What, Really? You Want Me To Make Bolognese Tomato Sauce, Vegan Style?

I have discovered that, although I love my homemade tomato sauce with meat, I've managed to make a vegan version that is just as good.

I'm not kidding. I've had a few people taste it: vegetarians, newly-healthy eaters, and avid meat eaters. All of us agree that it is amazing.

The most important part of the sauce is the canned tomatoes you use. My mother, Gran Fran, swears by canned San Marzano tomatoes. They just taste better, even if they cost way more than the others. I think she learned about these from her Italian grandmothers, who hail from Southern Italy, not sure. They make for a much richer flavor, real tomato-y and not metallic at all. I used the diced ones. I'm sure Gran Fran is not happy with this at all, but the pre-diced ones make my life easier and the sauce chunkier.

When we were kids Gran Fran used to make use push whole canned tomatoes through a sieve to extract the seeds, skin and core. No matter what, I somehow always had a cut on my hand, which the acid from the tomato would burn. Gran Fran had no time for these kinds of complaints. There was likely some sort of a response along the lines of "When I was your age, we had to can the tomatoes ourselves." Or some such other silliness.

The addition of a generous handful of fennel seeds to the sauce makes it taste just like it does when I put sweet Italian sausage in there. I've tried it without the fennel, and it's just kind of bland, still better than store bought, but nothing special. A great trick that Gran Fran uses is to heat up the tomato paste in a small saucepan and most of the dried spices to it and some olive oil. By cooking them together, the tomato paste picks up the flavors and distributes them into the sauce more evenly. I think Gran Fran told me once that cooking the spices this way makes their flavors release more strongly. It's one of those things I do because my Mom told me to.

Oh, and don't forget to brown some garlic lightly before putting the tomato sauce and wine in the pot.

I do also add a half bottle of red wine. Any kind will do, even cheap stuff, though more expensive wines definitely add a little more depth to the sauce.

Cooking for a really long time over a low heat once everything is incorporated (Gran Fran-ism) is key to your sauce's success. This time I had to go out for a few hours after I started to sauce. I turned the flame off and let the pot sit until I came back, partially covered. This seemed to help the sauce thicken because when I came back, it was more set than when I left. I turned the flame back on and cooked it for another two hours, for a total cooking time of 4 hours. Slow cookers can be tried here, but I have not had the best luck with getting a good thick sauce in my slow cooker until the second day, reheating on the stove.

I'm going to make a bunch of this and can it for future use (or sale, who knows?). Last night, in a rush to make myself something to eat, I was lucky enough to find a gluten-free pizza crust in my cupboard and a jar of this fabulous tomato sauce in my fridge. Let me tell you, with a couple of anchovies and some pine nuts, I had myself a wonderful pizza, in under 20 minutes.

Bolognese Sauce: Italian Vegan Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cans San Marzano diced tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed, skins removed
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsps tomato paste
• 1/2 bottle red wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 spring fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

 Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed non-reactive pan. Add the garlic and let sit for two minutes, just before it browns.
2. Pour both cans of diced tomatoes into the pan, bringing it to a boil.
3. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add the tomato past, fennel, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
4. Cook the tomato paste and spices for three minutes, until fragrant.
5. Add the tomato paste with spices, the red wine and the bay leaves to the boiling tomato sauce.
6. Boil for one more minute, stir, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
7. Cover the pan halfway and cook for two hours, stirring occasionally.
8. Turn off the heat for an hour or two, keeping the sauce in the partially covered pan.
9. Return the heat to high, bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for an additional two hours, stirring occasionally.
10. Serve over pasta, on pizza or over broiled chicken breasts.

Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce and a Review: America's Test Kitchen Pasta Revolution

Hello friends. I know I've mentioned here a time or two how much I love Cook's Illustrated magazine. Well, I'm even more in love with the America's Test Kitchen Pasta Revolution cookbook, especially their slow cooker pasta sauce.

Now you may think it odd that I, a gluten-free lady, would be psyched about pasta sauce. Well you know what?  A lovely brand of brown rice pasta makes it very easy for me to participate in all things pasta again.

