What, Really? You Want Me To Make Bolognese Tomato Sauce, Vegan Style?

I have discovered that, although I love my homemade tomato sauce with meat, I've managed to make a vegan version that is just as good.

I'm not kidding. I've had a few people taste it: vegetarians, newly-healthy eaters, and avid meat eaters. All of us agree that it is amazing.

The most important part of the sauce is the canned tomatoes you use. My mother, Gran Fran, swears by canned San Marzano tomatoes. They just taste better, even if they cost way more than the others. I think she learned about these from her Italian grandmothers, who hail from Southern Italy, not sure. They make for a much richer flavor, real tomato-y and not metallic at all. I used the diced ones. I'm sure Gran Fran is not happy with this at all, but the pre-diced ones make my life easier and the sauce chunkier.

When we were kids Gran Fran used to make use push whole canned tomatoes through a sieve to extract the seeds, skin and core. No matter what, I somehow always had a cut on my hand, which the acid from the tomato would burn. Gran Fran had no time for these kinds of complaints. There was likely some sort of a response along the lines of "When I was your age, we had to can the tomatoes ourselves." Or some such other silliness.

The addition of a generous handful of fennel seeds to the sauce makes it taste just like it does when I put sweet Italian sausage in there. I've tried it without the fennel, and it's just kind of bland, still better than store bought, but nothing special. A great trick that Gran Fran uses is to heat up the tomato paste in a small saucepan and most of the dried spices to it and some olive oil. By cooking them together, the tomato paste picks up the flavors and distributes them into the sauce more evenly. I think Gran Fran told me once that cooking the spices this way makes their flavors release more strongly. It's one of those things I do because my Mom told me to.

Oh, and don't forget to brown some garlic lightly before putting the tomato sauce and wine in the pot.

I do also add a half bottle of red wine. Any kind will do, even cheap stuff, though more expensive wines definitely add a little more depth to the sauce.

Cooking for a really long time over a low heat once everything is incorporated (Gran Fran-ism) is key to your sauce's success. This time I had to go out for a few hours after I started to sauce. I turned the flame off and let the pot sit until I came back, partially covered. This seemed to help the sauce thicken because when I came back, it was more set than when I left. I turned the flame back on and cooked it for another two hours, for a total cooking time of 4 hours. Slow cookers can be tried here, but I have not had the best luck with getting a good thick sauce in my slow cooker until the second day, reheating on the stove.

I'm going to make a bunch of this and can it for future use (or sale, who knows?). Last night, in a rush to make myself something to eat, I was lucky enough to find a gluten-free pizza crust in my cupboard and a jar of this fabulous tomato sauce in my fridge. Let me tell you, with a couple of anchovies and some pine nuts, I had myself a wonderful pizza, in under 20 minutes.

Bolognese Sauce: Italian Vegan Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cans San Marzano diced tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed, skins removed
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsps tomato paste
• 1/2 bottle red wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 spring fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

 Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed non-reactive pan. Add the garlic and let sit for two minutes, just before it browns.
2. Pour both cans of diced tomatoes into the pan, bringing it to a boil.
3. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add the tomato past, fennel, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
4. Cook the tomato paste and spices for three minutes, until fragrant.
5. Add the tomato paste with spices, the red wine and the bay leaves to the boiling tomato sauce.
6. Boil for one more minute, stir, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
7. Cover the pan halfway and cook for two hours, stirring occasionally.
8. Turn off the heat for an hour or two, keeping the sauce in the partially covered pan.
9. Return the heat to high, bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for an additional two hours, stirring occasionally.
10. Serve over pasta, on pizza or over broiled chicken breasts.

Michael Natkin's Herbivoracious: Roasted Maitake Mushrooms in Smoky Tea Broth

Well hello there. A few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Michael Natkin of the site (and new cookbook) Herbivoracious. As the name suggests, he is a vegetarian chef.

I also found out that Michael is a really nice guy. He loves what he does and is really passionate about sharing his knowledge and love of vegetarian cooking with the world. The book's introduction outlines his very personal journey to becoming a vegetarian, which involved his mother's battle with cancer, his taking over the cooking for the family, and ultimately learning through trial and error about food and cooking.

The recipes in Herbivoracious are straightforward  and easy to follow. I chose to make the Maitake Mushrooms in Smoky Tea Broth. The choice was simple. I am in love with Lapsang Souchang tea. Therefore, any recipe that allows me to use said tea, is for me. It turned out just as the book said: salty, smoky and earthy. Considering this is such a simple recipe, you could really wow a crowd with it because the mix of flavors packs a powerful punch.

