All About Italy's Spicy Marinara Sauce

Marinara sauce is a popular Italian red sauce. This meatless sauce can be easily and quickly made from tomatoes, onions and herbs. You might find this sauce a little spicier than other red tomato sauces. This is because it has large amounts of garlic, oregano, basil, and even chili pepper. Its simplicity and easy-to-make feature allows it to be used in many great Italian dishes.

Besides its traditional use of highlighting the mild taste of pasta such as linguini or ziti, marinara is also a popular dipping sauce for finger foods like fried mozzarella cheese sticks and calzones. This sauce can be used by you to add a little zest to meat dishes such as chicken, veal parmigiano, pork steaks, and grilled seafood. You can also use it to replace mustard or mayonnaise in a burger or a chicken filet sandwich and perhaps relish the food more.

Despite being easy to make, there are currently hundreds of types of marinara in the market. The popularity of the sauce may be due to recent research, which revealed that cooked tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

Origins of Marinara Sauce

Marinara is derived from the Italian word marinaro meaning “of the sea” and marinara sauce loosely translates into “the sauce of the sailors”. It originated with sailors in Naples in the 16th century, after the introduction of tomato by the Spaniards. In those days of no refrigeration it was in great demand among the cooks on the ships for two reasons. Firstly, because the absence of meat and high acid content of the tomatoes would not spoil the sauce, and secondly, because it was easy to prepare.

Preparation of marinara sauce

Ingredients

6 pounds ripe Italian-type tomatoes
1 cup very finely minced onion
1/2 cup very finely minced celery
1 cup very finely minced carrots
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar

Seasonings - Added according to taste

Ground white pepper
Ground coriander
Dried marjoram
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Salt

Drop tomatoes into boiling water, a few at a time. Let the water return to a boil, then remove the tomatoes and drain. Peel and chop.

Cook the onion, celery, and carrots in the olive oil, in a large covered saucepan, over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring a few times. Uncover and stir, over the heat, for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the vegetables are very soft and lightly gold.

Add the tomatoes, sugar and pepper and simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes.

Puree the sauce through the medium disc of food mill. Add the optional seasoning and cook at a bare simmer until a desirable consistency is reached, about 20 minutes, stirring often. Add salt to taste. You can add a little hot sauce to add a little more kick.

If you prefer a smooth sauce, work the sauce through the fine disc of a food mill.

Cool the marinara and refrigerate it. It will keep, refrigerated, for about a week, or for several months if frozen.

Carbonara Sauce

4 Tablespoon Butter
8 Slice Bacon; cut in 1/4" strips
2 Eggs
2 Egg yolks
1 Teaspoon Red pepper flakes
1 Cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 Cup Heavy cream
1 Teaspoon Salt
Black pepper
1 Pound Spaghetti
8 Quarts water

Cream soft butter. In another bowl, beat eggs & yolks and whisk until
blended, add 1/2 cup cheese.
Heat large casserole dish in 200F oven.
Bring water & salt to boil in large pot.
Meanwhile, fry bacon in skillet over med heat until crisp.
Pour off half of fat and stir in red pepper flakes and cream.
Bring cream mixture to simmer and keep warm until spaghetti is done.
Transfer cooked spaghetti to heated serving bowl and stir in creamed butter.
Coat well. Stir in hot bacon & cream mixture and finally the beaten eggs and cheese.
The heat of the pasta will cook the raw eggs. Taste and season
with salt and pepper.
Serve with remaining grated cheese.

Basic Polenta

9 Cups Water
1 Teaspoon Salt
3 Cups Cornmeal; coarse-grain
Bring water to a boil in a large heavy pot.

Add salt and reduce heat until water is simmering.
Take cornmeal by the handful and add to water very slowly, controlling the flow to a thin stream through your fingers.
To avoid lumps, stir quickly with a long handled wooden spoon while adding cornmeal.
If necessary, stop adding cornmeal from time to time and beat mixture
vigorously.
Cook, stirring constantly, 20 to 30 minutes. Polenta will become very thick while cooking. It is done when it comes away cleanly from the sides of the pot.
Pour polenta into a large wooden board or a large platter.
Wet your hands and smooth out polenta evenly, about 2 inches thick.
Let cool 5 to 10 minutes or until polenta solidifies.
Cut cooled polenta into slices 1 inch wide and 6 inches long.
Place slices in individual dishes. Serve hot, covered with your favorite sauce.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Variation: Fried Polenta (Polenta Fritta): Prepare polenta and let cool completely.
Cut cooled polenta into slices 2 inches wide and 6 inches long.
Pour oil about 1 inch deep in a large skillet.
Heat oil until a 1-inch cube of bread turns golden almost immediately. Fry polenta slices on both sides
until light golden.
Drain on paper towels. Serve hot. It is importent to insure the oil is hot enough, otherwise the polenta will absorb oi

