Italian Marinara with Pasta…Easy to Make and Delicious to Eat

By Jodee Weiland

One of the easiest dishes to make in any Italian household is pasta with Italian marinara sauce.

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When I was growing up, mom and dad would make Italian marinara sauce any time they needed to cook up a delicious meal in a hurry, whether for unexpected guests or just a fast week day meal. Both my parents worked once I was in school, and sometimes things got hectic around our house, so mom would put together pasta with Italian marinara sauce when needed.

 

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If I went to a restaurant today for the same meal, with the salad she made and Italian bread, I would pay good money. But whatever they would charge would not make it good enough to replace the memories I having of eating this simple meal with my family.  At an Italian family meal, everyone talks and laughs together while savoring the food set before them.  Enjoying the people around you is as important as savoring the food.  Sometimes it got loud with several people talking at once, but I would never trade those memories for anything.

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Food and sharing meals is a large part of the Italian culture. Growing up, I watched my parents set down a table of food whenever we sat down together, whether for a meal, the arrival of unexpected guests, or just when we were sitting and discussing something as a family. Many extended family members would stop by often, knowing fun and laughter would accompany the delicious food my parents would bring out for all to share. Mom and dad were loved by all of our friends, neighbors, uncles, aunts, and cousins.  Every one of them enjoyed my mom’s delicious cooking and my dad’s great sense of humor. This recipe is more than just a meal to me.  It’s a memory of my family sitting together and sharing food, conversation, and laughter. When I share it with friends and family now, it makes new memories possible and old memories fresh in my mind.

 

Italian Marinara with Pasta…Easy to Make and Delicious to Eat

2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium to large onion sliced or chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 to 2 cups fresh mushrooms slice or one 4 ounce can sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon basil or use 1 tablespoon fresh basil cut up
1/2 teaspoon dried or ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon sugar (some people prefer to use 2 carrots finely shredded or chopped for sweetness)
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
6 ounce can tomato paste
Water (1/2 cup red wine is optional)
Freshly grated imported Parmesan Reggiano cheese
Pasta of your choice

 

Sauté onions, garlic, and mushrooms in olive oil.  Add the seasonings to this and stir together.  Then add tomato puree or crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and water as needed, usually about I/2 to 3/4 cup of water, depending on desired consistency.  Add in the sugar if you do not use carrots.  If using carrots, sauté the carrots with the onions, garlic, and mushrooms.  Let the sauce begin to bubble and then cover the pot lowering the heat to simmer for 45 to 60 minutes or longer, stirring every so often.

 

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Be ready to boil the pasta of your choice once the sauce is ready or nearly ready.  By the way, if you lay a wooden spoon across the top of your pot of boiling water for the pasta, so it will not boil over. I was surprised myself, but this works well.  When the pasta is ready, drain your pasta and add you sauce, gently mix the two together.  Then serve with freshly grated imported Parmesan Reggiano cheese.

 

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Looking for an easy meal to make on a on a busy week day or on a lazy Sunday afternoon? This meal is delicious and makes it easy to bring a little bit Italy into your home.  Serve it with a tossed salad and some hearty bread or focaccia of your choice.  A Chianti, a Sangiovese, or a Toscana all compliment the flavors of this meal. If you do decide to make this recipe, be sure to add laughter, conversation, and good family fun when you bring it to the table and then, make a memory!  Enjoy!

Lemon Pepper Linguini with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Broccoli Rabe…With a Touch of Red Pepper

By Jodee Weiland

Growing up in an Italian family, the idea of having olive oil, garlic, and pasta was a natural. My father and mother always liked hot peppers, so they always added crushed red pepper to theirs. This dish, linguine with olive oil, was referred to as pasta with Aglio E Olio sauce in our home and was one of my dad’s favorites.

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He was very particular about how it was done. The extra virgin olive oil had to be just enough to cover the pasta, but not so much that the pasta sat in a pool of oil nor could it sit in a pool of water and oil, meaning poorly drained pasta.  When I was younger, I was not interested in this pasta dish at all, but as a young adult I came to appreciate this dish just like my father did, especially if done with a very good extra virgin olive oil.  Believe me when I tell you, it does make a difference.