It has been about 9 months since I started attending food blogger events out in the real world. I'm amazed at what a nice group of people I've met and how open they all are in sharing tips and tricks of blogging. When I arrived at Cookhouse, the beautiful North Beach location where the event was held, I was nervous and worried I wouldn't feel comfortable with the crowd.

The nerves disappeared immediately when Michael walked right up, shook my hand and we proceeded to discuss the night's menu. His ease with the crowd was refreshing. He talked to me about sharing vegetarian tips (since I dabble with vegetarian recipes and he's an expert) and offered up encouragement with my vegetarian experiments. His blog is amazing and really shows his personality and skill through the written recipes as well as the video demos.

If you'd like to make the Maitake Mushrooms in Smoky Tea Broth that I have shown here, click on over to Michael's Herbivoracious site to check out the book.

Learning About Turnips: Turnips Sauteed with Apples and Mustard

It's time to learn about turnips. The few times I've tasted turnips, I've been less than impressed. The mashed ones are ok, but nothing compared to mashed potatoes. It occurred to me that I have been lax in learning about this vegetable and have maybe written it off too soon.

My daughter told me that you can't really trust Wikipeda. They learned at school that anyone can enter information on Wikipedia, so it may not be the most trustworthy source.  I figure no one is going to lie about turnips, like they would about a Khardashian or something, so I headed over there for some turnip information.

The turnip is a root vegetable that is very high in vitamin C, while the greens are full of vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium and luetin. Whoa. Who knew?

The article also stated that for some, the flavor of turnips will always be bitter due to your genetics. I generally have this bitter-flavor reaction to cooked spinach (raw spinach is fine). When I read this, I almost sent it to Gran Fran so she would finally understand why I couldn't eat cooked spinach as a kid without crying.

But I digress. With the potential bitterness in mind, I decided to add some apples and apple cider vinegar to my turnip dish to sweeten it up a bit. What a nice combination! Once I tasted it, I realized it would be a great complement to the Real Simple Slow Cooker Bratwurst that I made recently.

I will continue to experiment with turnips, and please do share your turnip recipes with me!

Turnip and Apple Sauté

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ to 2 cups turnips, greens removed, peeled, cut into cubes
• 1 apple, skinned, cored and cut into even pieces
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1. Heat up the olive oil in a pan that is large enough to hold the turnips and apples, preferably one with a lid.
2. Put the turnips and apple cider vinegar in the pan, stir once, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Add the apples and sautee until browned, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the mustard, making sure to coat all the turnips and apples and cook for 5 more minutes.

Cook’s note: You can serve this with grilled sausages or a hearty toasted brown bread.

Vegan and Gluten-Free Mini Veggie Pizza

Comfort foods are my best friend. My parents are both great cooks and go out of their way to make everyone's favorite foods at all times. One of my favorite childhood dishes, was the English muffin mini pizzas Joe (my dad) would make for us. Honestly, I can't remember if he made them very often , but this is a dish I always associate with him.

I've been wanting to make these mini pizzas myself, but I have two problems: gluten and dairy. In the past, I've made my own pizza crust with gluten free flour, but I just want to be able to throw together a quick and easy pizza, that reminds me of Joe's pizza.

My solution presented itself in the form of these great gluten and dairy free Amy's sandwich rounds. I haven't had much luck in finding a small roll or English muffin-type of bread in the past. These are amazing. They are nice and soft, but not too chewy and held up well with all of the toppings on them, too.

Veggie Pizza

INGREDIENTS

• 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 3 to 4 mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in olive oil
• 3 to 4 asparagus stalks, steamed and cut into small pieces
• Amy's Gluten-Free Sandwich Round or 1 English muffins or 1 pita cut in half
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

1. If using pizza dough: prepare as per the package instructions and pre-bake the dough halfway.
2. If using English muffins or pita bread: place in a toaster oven or a regular oven on broil for 3 minutes.
3. Take the partially baked pizza dough or the toasted bread and layer on top all of the veggies.
4. Pour the oil over top, and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.
5. Place back in the oven or broiler and cook until the veggies and crust/bread have browned slightly.

Serves 2. Prep time, 5 minutes; cook time, 5 to 20 minutes.

Cook’s note: You can add 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce, mozzarella or Parmesan cheese as a base, before you place the vegetables on the bread.