All Italian

One of my favorite cuisine in the world is Italian - why? Because it's simplicity makes up for a very hearty meal with intense flavors. The few essential ingredients in an Italian kitchen is extra virgin olive oil, tomatoes, parmesan and garlic. These are the four most important ingredients in any Italian kitchen. Well, simply because MOST italian dishes uses tomatoes. Oh the Italians love their cheeses, especially parmesan, which they sprinkle onto every pasta dishes they have. I always have simple marinara sauces stored in my kitchen. It's just so useful.

The four major Italian ingredients

Here in Canada, there is a little Italy in almost every major city where the Italian immigrants live. The place is filled with Italians and the atmosphere feels almost like Italy with the colors (they love their national flag) they use in every cafe or residential area - white, green and red. But of course, you can't rarely compare the little makeshift Italies in other countries to the real Italy. Nothing beats the real deal. The properties in Italy are old, magnificient and charming. There are plenty of Italian properties for sale though, around Italy for sure, but the price range really depends on where. Location, Location, Location. If I'm rich, I'd buy myself a property there. Someday, someday :)

Anyway, back to italian cuisine. I have a very simple marinara sauce that I make in a big pot and keep in batches. It's SO useful because you can use the marinara sauce to make a great pasta meal, chicken Cacciatore or simply any oven baked casseroles that requires a tomato sauce... :) I know, it's sometimes hard to get sweet, ripe tomatoes so just use canned ones. They're much better. I use whole canned tomatoes for my recipe.

OHHH you can make your own pizza with this sauce too. Just add cheese and your fav. filling and you're good to go!


Recipe:

2 can of whole canned tomatoes
2 onions, diced as finely as you can before the sulfur gets into your eyes
7 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Pepper to taste
2 teaspoon of Herbs (I usually use basil and oregano)

Method:

Sautee the onions and garlic until onions are transparent and tender in a big enough pot. Add your salt, sugar and pepper and saute again for about 1 min.

Pour in 2 whole cans of tomatoes into the pot and gently mash them with your spoon or whatever utensil you're using. I personally use the potato masher, they do a better job. Cook the sauce until it's simmering and add your herbs. When it's simmering lower the heat to medium.

I like to rub the herbs between my hands as I sprinkle them in because it really releases the aroma.

Lower to a simmer and let the sauce cook for about 20-30 mins.

Basic marinara sauce

After that, your marinara sauce is ready. You can add practically anything into this sauce, be it seafood, meat or just cheeses to make a cheesy tomato sauce for a pasta bake. The possibilities are endless! :)