 

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The best part about making this dish is that it is easy and fast!  So as I grew older, I began adding vegetables to this dish to make it healthier and even more delicious.  Once you had the basics down, taking it to the next level was fairly easy and made sense. If you need a quick easy meal, why not make it as nutritious as possible with just a little more effort and time?  The answer to that is easy.  Just do it and enjoy the results!

 

Lemon Pepper Linguini with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Broccoli Rabe…With a Touch of Pepper

12 ounce package of lemon pepper linguini or pasta of your choice
1 cup extra virgin olive oil or more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (more or less depending on preference)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
2 bunches broccoli rabe (rapini) about 16 stalks more or less cleaned and trimmed to taste

Freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese

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Prepare pasta choice according to the package directions. Sauté chopped garlic on low heat in olive oil.  Add crushed red pepper (optional).  Add broccoli rabe pieces and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Cook broccoli rabe to taste, but preferably still firm.

 

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When pasta is al dente, drain and put in serving bowl.  Then pour olive oil, garlic, red pepper, and broccoli rabe over the pasta.  Gently toss together and then serve.  Add freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese for those who want it.

 

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Lemon Pepper Linguini with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Broccoli Rabe with a touch of crushed red pepper is wonderful.  Serve it with a nice Chianti, a mixed green salad, and some focaccia bread. Whenever we have this dish, it brings back wonderful memories of my parents, but especially my father, who loved Aglio E Olio.  At a restaurant, he would very specifically tell them how he wanted it done, and believe me when I say, the quality of their Italian cooking was heavily weighed on their ability to meet his requirements. This dish, with the broccoli rabe added in, is easy and quick to do, but it’s also delicious.  If you decide to try it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we have and make some memories of your own.  Enjoy!

Kitchen Universe, The Kitchen Store

Kale and White Bean Soup…Good as Well as Healthy

By Jodee Weiland

 

This spring has been as cold and damp as many fall days, so I decided to make soup.  After looking to see what I had readily on hand, I found I had just the right ingredients to make my own kale and white bean soup.  It was so easy to do.  I was surprised I never attempted this before today.  I have made all kinds of soups, some with many of the ingredients used here, but I never thought to put them together to make this particular soup. Well, today I decided to try something new, and as it turns out, it was a great idea for a dinner to warm you up on a cold day that took very little effort and time.

 

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In order to make my soup, I gathered together all the ingredients I thought might go well together to create a warm hearty soup that would take the chill off on this damp rainy day.  Once that was done, I started putting together my idea for a great hearty and healthy soup, and it turned out rather well, if I do say so myself. Here’s what I put together, and how I did it to cook my soup.  Keep in mind I always make enough soup to feed a family.  I’m Italian, so there’s no such a thing as too much food on the table.

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 Kale and White Bean Soup

 

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 teaspoon chopped garlic or more to taste
2 tablespoons snipped and chopped parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 to 10 cups chicken broth (I prefer fat free low sodium/ vegetable broth can be substituted)
1 large bunch of kale (wash, rinse, and tear leaves from stem)
3 medium carrots peeled and sliced
3 cans Great Northern, cannellini, or navy beans
Freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
A loaf of crusty fresh baked bread sliced, whichever type you prefer

 

In a covered stockpot, about five quart, sauté the onion, garlic, parsley, thyme, and black pepper for about five to ten minutes. Rinse and clean the kale, pulling the leaves off the center stem and tearing or cutting the leaves in to smaller pieces.  Add the chicken broth, kale, beans, and carrots to the stockpot and bring to a low boil, stirring as you add each ingredient. Then lower the heat to simmer, cover the pot, and simmer for twenty to thirty minutes or until the carrots are tender.

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Serve this soup with freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese and a crusty loaf of fresh baked bread, whichever type of bread you prefer.  This soup tastes especially good served with a nice Pinot Noir wine. We loved it! It is very tasty and just what you need on cool damp day to warm up. Try it!  I sincerely think you will be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy!