Basic Tomato Sauce Doesn't Have to Taste Basic

Confession time:  I learned how to make great tomato-based sauces because of a love of strong coffee.  Back in the day, when the Husbro and I were first starting out, our budget was limited and often stretched to near-breaking.  Grocery buying was an oftentimes painful act of financial contortion.  But man, did we love coffee.  Good coffee, dark coffee, strong coffee (we met and fell in love in a coffee shop, how could we not love the stuff?).

But good coffee can get expensive, even when you're buying the beans and grinding them yourself (as opposed to the grand- frappe-extra-whip-extra-shot-extra-sprinkles-double-cup-double-double monstrosities people spend their money on), so I had to find ways to cut back in other areas.  One of those areas was tomato sauce.   Having never found a particular brand of tomato sauce flavourful enough to win my loyalty, and the fact that the prepared stuff is loaded with salt and sugar, but most importantly, that it was $2-3 more than canned tomatoes, it was an easy swap to homemade sauce, using canned tomatoes.

Of course buying canned tomatoes meant I actually had to build my own flavours (I don't recommend dumping a can of tomatoes over your pasta as is), and through trial and error, I found the most basic of tomato sauces that is anything but basic.

Your tomato sauce doesn't have to be basic either.  The flavour-stacking of a good tomato sauce can take you in some really funky directions but it does help to start with the basics.


So let's talk basics:

The most basic element of a good tomato sauce (and many other sauces) is a mirepoix ( pronounced meer-PWAH if you were wondering).  A mirepoix is a mixture of chopped onion, celery and carrots.  Seriously basic.  

It's sautéed in olive oil or butter (or a mixture) until it starts to caramelize and break down.  I usually keep it on a medium (leaning slightly to medium high heat) stirring often.  This flavour base is used in everything from stocks to soups, and yes, sauces.  While the onion/carrot/celery mirepoix is the traditional French application, there are other ingredients that can be added (green pepper, garlic, etc.).  While it looks finicky, as long as you have a good sharp knife, after a few rounds, it takes less than 10 minutes to chop.  You'll be glad you did.  Add your salt and pepper now as it also helps to break down the veg and integrate the flavours.



Welcome to the Cheat:

I found this at the dollar store.  Seriously, it cost $1.25.



Onion flakes, garlic flakes, chili flakes and a tomato-kind of seasoning.  It's mild, and go easy on the chili, but it's a quick and easy add.










Now for the Good Stuff:

I wait until my basic mirepoix has broken down a bit (7-10 minutes) to add my garlic.  It's a much quicker cook because it's much smaller.  If you scorch your garlic, game over.  Throw it out and start again.  There is no fix for that.  So as you can see my Big Three have broken down considerably.  Lower your heat to medium.













Check This Out:

These were diced tomatoes a minute ago.  I prefer crushed, but hey, I still like to save a buck so whatever is on special is what's in my cupboard.  And diced keeps my options open.

Blender takes care of the "diced" situation but first things first.













Because Wine:

A nice addition to this sauce is about 1/4 cup of red wine. 




And the even nicer thing is that leaves a lot left in the bottle.  Husbro and I prefer red wine over coffee when it comes to pasta (which is ultimately where we're headed tonight).  Let that simmer over med heat another five minutes, stirring frequently.












Here We Go:

Pretty.

This is your basic tomato sauce.  You want to turn your heat to low so you A. don't burn it, and B. don't have a million blobs of splattered tomato sauce to clean off of your oven.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy.

Or we can go a few steps further.



Next Stop, Rose:

This is another cheat and I do it because I never trust the acidity of the tomatoes not to curdle my cream, but a true rose uses cream and frankly, it's not something I generally have on hand (For sauces.  Coffee, yes, sauces, no.).  But I will usually have sour cream.  I added about 1/3-1/2 cup and got this little beauty.


I also like to add fresh chopped parsley and basil to all my sauces, but I like to wait until close to the end.  This particular sauce also contains some of the pulled chicken from last week's post and capers.  I mean, once you have the basics, you can really go wherever you like.















Just because it's so pretty, here is the finished product:

Not so basic-looking now, is it?  But you and I know better.

Let's Talk About Oats, Baby

Now that blog title is dating myself.  Sigh.

But let's talk about oatmeal.  I like to get as much nutritional bang for my buck as I possibly can into a meal and oatmeal is one of those all-around workhorse types.  But don't take my word for it:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=54

Just check out all the things these magic little flakes can do!  Go ahead and Google search those health benefits.  It would give you a lot of reading to do!  As for me, it's an unexpectedly rainy morning and I'm more interested in getting a bowl of this into my belly.  So let's make with the recipes already.

First of all, I stick with quick oats - please don't think I mean instant oatmeal.  That stuff packs a sodium punch I just don't care to deal with first thing in the morning.  I'm talking about regular old Quaker quick oats.  They really are true to their name and you can have a steaming bowl of goodness in less than 10 minutes.  Dollar for dollar, the bag of oats you buy is a lot cheaper than anything you buy pre-packaged too, and this way, you get to flavour it yourself.  No chemicals.