Cranberry Bean Soup

Ingredients for Cranberry Bean Soup Recipe

4 tb Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 sm Yellow Onion; Peeled And
-Chopped
2 sm Carrots; Peeled And Chopped
2 Stalks Celery; Chopped
5 Cloves Garlic; Peeled And
-Minced
3 tb Fresh Parsley; Finely
-Chopped
3 tb Fresh Basil; Finely Chopped
1-1/2 lb Plum Tomatoes; Peeled And
-Seeded
2 c Cranberry Beans; Soaked
-Overnight
1 Bay Leaf
3 Fresh Sage Leaves; Chopped
Salt And Freshly Ground
-Pepper

Cranberry Bean Soup Preparation

Chop Plum tomatoes, set aside. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until vegetables are soft, 15 minutes. Add garlic and 1 Tbsp. each of parsley and basil; cook for 10 minutes. 2. Add tomatoes, cook 10 minutes more then add beans, 4 cups water, bay leaf and sage. Simmer soup over medium heat (adding water if necessary) until beans are very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add remaining parsley and basil, season with salt and pepper and serve. Notes: If fresh cranberries are available, omit overnight soaking. Recipe by: Saveur, Sept/Oct 1997 Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #988 by Suzy Wert on Jan 6, 1998

Crema di Mascarpone

Ingredients:

3 1/2 oz. mascarpone cheese
2 eggs, separate the whites from the yolks
1 tbsp. Rum
3 1/2 oz. sugar

Description:
1. In a bowl mix the egg yolks and sugar together with a hand blender.
2. Add the mascarpone and combine well using a wooden spoon.
3. Add the rum and mix in.
4. In another bowl whip the egg whites until they start to foam.
5. Add the egg whites to the mascarpone, a bit at a time, folding them in gently with a spoon, making movements from bottom to top.
6. Chill for one hour or until cold. Serve in a 8 onz. glass bowl or in single cups with dry biscuits. Serves 4

resource : italiancook.ca

Zabaione

ngredients:

4 large egg yolks
4 Tbsp. sugar
7 Tbsp. dry Marsala wine

Directions:
1. Using an electric hand blander beat the egg yolks, add in the sugar in a medium sauce pan until fluffy and light yellow. Use the medium-high speed.
2. Add the Marsala wine without stopping to mix the batch.
3. Immediately after mixing in the Marsala set the sauce pan in an other pan with simmering water or on the top of a double boiler. You should never stop mixing from when you start until it is ready.
4. Beat the sauce for about 10 minutes while holding the saucepan in the water. Remember, the water doesn't have to boil.
5. The Zabaione is ready when the cream has doubled in volume and it is fluffy and soft.
6. Serve it immediately. Serves 4

Granito Gelato

ngredients :
3 cup Store-bought fruit juice mix
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Description :
1• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let cool.
2• Stir in the fruit juice and lemon juice and pour into a chilled 10 by 10 inch glass baking dish.
3• Place in the freezer and freeze, stirring every 30 minutes until the mixture is firm.
Makes 4 cups

Tiramissu

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup coffee liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
16 ounces Mascarpone
1 1/2 - 7 ounce packages ladyfingers
2 cups brewed strong coffee

Directions:
1• With an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with 1/2 cup of sugar until thick and very light, about 3 minutes. Add the rum and coffee liqueur and beat until smooth. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the egg yolk mixture. Add the Mascarpone and cinnamon and beat until evenly combined. Reserve this mixture.

2• In a clean mixer bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. With the mixer running, gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the reserved egg yolk mixture until evenly combined.

3• Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan with a single layer of ladyfingers. Brush the ladyfingers with coffee lightly. Spread half of the mascarpone filling over the ladyfingers. Repeat with another layer of ladyfinger, soaked with coffee, and mascarpone filling.

4• Sprinkle the surface of the tiramisu with unsweetened cocoa powder and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.