Puttanesca Sauce, of sorts

A month ago, I left work really late and didn't feel like spending any more than half an hour to make dinner. So I went to Newflower Farmer's Market picked up some hot italian sausage, some pasta, and a jar of marinara sauce (store brand, because that was all they had). Big mistake.

That sauce was so shitty! I kind of hated myself with every bite for inflicting this on myself. In all likelihood, if I had bought a real brand, like Classico instead of We-Love-Organic-Stuff-But-Can't-Make-Anything-Actually-Tasty brand, it would have been decent.

Normally, I make a basic sauce out of canned crushed tomatoes, fresh garlic, and dried herbs. It isn't outstanding (probably because I get impatient and don't simmer it long enough), but it works. But I wanted to try experimenting with fresh tomatoes... Actually I was thinking about making Chicken à la Provençal, but I changed my mind at the last second, and realized I had the same ingredients as what I need for Puttanesca sauce.

I'll spare you all the theories about how this sauce gets its name from the whores in Italy's days of yore. I had it for the first time at Asti Trattoria, and I was stunned. What makes it special is that it's full of really bold flavors. It's sweet from the fresh Roma tomatoes, spicy from the generous helping of red pepper flakes, and gives you a real kick from the garlic, olives, capers, and anchovies. And let it be known that 2 of my favorite things to cook with are garlic and anchovies.

The end result wasn't bad, but it wasn't restaurant quality yet. Granted I was only making a small batch, maybe enough for 2 or 3 servings, it needed more tomatoes and maybe some tomato paste to get the right thickness. And I definitely wussed out on how much capers and olives I put into it; I didn't think that the olives would mellow out so much. This recipe will definitely be revisited.

What's your usual solution for pasta sauce?

Ingredients:

- 7 fresh Roma tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)

- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced

- 2 anchovy fillets, flattened to a paste

- 2 tsp capers, drained and chopped finely

- 1 or 1.5 Tbsp olives, pitted and coarsely chopped (I prefer Niçoise olives, they're kind of like mini kalamatas)

- 1/2 cup red wine (I used a zinfandel)

- salt & black pepper (preferably coarsely crushed) to taste

Procedure:

1. In a sauce pan, bring the oil up to medium heat. Saute and mix the red pepper flakes, garlic, and anchovy paste until it all becomes fragrant (but not so long that the garlic begins to brown). Mix in the olives and capers, and let it heat up for 30 sec.

2. Add the tomatoes and wine to the saucepan, and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring the pot to a low boil for a minute, and if you have a potato-masher or similar utensil, break up the tomatoes a little. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes (or when the tomatoes break down). Stir it frequently.

3. When the tomatoes have cooked down, and the sauce has thickened, season it with salt and black pepper to taste. Toss in your cooked pasta to coat it with the sauce.

I served it on spaghetti with chicken breast sauteed with just salt, coarse black pepper, fresh chopped rosemary, topped with some good extra virgin olive oil (the kind you don't put in a hot pan).

Like I said, I plan to attempt this again, but with more tomatoes, and some tomato paste. Oh, and more anchovies and olives. I guess restraint totally goes against the spirit of this sauce.

Quick Stir-Fry Sauce

I don't have any photos for this post, or a nice story to go along with it. I'm just trying to get into the habit of updating a little more regularly, plus I wanted to log this before I forget.

The other day I was craving some stir-fried pork and tofu with veggies, and I wanted to pick up this "House of Tsang" spicy Sichuan stir-fry sauce I used to use for a similar dish in college. This stuff really delivered the heat, and had a really nice consistency to it, from what I remember. But I realized I'd have to stop by the store on the way home from work to pick some up. But then I figured I roughly know how to make my own stir-fry sauce and I have a lot of chili-sesame oil, to hell with the store-bought sauce.

So for 1 standard block of firm tofu, 2 large peeled and sliced carrots, and 1 small crown of broccoli, I made my stir-fry sauce out of the following:

- 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce

- 2 Tbsp rice wine (shao xing)

- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce

- 1 or 1.5 Tbsp hot chili-sesame oil

- 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp water

- 2 tsp minced fresh garlic

- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger

- 2 stalks of scallion, finely sliced

1. Combine the soy sauce, rice wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch mixture in a bowl, and whisk it well.

2. In the clean pan on medium-high heat, fry the ginger, garlic, and scallion in 1 or 1.5 Tbsp of cooking oil for about 30 seconds (enough time for it to get fragrant but not burn).

3. Pour the soy sauce mixture from Step 1 into the pan on medium-high heat. Keep stirring while the sauce begins to thicken from the cornstarch.

Steak au Poivre in Mushroom & Bourbon Cream Sauce

Recipe Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/steak-au-poivre-recipe/index.html

Result: really damn good

I don't cook steaks too often. I guess it's because steak dinners tend to feel pretty heavy to me, and a good cut of beef can get pricey. But last week, I did some mid-week grocery shopping and saw some good NY Strip steaks at a good price. It inspired me to try out a Steak au Poivre recipe I haven't tried for a year or 2.

The last time I tried this recipe, I really didn't like the sauce. I didn't have a taste for cognac yet, and all that cream diluted the sauce so much that it was almost flavorless. This time around I substituted the cognac for Kentucky bourbon, I reduced the amount of cream, and I threw in some mushrooms and rosemary for a deeper, more earthy flavor.

One big thing to keep in mind when cooking with alcohol (whether it's wine, whisky, etc), use a bottle that you would enjoy as a normal drink. If you're making Chicken Marsala, use real Marsala wine; if you're making Boeuf Bourguignon, use real Burgundy. Don't be a cheap-ass and use supermarket cooking wine, it's loaded with salt and just tastes bad. For this recipe, I bought a small (200mL), inexpensive bottle of Bulleit Bourbon. My bourbon-snob friend and even the owners my neighborhood liquor store give Bulleit rave reviews.

The end result was seriously good. I think I'll be experimenting with beef more often. You can find the recipe after the jump. Try it out and make it your own. Experiment with the bourbon:cream ratio , maybe even try some butter instead of oil. And do leave a comment to let me know how it works out for you.