Pasta with Pine Nuts and Fresh Tomato Sauce

I love pasta with tomato sauce.  This sauce is lovely!  It is light and fresh because it's barely cooked. The pine nuts sauteed with garlic add flavor and texture.  For the best results select fresh tomatoes that are meaty and contain few seeds. 

Mmmm, so good.

Pasta with Pine Nuts and Fresh Tomato Sauce

2 1/4 Pounds Unrefrigerated Ripe Tomatoes (Preferably Plum)
1/4 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves
1 Tablespoon Flat-Leaf Parsley
2 Tablespoons Fresh Garlic, Chopped
1/4 Cup  Plus 1 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Coarse Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper
1/2 Cup Pine Nuts
1 Pound Pasta
Grated Parmesan Cheese, For Garnish


Halve tomatoes and place in a blender or food processor.  Add basil, parsley, and 1 Tbsp garlic, and oil.  Pulse ingredients in a food processor to blend.  Add to skillet and allow to warm over medium heat while pasta is cooking.

Saute 1  Tbsp garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat until soft, not brown.  Add pine nuts and continue to saute' for about 5 minutes.  Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente. 

Drain pasta, and toss it in a serving bowl pine nuts and the sauce. 

Transfer to 6 shallow bowls, and drizzle with oil. Serve with cheese.

Note:  There is no need to cook or warm the sauce.  Try it raw for a fresher flavor.

Braciole Meatballs

Braciole Meatballs

1/4 Cup Dried Italian-Style Bread Crumbs
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
1/2 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano
1 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley Leaves
1 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Eggs
Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Lb Ground Beef 
Marinara Sauce


Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and add the eggs. Mix with the ground beef until just blended. Don't overwork the meat or the texture of the meatballs will be pasty.

Form into 2 inch balls and place into a sauce pot with the marinara sauce.

Cook for an hour and half.  

Spoon over your favorite pasta and enjoy.

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Braciole

Braciole

1/2 Cup Dried Italian-Style Bread Crumbs

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

1 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano

2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley Leaves

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 (1 1/2-Pound) Flank Steak

1 Cup Dry White Wine

3 1/4 Cups Marinara Sauce

Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.

Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Pound the meat to flatten it out a bit. 

Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. 

Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

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Simple Marinara Sauce

Simple Marinara Sauce


1/2 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, Chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1 Stalk Celery, Chopped
1 Carrot, Chopped
2 (32-Ounce) Cans Crushed Tomatoes
1 16-Ounce Can Tomato Sauce
4 To 6 Basil Leaves
2 Dried Bay Leaves
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Unsalted Butter, If Needed

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent.

Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. I use Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning . . . I use it just about everything . . . I love that stuff!


Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. 

Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to balance out the flavor.

Allow sauce to cool enough so that you can stick a finger in it without burning yourself.

Pour half the tomato sauce into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

You can serve the sauce as it is or if you want to continue cooking with meat then return to pot with meatballs, sausage or whatever and cook until meat is done.

Serve hot with your favorite pasta.  Yum!

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