quick and easy meals for 1 or 2

Tomato Sauce

I’m going to go on and on a little about the 2 ways I make tomato sauce.

The first is basic Marinara sauce. The word marinara is a reference to the sea. The old Italians only meant to imply that the sauce will have no meat of any kind in it. There are fewer ingredients used and the tomatoes are crushed by hand and left in a little bit bigger chunks than the crushed used in the “spaghetti and meat ball” stuff. We always make more than we need for the meal and put the pot with the extra in the fridge overnight. Then the next day or so we put it up in the freezer in plastic zip lock bags labeled with a sharpie pen saying “marinara” and the date. Then when we want a quick, good Italian something during the week we just bust off as big a chunk as we need for the Chicken Parmesan or the shrimp fra Diablo or the pizza or whatever. Then put the frozen sauce in a pot with some water in the bottom and heat it up. You will have to add some more water if it gets too thick.

About a half cup of good olive oil

1 small onion finely chopped

3 or 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 Tbsp. dried parsley or about 1/3 cup of fresh, chopped

1/2 Tbsp. salt

1/2 Tbsp. black pepper

2 32 oz cans of whole plum tomatoes I like Progresso. Pour them into a bowl and break them up by hand until the biggest pieces are about as big as a nickel.

In a pot, big enough to hold everything, plus some room for stirring, heated up med/high put the olive oil. As soon as it gets hot add everything but the tomatoes. Cook until the onions are translucent stirring often. Add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to just a simmer. Simmer for anywhere from 20 min. to an hour depending on how tomatoee you like the taste to be. The shorter the cooking time the more fresh tomato flavored. Try it different times to see what you like. If you cook it longer you may need to add a little water if it thickens up. When it’s done cooking taste it for tartness. If it has too much bite add a little sugar ‘til it tastes like you want it to.

Wasn’t that easy? The best part is coming home during the week and having it waiting for you in the freezer.

Tomato sauce with meatballs and or sausage

I do this on a Sunday. There are more ingredients and more cooking time. Also, very regular stirring, so figure on hanging around the house near the kitchen for a good while.

About a cup of good olive oil

2 med sized onions finely chopped

6-8 cloves of garlic finely chopped

2 tbsp dried parsley or about a cup of fresh, chopped

1 Tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. black pepper

½ tbsp thyme

1 tbsp. dried oregano

1 tbsp. dried basil or 2 of fresh chopped

1 dried bay leaf

4 32 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes

1 6 oz. can of tomato paste (optional)

Heat up the oil in a BIG pot. Remember you are going to add the meatballs and/or sausage to the sauce so you’ll need lots of extra pot room. Add all the ingredients except the tomatoes. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and the paste. Stir it up.

Meatballs

About a pound and a half of chopped meat. When it’s available I get about half of it pork or chicken. Just for some good flavor.

About 3/4 cup of bread crumbs. I like Progresso Italian.

About ¾ cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp dried basil

½ tbsp salt

½ tbsp black pepper

about a half cup of cold water

Put it all in a big bowl and mix it up with your hands until everything is blended pretty evenly. If it’s too dry add a little water. If it’s too loose add a little more crumbs.

This browning of the meat is optional. I like to brown the meatballs a little before I put them in the sauce. They seem to hold together better.

Start a big skillet med/ high with a couple of swirls of olive oil. Form the meat into the size meatballs you want and add them to the skillet. Brown and turn them until they are brown all around and add them to the sauce as they get done. Stir the sauce carefully and frequently. If you are going to go with some sausage you can get them started in the skillet while you are mixing up the meatballs. Just get them browned a little on 2 sides and put them in the sauce. Get the sauce cooking at a slow simmer and mix it every 5-10 minutes. I use a big Teflon pancake flipper and drag it across the bottom of the pot to get all the solids back up to the surface so it all cooks evenly. Go slow with the stirring to be careful not to break up the meat. Cook it for 2-3 hours depending on how you like it. When it’s done cooking taste it for tartness. If it has too much bite add a little sugar ‘til it tastes like you want it to. Again we put the extra in the fridge overnight and put some meal size amounts in zip locks in the freezer labeled with what’s inside.

SERVE IT UP!! With the pasta of your choice, some salad, good crusty Italian bread and some good red wine!!