celebrity guest spot premiere: Marinara

Tonight kicks off the first (of hopefully many!) guest recipe features.  This one is brought to you by my friend Igor, green activist and kitchen all-star.  If I hadn't just made tomato sauce only a few hours ago, I would've given this recipe a test drive before posting.  I've sampled some of Igor's cooking before, so I won't question it :) 

Half the marinara on the shelves of grocery stores nowadays is filled with sugar, high fructose corn syrup, loads of salt and artificial flavoring.  If you want the good stuff, you gotta pay top dollar... or you can save yourself some money and do your body some good if you cook up a batch of your own!  P.S. – it also tastes better ;)

Igor’s Miraculous Marinara: I’m putting my Italian Grandma hat on

Prep time: 10 minutes.  Cook time: 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

¼ cup of olive oil

28oz can of diced tomatoes (unsalted)

2 cloves of fresh garlic – diced

1 small onion or ½ large onion – diced (yellow or red)

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons basil

½ cup of water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional:

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

½ cup of fresh mushrooms

 

First get out everything you need and prep your ingredients.

Heat up a large sized pan on high and add olive oil.  Throw in diced onions and mushrooms and sauté until soft and golden brown. Right before onions and mushrooms are done cooking, throw in fresh garlic and cook an extra minute.

Once vegetables are sautéed to your liking, add the canned tomatoes, and stir (No need to drain the can, the juice adds moisture).  

 
Add your ½ cup of water.  Add seasonings: oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes if you choose, and stir.

Let the sauce reach boiling point and turn down the heat to medium.  Let it thicken for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  (Note: 10 – 15 minutes is an estimate.  Keep an eye on the sauce and let it thicken until it reaches a desired consistency).  After 10 – 15 minutes, the sauce should be close to done.  Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes depending on the consistency you desire.   If you like your sauce chunky, you are ready to eat.  If you like your sauce smooth, you can use a masher or a food processor to thin it out.  After initially cooking the sauce for 10 – 15 minutes, I prefer to use a masher, letting the sauce thicken for an extra 5 to 10 minutes while manually mashing it.

 
 You’re all set.  Enjoy!  Igor’s Miraculous Marinara goes great on pastas, as a side, or on tortilla, pita or French bread pizzas.