Pasta with Marinated Tomatoes

14 Dec

This is one of my go-to recipes when I am hungry NOW!!! It’s super easy to make. I learned this recipe from an old Martha Stewart show where she cooked this with Oprah. That probably was about 10 years ago.

I like to make this pasta with spinach fettuccine, but you can use your favorite pasta. Noodles are nice because it’s a chunky sauce olive-oil based sauce and it coats them well, but any kind will do. This works as a main dish or as an accompaniment to others. I served this together with my Eggplant Parmesan dish.

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PASTA WITH MARINATED TOMATOES

1/2 pound of spinach fettuccine, or any other pasta you prefer
3 ripe medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
  1. Mix the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl. Let marinate while you make the pasta. Stir a few times so the flavors meld and the fresh tomatoes break up a bit.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt liberally. Cook pasta according to package directions, al dente.
  3. Drain the pasta and return to the pot.
  4. Mix in the marinated tomatoes mixture in the hot pot.  The warmth of the pasta and the pot will warm-up the sauce.
  5. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

A few additional notes:

  • I never peel the tomatoes, but you can if you prefer it. I just wash them really well using Fit.
  • I’ve done this with regular tomatoes, vine-ripened tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes. The results will always be delicious. And if tomatoes are not in season, use jarred chopped tomatoes (Viter is a great brand because they have no additives or preservatives).  If using whole canned or jarred tomatoes, just don’t add the juice they come in… Just take the tomatoes and chop them finely.
  • Make sure the sun-dried tomatoes do not contain sulfites… Sulfites are harmful to your health and a proved carcinogen.

This sauce is really versatile… later on, I’ll show you additional recipes in which yo can use the same marinated tomatoes in other applications.

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Coquito – The Perfect Holiday Drink

14 Dec

Coquito is the Puerto Rican ultimate holiday drink.

It’s served in a small glass, like a shot glass or jigger, but it’s sipped slowly. It’s never meant to be a shot. This is the Puerto Rican version of an eggnog. There are many versions out there – with raw eggs, with rum, with “cañita rum”, however, my version is the Vegetarian way – the spice and warmth comes from the ginger, anise seeds, star anise and cinnamon. The only way to know this does not contain alcohol is because you’ll not get drunk… because it still has a nice kick. And the nice thing, you don’t need to do a kiddie version.

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COQUITO

1 can condensed milk
1 carton evaporated milk
1 can coconut milk
3 cups of water
4 inch piece of fresh ginger
5 sticks of cinnamon
4 tablespoons anise seeds
4 tablespoons star anise
2 tablespoons whole cloves
2 tablespoons ground nutmeg
1 vanilla pod
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or alcohol-free vanilla extract
ground cinnamon to taste

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  1. In a medium saucepan create a “spiced tea” – pour the 3 cups of water, ginger, cinnamon sticks, anise seeds, star anise, nutmeg and cloves. Scrape the seeds inside the vanilla pod and add to “tea water”. Throw in the vanilla pod too.

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  3. Steep for about 15-20 minutes to create a strong spiced tea. This will give the coquito most of its spiciness. Let cool a bit.
  4. In a blender, mix together all the milks with 2 “cans-worth” of the “spiced tea” and the vanilla powder.
  5. Pour into a clean bottle and chill in the refrigerator.
  6. Serve chilled in small shot glasses.  Sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

Salud, Dinero y Amor!!!!!

I try to avoid buying anything canned, but unfortunately condensed milk is something that ONLY comes in a can. The same happens with coconut milk. If you can make your own coconut milk, I highly recommend it. But, I am a working vegetarian woman and I do not have the time to do it.

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Cranberry Preserves

12 Dec

This is the most delicious and easiest recipe for cranberry jelly or preserves you’ll ever encounter.  My uncle loves cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving and I wanted to see if I could get him to eat the real thing, not the jelly that comes from a can.  It just looks too unappetizing…

I can’t remember well where I saw this recipe, but I have tried a Cranberry Chutney from Martha Stewart which called for orange juice and orange rind, and while it was delicious, the orange rind made it quite bitter for my taste.  This recipe is sooooooo easy that you’ll be able to recite it to your friends when the rave about how delicious this is. 

 I also learned yesterday this might also be called Cranberry Butter…  however you prefer to name it, please make it and enjoy.

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CRANBERRY PRESERVES

1 bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup apple juice
1 cup brown sugar
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  1.  Wash the cranberries.  Go thru them and throw away all the ones that have gone soft.
  2. Place all ingredients in a large heavy saucepan.
  3. Bring mixture to a boil.  I cover it so it comes to a boil faster, but watch it, as it can boil over.  After it starts boiling, uncover, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
  4. The cranberries will begin to pop on their own.  Stir it every few minutes, and as you stir, pop the cranberries that might be still whole.  It’s the pectin inside the cranberries that helps the sauce thicken.
  5. After the cranberries are cooked.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Be careful, the mixture is VERY HOT and will burn you.
  6. Transfer to  smaller jars or plastic bowls.

You can have this cranberry preserves with crackers as a jam, in a sandwich, as accompaniment to mashed sweet potatoes and even as a topping for ice cream.  It’s so versatile and soooooo easy.

Hope you make it this Holiday season.   

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Marinated Olives

12 Dec

Last Summer I went to Spain and we ate olives as appetizers almost every night.  I love them.  The salty bite kind of gets your appetite going.  I use olives frequently in cooking, but not necessarily much on their own.  We’re having an office party this week and I thought it would be nice to take some marinated olives.

This is my interpretation, from what I can remember, of the marinated olives served at Olives, the Todd English restaurant.  He did the recipe in one of the old Martha Stewart shows.  I did the recipe a looooooong time ago, and this is what I came up with this time around.  Hope you like it.

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MARINATED OLIVES

1 jar of manzanilla olives, with pits (just be careful when eating)
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (it could work with dry parsley too)
2 tablespoons rosemary
1 tablespoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
a few cranks of freshly cracked black pepper
1 piece of lemon rind or 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Just mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Let the mixture sit for a few hours so the flavors meld.  It’s even better if the olives can marinate for a few days ahead in the refrigerator.

 No need to add salt… the olives will be salty enough by themselves.  And you can play around with the spices if you don’t have all of them.  Just use what you have and see how it tastes…  tell me about it, OK?

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My Xmas Wish List

12 Dec

It’s the holidays… I put up my Xmas lights last Sunday, which look very nice indeed, so I thought it was a good time to write my list for Santa.

 Dear Santa,

I’ve been a very good vegetarian girl this year.  And if you think so too, this are some of the things I would like to receive under the tree this year:

 1.  A cast iron dutch oven – I would like to try this no-knead bread recipe and a cast iron dutch oven is a must to execute this recipe. 

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2.  A Kithchen-Aid Stand mixer – as you can tell from the previous entry, I like breads and pastries, but I do not like to mix or knead.  Plus, it has a pasta attachment so I could do homemade eggless lasagna noodles, raviolis, etc. 

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3.  Rachael Ray’s East/West Knife – I once had this knife in my hand and it was only $40 bucks… now it’s a bit more expensive, but I am sure I will give it good use.  I love the way it rocks on the cutting board.

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I know these are material things and are just nice to have. What I would really want, if possible, for Xmas is more understanding among people, more patience and more tolerance. Celebrating the holidays amongst friends and family in a humane way. For people to realize that to celebrate the Holidays they don’t need to inflict pain onto other living creatures – like our little siblings – the pig, the turkey, the lamb or the veal, cow, or even the fish.

That’s my true wish… for people to embrace Vegetarianism and to live an all-round more peaceful existence.

Thanks Santa,

Madelyn.

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