Oats themselves are dead easy to cook:  I use four heaping tablespoons per person.  I dump it in a pot.  I use just enough water to cover those bad boys and add a dash of salt.  I also usually throw in cinnamon at the start, then more can be added later, if the urge strikes.  Now's when you get to have fun:

Cook it on med-high heat, stirring frequently until you reach the consistency you want.  Like, I'm talking 3-5 minutes.  It's just that fast.  Now you figure out what you have in the pantry to add.  The lovely little concoction below involves maple syrup, apples, and pecans.  That's it.  I dice an apple (skin and all) and toss it in while the oatmeal is cooking.  The high heat will semi-cook the apple chunks, softening them and adding their juice to the overall flavour, while the crushed pecans add a nice little crunch.  It tastes more like dessert than breakfast, but so healthy!  And easy on the eyes too. 

What else can you add? 

Oatmeal with toasted pecans, banana and maple syrup

Treats like raisins, cranberries, almonds (or whatever nut or seeds you may have on hand - if you don't have nuts handy but still want a little crunch, throw on a handful of other cereal right at the end - some cheerios, raisin bran, just give them a half-hearted squeeze first, so their original form breaks up a bit), frozen blueberries (any frozen fruit, really, just toss it in while it cooks and voila!).  I've even stirred in a tablespoon of peanut butter and a sliced banana (leave that till serving).  Sweeteners can be anything from brown sugar to honey, or if you're feeling particularly grown up and suave (which happens sometimes, I've heard), leave the sweetener out altogether and just let the added fruit do the job.

Oatmeal with peaches, strawberries and pepitas

If you choose to add milk, more power to you.  I find oatmeal has been an acquired taste, and I just prefer it without milk.  My kids gobble it up, it keeps in the fridge and believe it or not, you can toss it right back in a pot or even into the microwave to reheat.  If we have any left from breakfast, the kids usually fight over who gets the leftovers after school.

I think the thing I love best is that it's such a simple and inexpensive base for something that is not only fun to dress up, but so healthy - and on a cold or busy morning, it is like a hug inside your stomach.  Not to get too cheesy, but jeez, it's true.

Oatmeal with blueberries and cranberries

Ending on another '90s song reference:  Oats, oats, baby.

Happy Hummus

Hummus; the Gateway Dip

Hummus is a dip made primarily of chick peas (garbanzo beans).  It is Mediterranean in origin, with recipes tracing from Lebanon to Greece and beyond.  It's crazy healthy, amazingly cheap and one of my family's favourite go-to foods.  We eat it with everything from raw veggies to wraps to tortilla chips and beyond.  It's an awesome source of nutrients (a one cup serving of chick peas contains 50% of your daily potassium needs, 2% vitamin A, 21% calcium, 13% vitamin C, 69% iron, 2% sodium55% vitamin B6, and 57% magnesium).  One cup of cooked chickpeas contains 269 calories, 45 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of protein, 13 grams of dietary fiber, 4 grams of fat and 0 grams of cholesterol.  Chickpeas also contain vitamin K, folate, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, choline and selenium.  They're also vegan and gluten-free.  Is there anything chick peas can't do?  I don't know if I'd trust them to do my banking, but I might consider leaving them in charge of the kids if I were to head to the store or something!  They're pretty responsible.

Hummus as a dip is also pretty forgiving.  I'm a big fan of EASY, and opening a can of chick peas is about as easy as it gets - cheap too.  I always rinse my canned beans and chick peas are no exception.  That goo water just isn't appetizing and it can throw the liquid balance off on the recipe.  Rinsing also removes some of the sodium in canned beans so if you're trying to cut back on sodium, it's definitely something you want to get into the habit of doing.  Anyway, here's the thing.  I sometimes don't have tahini - the sesame paste that is an ingredient in hummus.  Don't sweat it if you don't.  There is a certain smoky flavour and silkiness it adds, but we're dealing with reality and sometimes you just don't have it.  The other thing is hummus can be made in a blender.  I remember not having a food processor one Christmas and I made all these recipes where it called for a food processor.  I knew my mom had bought one for me but I couldn't open it until Christmas day...it was either chop by hand, or make use of the blender.  As long as you add your liquid, your blender should work just fine.

Here's my basic hummus recipe.  Feel free to add and subtract to your tastes.  Experimentation is part of the fun.  If you have parsley or cilantro, throw lime juice in instead of lemon juice.  If you like a little heat, squirt some siracha into the mix.  If you're looking to add another source of protein, toss in some tofu.  It contains all eight essential amino acids. Tofu's also an excellent source of iron and calcium and the minerals manganese, selenium and phosphorous. In addition, it's a good source of magnesium, copper, zinc and vitamin B1.  Experiment to suit your tastes.  If you're going to the dentist, cut back to one clove of garlic (unless you want to punish your dentist, then add more garlic!).  Try the original, but like I said, add and subtract as you have ingredients.  If you stumble upon a winner, pass it on!  I'd love to hear about it.

Abby Community Kitchen Basic Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed
1 - 2 cloves garlic, peeled
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup tahini
4 - 5 tbsp. olive oil (plus a dash for serving)
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/8 - 1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp paprika (for serving)

Add lemon juice, olive oil and garlic to blender or food processor.  Add tahini, chick peas and remaining ingredients (except paprika) and blend on high until smooth and creamy.

Spoon into serving bowl and add remaining olive oil and paprika.

Cilantro Lime Hummus

This is a batch of cilantro lime hummus I made for the family.  I love to make it ahead (usually doubling the recipe) and leaving it in a glass jar with a lid in the fridge for the family to eat on whatever they choose.  I like to make meals and snacks for the week ahead as much as possible, but we'll get into that in another upcoming post.  In the meantime, I hope you give hummus a try.  As I mentioned, if you experiment and hit on a winner, let me know!

Happy Hummusing!