, blender or food processor.)

After tasting add sugar and salt and dried herbs to taste.

Ricotta:

Ingredients:

1 quart whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 t salt

1 1/2 T lemon juice (see above, I will just use 1 T next time)

1-2 T fresh herbs, minced

Directions:

Combine milk, cream and salt in a 2qt saucepan over medium heat

Put a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl

Stir occasionally to prevent scorching

Once mixture reaches a steady simmer pour in lemon juice

Stir to combine and let simmer for 1 minute. Stir once more and let simmer for another minute.

Remove from heat and pour into strainer

Stir gently to remove liquid

Let sit for 30 minutes to one hour to remove all liquid from the cheese

Put into a medium bowl and add fresh herbs and more salt if needed

Serve marinara over pasta and top with ricotta

This chili is really easy to make and is a great addition to hot dogs and burgers.  Scott even likes to eat the leftovers on a hamburger bun. When he doesn’t do that I put any extra in a freezer bag and just thaw it out and reheat.

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

1 small or 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small bottle ketchup, 20 0z (I like Heinz)

2 t yellow mustard

3 T chili powder

1 T brown sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large, deep skillet brown beef with onion and garlic. Drain fat if needed.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add in all other ingredients and simmer until the rest of the food is ready  (at least 15 minutes.)

I love fruit salsas and since strawberries are in season right now I decided to use them in a spicy/sweet salsa. I made this for a work get together today and it was a hit.

Ingredients:

2 containers strawberries (about 2 pounds), hulled and diced

1 jalapeño pepper, minced (I left the seeds and ribs in)

2-3 T minced red onion

1-2 T cilantro*

3 t sugar

1 t salt

Zest of 1 lime

Juice of 1/2 lime

Note: I usually HATE cilantro but it totally made a difference in this salsa.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and allow about 15-20 minutes for flavors to meld.

I think that this would be great on grilled shrimp, maybe even chicken.

Make this on the same day that you are going to eat it. I tried some leftovers the next day and it just wasn’t as good.