And, you may also wonder why a lady who was raised by another lady who happens to be an excellent Italian-American cook would want a pasta sauce book. I'm here to tell you, we all have our ways of cooking, and pooh-pooh other versions of our tried-and-true recipes. I've never made a tomato sauce that has onions or sugar in it (Gran Fran says that's not the way it's done). Nor have I ever tried to use a slow cooker for sauce (Gran Fran's head is now exploding in NYC while she reads this and discovers that I had the audacity to leave an appliance not only plugged in but on and simmering things for hours on end in an empty house).

I went through the book and found many interesting recipes, including some for Asian style noodles, which happen to be rice, that I will totally try to make. I chose to make the Spicy Sausage Ragu with Red Peppers: it's one of the slow cooker pasta sauce recipes in the book. I'm new to slow cooking (see comment above about Gran Fran's head exploding) and I'm also not the best at actually following all the steps in a recipe. Since I create my own recipes 98 percent of the time, I find it hard to believe that anyone knows better than I how to put something together.

My previous successes with Cook's Illustrated recipes reminded me that I had to take the time to really make this recipe. I made a pact with myself to follow every step in the Ragu recipe, including browning ingredients before throwing them into the slow cooker. I tend to wing it, so this was a true test of my patience. I'd also like to point out that I started cooking this at 6am so that it would be ready for dinner with a friend by 7pm. I think my neighbors are more than fed up with their noisy cooking crazy person on the second floor (that's me, if you didn't catch on) who tends to cook late at night or early in the morning. Who knows? All I know is that a good recipe with clear instructions really floats my boat.

If I can follow this in the wee early morning hours and have a great dish by dinner, I fully recommend this book to all of you. It's especially good for people like me who need to find some discipline and pay attention to directions every once in awhile. As it turns out, I really did enjoy leaving my comfort zone and trying a new version of something I've made hundreds of times. I'm really excited to cook my way through a bunch of these recipes and will be posting my results.

I will say, though, as delicious as this sauce is when first prepared, it is even better re-heated. The initial sauce turned out a bit thin for my liking (my friend, however, said it was just the way she liked it, so maybe it's personal preference). The sauce thickened nicely as the portions were reheated. That said, I loved the flavors, but I have to admit, I left some of the sausages in their skins and cut them up into chunks to go along with the sausage meat. I just love a chunky sauce. Other than that, I followed the recipe to a T and was rewarded with a great sauce.

Give this book a try, even if you consider yourself an advanced cook. America's Test Kitchen recipes always teach me something new and turn out great.

Spicy Sausage Ragu with Red Peppers

(Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce)

Makes 12 cups

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds hot Italian sausage, removed from its casing
• 2 onions, minced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano or 2 teaspoon dried
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsely
• Salt & Pepper

Method:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown well, breaking up large pieces with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker
• Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes to fat in skillet and cook over medium-high heat until onions are softened and lightly browned, 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in wine, scraping up brown bits and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add ingredients to the slow cooker.
• Stir crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce into the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook until the sauce is deeply flavored. 9 to 11 hours on low; 5 to 7 hours on high.
• Let sauce settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using a large spoon.
• Microwave bell peppers with remaining tablespoon of oil in bowl, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir softened bell peppers into sauce and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes.
• Before serving, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Author's Note:

I received a complimentary copy of

America's Test Kitchen Pasta Revolution.

There was no monetary compensation for this review.

Something’s Fishy: Feast of the Seven Fishes

Every year, the first week of December kicks off the planning of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, in San Francisco for my sister and myself, and in NYC for Gran Fran and the rest of our family.

What, you may ask is this Feast of the Seven Fishes you speak of, Miss? It’s a tradition to serve a meal consisting of seven fishes on Christmas Eve, if you’re from an Italian family (specifically, it’s more of a Southern Italian tradition, and since Gran Fran’s family hailed from Naples, and Joe’s (our Dad) family came from Calabria, we fit the bill perfectly).

The basic premise is that Roman Catholics didn’t eat meat on Christmas Eve, just as in years gone by, they wouldn’t eat meat on Good Friday, and every Friday. This all changed with Vatican II. But old traditions die hard and besides being tasty, fish is abundant in Southern Italy, San Francisco, and NYC.

So it remains the food to feast on before heading to Midnight Mass. There is no hard evidence on the “why” behind the number seven being chosen, some theorize it’s because of the Seven Sacraments, but others think it might have to do with seven of the of the Ten Commandments. Doesn’t really matter. For ours and most Italian-American families, Christmas Eve was and continues to be all about the fishes.

