Nic12184

mrshall1027 · January 2014

Do you happen to have a good marinara sauce/red sauce recipe? I've literally tried every brand of pasta sauce and I can't find one that I actually like.

I hope this isn't coming out of left field. I think I remember you saying that you cook a lot and have some good Italian recipes.

ramstein1027 · January 2014

It would be neat if everyone shared a family recipe or something from their ethnic/cultural background actually.

Bring on the red sauce, @nic12184!!

brainybrunette · January 2014

You got it! This is my grandmother's recipe. She calls this "fast sauce" because it can be made in about 45 minutes. I'm sorry that there's no exact measurements...it's how we roll LOL.

You need:

Olive Oil

A large onion

3 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper

Italian seasoning

2 cans of crushed tomatoes

White wine (red works too) about 1/2 cup

About 2 cups of chicken stock (I use low sodium)

A good handful of basil

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Let that sweat in the EVOO over medium heat. Salt and pepper the onion and garlic (the salt will help pull out the water in the onion...I don't use a ton of salt, just enough to get the onion to release it's liquid and cook down). Add a palm full of italian seasoning (I use an organic brand of Italian seasoning, but my grandmother would tell you that any brand is fine).

Once the onion is soft and translucent, add the wine and scrape up anything that is at the bottom of the sauce pot. Let the alcohol cook out while you open the crushed tomato cans.

Pour the crushed tomato into the pot and add the chicken stock (start with about 2 cups of stock). Bring everything to a boil and then reduce to simmer.

Add the chopped basil and let the sauce simmer and the flavors meld for about a 1/2 hour (or longer if you want the sauce to reduce and become a bit thicker).

Check the seasoning and adjust to taste.

Enjoy!

Note: this recipe can be scaled up or down. Example: just add more onion, garlic, wine, and stock for more cans of crushed tomato.

EDIT: I can't believe that I forgot the basil! I edited the recipe to include it now : )

mrshall1027 · January 2014

Awesome! This sounds super easy so I'll definitely be trying it!

I think sharing a recipe from our ethnicity would be great! I'm Mexican and my mom is an awesome cook. I'm still learning, but I've learned a lot from her already. Is there a certain Mexican dish you'd like to know how to make?

goatlady12 · January 2014

ystaalenburg said:

Awesome! This sounds super easy so I'll definitely be trying it!

I think sharing a recipe from our ethnicity would be great! I'm Mexican and my mom is an awesome cook. I'm still learning, but I've learned a lot from her already. Is there a certain Mexican dish you'd like to know how to make?

I love all Mexican food!!! I could eat it everyday and never get sick of it. I haven't been able to get it much because it's typically salty. What is your favorite dish?

brainybrunette · January 2014

Yes, at the heart of it, Italian food is incredibly simple. One of the best dishes that I has while I was in Italy was risotto with parmesan cheese that I had for lunch in Venice (not sure which was more delicious, that or the pumpkin risotto that my cousin made...i posted the recipe for that here awhile ago).

Another good recipe that my cousin made was eggplant "meatballs". She knew that I don't eat red meat, so she made my "meatballs" from eggplant. I haven't had time to try making it myself, yet (my kitchen is currently in moving boxes!). She said that she cut the eggplant in 1/2 and rosted it in the oven until the flesh was tender. Then she scraped the flesh out of the skin and mixed it with normal meatball ingredients minus the meat. I'm assuming she used garlic, parsley, parm cheese, breadcrumbs, olive oil, and an egg to bind it all together. She said that you could either fry them or put them in the oven to cook (she put them in the oven...I probably would too to keep it a bit more healthy) They were SOOOO delicious! Even my husband, the carnivore, loved them!

I'd love to learn how to make real Mexican food. I love enchiladas, but I'm assuming that any recipe that I've made isn't exactly authentic.

ramstein1027 · January 2014

ystaalenburg said: Awesome! This sounds super easy so I'll definitely be trying it!
I think sharing a recipe from our ethnicity would be great! I'm Mexican and my mom is an awesome cook. I'm still learning, but I've learned a lot from her already. Is there a certain Mexican dish you'd like to know how to make? Um...ALL the Mexican food!! LOL

I know I love what is probably fake Mexican food, it would be cool to learn more authentic dishes.

ramstein1027 · January 2014

Hope y'all like schnitzel, I'll put up that recipe later. schmeckt sehr gut (it tastes good)

Don't forget your beer--PROST!

consciousdear88 · January 2014

frank139@msu.edu said:
It would be neat if everyone shared a family recipe or something from their ethnic/cultural background actually.

Bring on the red sauce, @nic12184!!

This would be a neat idea! Although I'm limited to Slovak recipes. Unless I count the select Mexican recipes from when my dad was living in Albuquerque.

mrshall1027 · January 2014

Well, the thing is that even though I am Mexican, I can't handle spice (even when my mom was pregnant with me, she couldn't eat any spicy food and she is a spicy food addict!). So, my favorites are probably not what others would consider the best in Mexican food.

