Hello, Everyone! Hello, 2010!
What a transition it has been, being back in New York City, back to school, back to the freezing, Wintery weather and the many layers of clothing that life here in January requires. Not to mention the unpacking, attempt at reorganization, and, for the kids, getting used to life without the daily adoration of their grandparents and uncle.
But, we are here, and I will start this year out with a recipe that many of my students and mama friends have been requesting, marinara sauce made with Winter vegetables. Since marinara sauce usually requires using sugar or honey, adding carrots and parsnips helps cut the acidity without having to add too much else to the sauce.
We use this sauce for pasta, of course, but it is also wonderful for calzone, lasagna, pizza or served atop vegetables. The sauce must be made by a Big Person and can then be used to make a lot of dishes that your mini-chef can be a major part of.
Once a week at our home, a big pot of this simmers on the stove, filling our entire apartment with its incredible smell. When I see our downstairs neighbors on the elevator, they say, longingly, “Your apartment smells so gooooood!”
The Yummies, of course, also love the smell and the flavor of this sauce. Nobody has ever once refused it even though it has carrots and parsnips cooked in, obvious to the naked eye. If you do hear a complaint, puree the vegetables that are shredded here in the recipe.
(I should mention, also, that, while this is a vegetarian sauce, you could easily add a pound of cooked ground beef or turkey in at the point where you bring the sauce to a simmer.)
Winter Vegetable Tomato Sauce
*2 medium red onions, peeled and quartered
*2 medium carrots, peeled or scrubbed
*2 medium parsnips, peeled or scrubbed
*3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
*2 T. olive oil
*large pinch of salt
*1 T. Italian Seasoning or:
-1 t. dried oregano
-1 t. dried basil
– 1 t. dried thyme
*1 T. dried basil
*8 c. crushed tomatoes
*4 c. diced tomatoes
*salt and pepper, to taste
*honey, to taste
Shred the onions, carrots and parsnips in a food processor with the shredding attachment. Your Yummy could help by pressing the “on” and “off” button, but please do not involve them otherwise! If you don’t have a food processor, just use a box grater.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over a medium-low flame and add the shredded veggies and the pinch of salt. Stir the veggies in the oil for a minute or so and cook, stirring every once in a while, till the veggies are soft. Add the garlic and stir it into the other veggies. Stir in the Italian seasoning and the dried basil. Cook for another minute.
Stir in the tomatoes, and turn the heat up to high. Bring your sauce to a simmer. Turn the heat down to very low and partially cover the sauce. Stir every 15 0r 20 minutes and let simmer about an hour. When the sauce has cooked down, taste it and season with salt and pepper. Also, depending on the acidity level in the tomatoes you used, you might want to add a bit of honey. Start with a tablespoon. Taste. Add another tablespoon if you need to until the sauce tastes just right.