I have several fond, adult memories of recreating the Feast here in San Francisco, one great New York memory, and some odd childhood reluctance to eat many of the fishes presented to me.

Gran Fran’s menu usually includes: Calamari in Spicy Tomato Sauce, Brandade, Fried Whiting (converted to Fried Fish Salad on the following day), Breaded Shrimp and Scallops, Fillet of Sole, Anchovy Pasta, and Baccala (dried cod) in Tomato Sauce.

Let’s start with childhood. I was always in the kitchen with Gran Fran (and it should also be noted here that Joe is an excellent cook in his own right, with one of his recipes appearing below), hanging around to see what she was making and how. But, when Gran Fran was cooking, you were a guest, not a participant. In those sessions, I learned how to make Brandade (salt cod with potatoes), Anchovy Pasta, and many Fillet of Sole and Red Snapper recipes.

Once they hit the table, the Anchovy Pasta was pretty much the only thing I’d put on my plate, until Gran Fran would prompt me with something like “What’s the matter-you? Get some of everything on your plate, or I’ll smack you upside the head.” (Occasionally, she would also threaten to break my feet. But she never did me any physical harm, in case you were worried.)

Reluctantly, I’d get the plate loaded up and eat as little as I could get away with, except for the Anchovy Pasta, which I kept stocking up on.As I got older, all the fishes began to taste good to me, so it has been a pleasure re-creating the Feast here in SF. My sister and I have prepared at least two fishes each every year for the past 16 Christmas Eves, with this year culminating in the ultimate seven fishes.

But more on that in a minute. I want to talk about Christmas Eve 2006, which is the only one I’ve spent in NYC, between 1992 and 2008.On this particular occasion, Gran Fran and Joe had a houseful of guests from San Francisco, including me and my family and my sister and her family as sleepover guests. By the time we hit Christmas Eve day, it was clear that with the crowd of 23 (which consisted only of my 4 siblings’ families, my family, and my parents), Gran Fran would need some help making the fishes.

As it turned out, I ended up making the Steamed Mussels in Sauce and tending to the Breaded Fillet of Sole.Within a matter of moments, I became the Queen of Gran Fran’s kitchen. Which, was great not only because I knew I could live up to the legacy of her cooking but also because it would be the last Christmas Eve we would have in my childhood home. The tomato sauce bubbled, the sole sizzled, and I stayed right on top of it all. The results were awesome.

I used everything I learned over the years when I hosted Christmas Eve, 2008. We did make the Brandade, the Anchovy Pasta, and the Fillet of Sole just like Gran Fran. But the other four dishes were new twists, contributed by our West Coast friends and family. We had Chestnut Soup with Lump Crab Meat and Chanterelles, Smoked Trout with Salad Greens, Pecans and Grapefruit Slices, Steamed Clams and Chilean Sea Bass over Greens.

Yes, it’s about the fish, but it’s about family, holiday cheer, and tradition.The tradition lives on, even with my daughter, Iz, who is into fish; she made it her mission that we hit the magic number seven by keeping track of everyone’s contributions. I know that in the future she will continue the fishy-madness and make Gran Fran proud.

This is a link to Gran Fran’s blog, theitalianpantry.com with the original post regarding the Feast of the Seven Fishes: http://theitalianpantry.com/2006/12/12/the-christmas-eve-feast/

Pasta with Anchovies

(Neapolitan)

Serves 8

You will need a heavy-bottomed non-reactive saucepan and a 5 to 8qt stock pot. Ingredients:

• 2 cans best anchovy fillets wrapped around capers
• 3 cloves of garlic quartered
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs ground from good quality white bread
• 2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 pounds spaghettini

Method:

• Put salted water on to boil for pasta.
• While pasta is boiling, in a skillet heat olive oil until it shimmers.
• Add garlic and cook until it is golden.
• Add red pepper flakes and anchovies with their oil.
• Stir rapidly to break up anchovies. Reduce heat.
• Add bread crumbs and toss until crumbs are golden.
• Remove skillet from heat. Drain pasta. Stir in sauce.

Note: The recipe above specifies salt only in the pasta water because the recipe contains salty anchovies.

Baccala

(Neapolitan)

Serves 6 as a side dish

Order about 1 1/2 pounds of dried cod that has been soaked at the fish market. (You have to order this several days in advance to give the fishmonger time to soak it. The fish will expand to about 2 1/2 pounds after soaking. If you think this won't be enough to satisfy your guests, order more, and adjust the recipe accordingly. The dish can be served reheated. Don't worry about leftovers.)