I love tostadas which are basically like flat tacos. It's a fried corn tortilla (in vegetable oil) topped with refried pinto beans (which I make from scratch), shredded chicken, lettuce, cheese, and any other toppings you'd want like salsa, guacamole, tomatoes, etc. You can also change it up and use ground beef, shredded pork (like barbacoa) and probably even any flaky fish or shrimp (I hate seafood, so no recommendations from me there). If you don't want to fry the tortillas, you can usually find already made ones in the grocery store.

For the pinto beans, they are easy but take some time to make so it's best to do it on a Sunday when you've got a few hours at home. I also don't measure anything, so just taste it as you go.

Wash and sift through the pinto beans to remove any that are bad (2 cups is around 8 servings) and boil a pot of water. Once boiling, add the beans and season with salt, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. If I have any Mexican beer, I'll pour some in there. If you want them to have some spice, you can add jalapeno. If you add the seeds, it will be spicier. You can also add bacon. Keep it simmering and stir occasionally. I always keep a pitcher of water nearby because I always have to add more water as it cooks.

If you want to refry them, add some oil, butter (or lard if you really want good flavor and aren't worried about calories/fat) and mash them with a potato masher. They can burn, so make sure you keep an eye on them.

mrshall1027 · January 2014

I can provide recipes for enchiladas, mole, menudo, caldo de res (beef soup), puerco con papas (pork with potatoes), and salsa if you guys want them. These are all recipes that are made from scratch and take some time, but the best thing is that most of them taste even better as left overs, so you can make them on the weekend and eat them throughout the week.

ramstein1027 · January 2014

OMG @ystaaleburg my mouth is watering! I would love literally any of those recipes.

Also, DH says he doesn't like refried beans, but I guarantee he would LOVE that recipe. I'm so doing that!

goatlady12 · January 2014

ystaalenburg said:

I can provide recipes for enchiladas, mole, menudo, caldo de res (beef soup), puerco con papas (pork with potatoes), and salsa if you guys want them. These are all recipes that are made from scratch and take some time, but the best thing is that most of them taste even better as left overs, so you can make them on the weekend and eat them throughout the week.

I would love this. I have to do pretty much everything from scratch, and I'm learning how to "unsalt" basically everything.

I don't have much to offer for family recipes. My Grandma had a ton of great Polish recipes but I don't have any of those...

ramstein1027 · January 2014

PS I have always wanted to be Mexican. When I was little, we did a diversity thing in class and wrote our backgrounds on it. I wrote Mexican. Well! I had my favorite dress I called my "Mexican dress" and always wore it out to Mexican restaurants. One can dream...

mrshall1027 · January 2014

Lol Evan! You're crazy!

Ok, so here's the recipe for enchiladas. Like I said, these are authentic, so be prepared for it to take some time!

This is for enchiladas made with Chile Colorado (red sauce). It will make enough to serve 7 to 8 people.

Ingredients:

1 pkg dried long red chili pepper, there are several varieties. Here's a link about a couple different ones: http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/chileinformation/tp/Types-Of-Red-Chiles.htm

2-3 garlic cloves

Half a yellow onion, roughly chopped

Salt, to taste

Cumin - start off with a small amount, like 1/4 tsp, and add more to taste

Water

Remove stems and seeds from the chile then rinse well.

Bring a pot of water to boiling, about 1/3 full in a 5qt pot

Once boiling, add the chile, onion, garlic and cumin to the pot and bring down to a simmer

Once the chili is soft, let it all cool down for about 30 minutes

Add the chile, onion and garlic to a blender and add in a little of the pot water. You can add more as you go, but you don't want to add too much at first because it will make it too runny.

Add in a little salt. You can add more after you blend the first time so you can judge how much you want in there.

It's important to make sure all the ingredients are cooled down, because the blender can burst on you if it's too hot.

Blend everything together. You can add more water, if needed. It needs to be the consistency of a non chunky pasta sauce.

Once it's all blended, pour it through a mesh strainer and mash it through to get all the juices out from the chunky bits left over.

At this point, you can add onion powder, garlic powder, more cumin, and/or more salt.

Whatever isn't used or if you want to save it, freeze it. Keep in mind that it will freeze like a liquid, so if you want to use it on different occasions, separate it.

To assemble the enchiladas, pour a little sauce into a small shallow sauce pan and heat on medium low. Don't get it too hot because it will splatter.

In another shallow sauce pan, add some vegetable oil, about 2 inches or so and heat on medium.

Have a baking dish set to the side, like a 9x13 Pyrex dish.

Take a corn tortilla and cook it in the oil for a few seconds, just to soften it up a bit.

Then transfer it to the sauce pan and coat both sides with sauce quickly. If you leave it in there too long, it will break apart on you.

Transfer the tortilla to the baking pan and add your filling. You can use whatever you want, shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, Monterrey jack cheese, ground beef).

Roll up and repeat until the pan is full.

Sprinkle cheese on top of all the enchiladas and then pour some sauce on top of that.

Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, just until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.