You will need a non-reactive 5 to 8qt stock pot. Ingredients:

• Large white onion diced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 T. anisette or pernod
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• Pinch of salt
• Sprinkle fennel seeds
• Freshly ground pepper
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Bay leaf
• Package Pomi strained tomatoes

• As soon as you get the fish home, place it in a large bowl of cold water in the refrigerator.
• Change water about every two hours until you are ready to cook fish.
• In a heavy, nonreactive pot, sauté the onion in the oil.
• Add spices.
• Reduce heat and carefully add the wine and anisette.
• Over a medium flame, allow the alcohol to evaporate.
• Stir in tomatoes.
• Simmer sauce until thick and reduced by half--about 30 minutes.
• Drain fish. Rinse well. Dry on paper towels. Cut into serving pieces.
• Add fish to simmering sauce. Partially cover pot. Allow fish to simmer nicely about 40 minutes.
• It should be totally opaque and flaky when cooking is complete. (Again, not too much salt because the fish is salty.)

Fritto Misto

(popular all over)

Serves 12 people (--but since it's a world-class favorite, you shouldn't cook less.)

You will need 2 large non-reactive frying pans; 2 jelly roll pans (baking sheets with a lip) Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds well-soaked and well-dried baccala
• 3 pounds calamari thoroughly cleaned and skinned, including tentacles
• 1 1/2 lb. whiting (merluzzo) fillets with bones removed if possible
• 2 pounds large shrimp, deveined and washed
• 2 pounds scallops, well rinsed
• 2 pounds lemon sole or flounder fillets
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2-4 cups olive oil (NOT extra-virgin)
• 4 lemons sliced in quarters

Method: Preheat oven to 200 degrees (To make the best fried fish: Keep it refrigerated up to the moment of preparation. Then make sure the fish is absolutely positively clean. Wash, wash, wash until your hands turn red from the cold water.)

• Heat frying pans and add enough oil to completely cover the bottoms with a layer about 1/8-inch thick. You'll add more oil as you need it.
• Place the flour in a paper lunch bag. Before you add the salt to the flour, shake the baccala in the flour. Then remove the baccala and add salt to the flour.
• While pans are heating begin to flour fish. Flour only a few pieces at a time. Fry fish in hot oil, making sure there is enough room between pieces to ensure even browning. As fish is fried place it on baking sheets.
• Place sheets in oven to keep fish warm. Add more oil as needed to pans. If flour forms a heavy coating in pan, wipe out pan, add fresh oil, and start again.

Serve fish as soon as possible after frying. Pass lemon slices to accompany fish.

Fried Fish Salad

• Early in day, select one of the fishes above, not the seafood, fry according to recipe above.
• Arrange fish on platter.
• Sprinkle fish with:

• Red pepper flakes
• Thinly sliced onion rings
• Small quantity vinegar.Cover platter closely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate salad several hours before serving.

Mussels

Serves 6 as a side dish

• 4 pounds cultivated mussels
• 6 cloves garlic quartered
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• Freshly grated pepper
• Pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons anisette
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf Italian Parsley

You will need a deep nonreactive skillet.

• Scrub and debeard mussels.
• Sauté garlic in olive oil, add salt and pepper, wine and anisette.
• Let alcohol evaporate. Return heat to high.
• Add parsley and mussels.
• Cover pan closely. Shake pan occasionally until mussels open. Discard any unopened mussels. Serve with crusty Italian bread.

Baked Red Snapper

(Neapolitan) Serves 6

• 1 whole red snapper, slit down one side, cleaned, gutted, head removed, well washed and dried
• 1 large onion
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly made bread crumbs from good quality white bread
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 pound large shrimp, cleaned, deveined, washed, dried and diced
• 3 tablespoons white wine plus 3 additional tablespoons

You will need a non-reactive skillet and an ovenproof nonreactive baking dish.

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Rub fish all over with some of the oil.
• Add a tablespoon of the oil to a large nonreactive baking dish. Rub the dish with the oil.
• Heat the remaining oil in a skillet. Sauté the diced onion until it is slightly golden and translucent.
• Add salt pepper, bread crumbs. Stir until crumbs begin to turn pale gold.
• Increase heat, add shrimp. Saute shrimp until cooked through.
• Add the 3 tablespoons wine. Stir. Remove from heat.
• Mix shrimp, onion, and crumbs together to form stuffing for fish.
• Stuff cavity of red snapper with mixture. Hold fish closed with toothpicks if necessary.
• Sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons of wine over and around fish.
• Bake 25-30 minutes or until fish flesh is opaque, and skin is golden.

i'll give you a sauce

I made a red sauce tonight. It wasn't, as my mother would call it, a real Ragu, since I made it without meat. I do believe that Gran Fran (my mom, for those of you who are new to this blog) thinks it's a crime to make the sauce without meat. But, these days, a girl has got to watch what she eats, and a heaping bowl of sweet Italian sausage, ground beef and braccioli are not on my list right now. So sad, but true.

The sauce in question uses many of the same techniques and ingredients as Gran Fran's (see the two recipes below), but mine has twice as much red wine, half the tomatoes and way more garlic. So, I hope she is pleased with my take on her classic, but I fear her wrath when she sees this post.

One thing I always do the same, is use a can of whole, peeled tomatoes (preferably from the San Marzano area) and smash them through a sieve or a strainer. It brings back very clear childhood memories.

As the youngest of the 5 kids, I ended up doing tasks that didn't require knives (of which there were only butter knives anyway, but more on that in a later post), fire (of which I was petrified until I was in my 20's) or heavy pans to lift. Thus, I ended up more often than not as the tomato smasher. Which, I know, sound super fun, especially since it involved sticking your hands in lots of smushy tomatoes.

But, it was inevitable that I always had a small scratch or cut on either or both of my hands. And, as a reader of this blog, Non-Reactive Pan, you will understand that the acid in the tomatoes burned my hands like no other. Then, to top it off, as the tomato smush dried, I got some sort of skin treatment (like a facial only horrible) which always left my skin dried out and smelling like tomatoes for days.

To this day, though, you will find me in my kitchen smashing tomatoes through the sieve for the sauce, all the while cursing the burning of my skin. In the end, it is always worth it, though the sauce tastes different from Gran Fran's, it's essence is the same as hers, and so it always brings me home.

Red Sauce ala Fran's Daughter serves 8

• 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Bay Leaf
• 2 tsps Tomato Paste
• 1 1/2 cup Red Wine
• 1 can whole, peeled tomatoes, pushed through a sieve, solids discarded

you will need a large, NON-REACTIVE saucepan with a lid.

• Heat the olive oil until hot, but not smoking.
• Put the fennel, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and bay leaf in the olive oil.
• Just when the spices start to brown and pop, add the tomato paste.
• Keeping the flame on high, stir constantly, for about 2 minutes.
• Pour in the strained tomatoes and the wine.
• Bring the whole thing to a boil.
• Lower heat to a simmer and put the cover on, leaving a vent for steam to release.
• Stir every 10 minutes to ensure it doesn't stick.
• After 40 minutes, remove the sauce from the heat and eat!

Serve with pasta, or use this for pizza sauce or even just for dipping bread in. Oh, and, again, please remove the bay leaf before serving.

Red Sauce ala Gran Fran serves 8

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 cans whole, peeled tomatoes, pushed through a sieve, solids discarded
• 1 cup Red Wine
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 1/2 tsp Basil
• 1/2 tsp Rosemary
• Bay Leaf

you will need a large, NON-REACTIVE saucepan with a lid.

• Heat the olive oil until hot, but not smoking.
• Brown the garlic in the olive oil.
• Add the tomato paste.
• Pour in the strained tomatoes and the wine and stir well
• Add all the remaining spices.
• Bring the whole thing to a boil.
• Lower heat to a simmer and put the cover on, leaving a vent for steam to release.
• Stir every 10 minutes to ensure it doesn't stick.
• After 30 minutes, add the sausage (recipe below).
• Simmer with meat for up to 3 hours, then enjoy!

Sausage for Red Sauce ala Gran Fran serves 8

• 1 cup Red Wine
• 1 1/2 Lbs Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage, pierced

you will need a large, NON-REACTIVE saucepan.

• Heat the wine until boiling.
• Add the sausages, turning after 5 minutes.
• Once the fat starts to emerge from the sausages, lower the heat and saute the sausages until cooked through.
• Add to sauce and continue to cook as in above recipe.