You can garnish/serve it with diced long onions and sour cream.

mrshall1027 · January 2014

If you need a shredded chicken recipe, this is how I make mine. It's super easy.

Boil a pot of water and add in some salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, dried oregano and black pepper. You can also use Mrs. Dash for more flavor and not so much salt. Once boiling, add in your chicken. It can even be frozen, it doesn't matter.

It should cook for about 15-30 minutes depending on how much chicken and if it was frozen or not. I just check it as I go. Don't over cook it because it will get dried out and not only will it not taste as good, it will be hard to shred. Keep in mind, that it will continue to cook as it cools down, so keep a close eye on it.

Once done, take it out of the water and let it cool. You can even stick it in the fridge overnight if you needed to. You can then either shred it by hand, which is faster but messier, or you can use two forks and pull it apart.

ETA: you can also add veggies if you want to, but I don't always remember to add it or don't have them on hand. But, you can add jalapenos, onion, garlic (just use less of the powders if you use fresh), and cilantro.

goatlady12 · January 2014

Yasmin, when I make home made sauces I freeze them in ice cube trays. It works awesomely, so you don't have to thaw the whole batch each time.

xxjen015 · January 2014

Those tostadas sound amazing!!

I don't have any "ethnic" recipes, but I do like to cook a lot. If you follow me on pinterest, I have a recipes I've tried board. I usually try to make notes in the comments about how they turn out.

mrshall1027 · January 2014

Seipel12 said:

Yasmin, when I make home made sauces I freeze them in ice cube trays. It works awesomely, so you don't have to thaw the whole batch each time.

That's a great idea! We usually don't have much left over and I always end up using the rest the next time around. If you do this, keep in mind that this sauce can set in and may stain any white or clear trays, if that matters.

brainybrunette · January 2014

If you spray things (like the ice cube trays, tupperware, etc) with a little cooking spray, tomato-based sauces won't stain them. I use this trick all the time!

minionlover · January 2014

Why did I read this thread? I'm hungry now....

mrshall1027 · January 2014

xxjen015 said:

Those tostadas sound amazing!!

I ended up making them last night! They were so yummy!! I snapped a pic, but it doesn't do them any justice. I roasted up some green chili to put on H's because he loves green chili! Also made some Mexican rice to go with it.

sjs1013 · January 2014

Enchiladas are one of my favorite Mexican dishes. I am definitely trying that out. The flauta recipe you gave me in the summer was delicious too, @ystaalenburg!

Not sure if it's real or fake Mexican, but I really love chimmichangas, if you have a recipe

My grandmother is Puerto Rican. I have a good rice and bean recipe and empanadas.

xxjen015 · January 2014

@ystaalenburg when you do the beans, if you add in bacon, is it already cooked, or does it cook with the boiling water?

I'm making the tostadas next Sunday and Nic's red sauce later that week as well!! I'm excited!

ETA: @Siepel12 since I know you watch your sodium, if you make stuff with broth, have you discovered Pacific brand? I can find it at our organic grocery stores as well as Target. It's low sodium, only 70mg per cup. Most brands low sodium is still 500 something mg.

mrshall1027 · January 2014

The bacon is cooked in the water. I add it towards the end so it doesn't get too soggy.

goatlady12 · January 2014

xxjen015 said:

@ystaalenburg when you do the beans, if you add in bacon, is it already cooked, or does it cook with the boiling water?

I'm making the tostadas next Sunday and Nic's red sauce later that week as well!! I'm excited!

ETA: @Siepel12 since I know you watch your sodium, if you make stuff with broth, have you discovered Pacific brand? I can find it at our organic grocery stores as well as Target. It's low sodium, only 70mg per cup. Most brands low sodium is still 500 something mg.

My mom showed me that brand once, but it is never in stock at the store by my house.

I usually go with "unsalted" which is around 140mg per cup depending on brand. If you really want to cut sodium down on your diet, look for "unsalted" or "no salt added" labels. "reduced sodium" and "low sodium" are usually still insanely high! I usually have to go to a couple different stores when I buy groceries. It's a giant pain in the butt, which is why I'm just starting to make all my ingredients now. It's time consuming but definitely saves on gas!

brainybrunette · January 2014

I think I might have mentioned to you before, but Kitchen Basics brand makes an unsalted chicken and beef stock.I use that a lot because I like to control how much sodium is in my food too.

goatlady12 · January 2014

Nic12184 said:

I think I might have mentioned to you before, but Kitchen Basics brand makes an unsalted chicken and beef stock.I use that a lot because I like to control how much sodium is in my food too.

That's my usual brand too! I never used to pay attention to sodium content until my health required it. I was shocked when I started reading labels.

brainybrunette · January 2014

I also edited my recipe to include basil. I can't believe I forgot the basil!!! One of my favorite herbs!

mrshall1027 · January 2014

@Nic12184 I'm making the sauce as I type this

I just tasted it and it's super yummy!! Thanks again!

brainybrunette · January 2014

So glad you liked it : )

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