Recipe: Leicafied Vodka Cream Sauce

The first time I tasted vodka cream sauce was off my husband's plate at The Pasta Tree. It was savory, creamy and delicious.

When I finished making the fresh tomato sauce from our little garden on the side of our house, I decided to make a vodka cream sauce.

Again, this isn't the traditional vodka cream sauce, but it's just as savory and, perhaps, even more delicious!

Serves 2-4 people

Ingredients:

1 TBSP olive oil

1/2 lb hot Italian sausage

1/2 lb ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP tomato paste

1 shallot, minced

1/2 c vodka

2 cups tomato sauce

6 large leaves of fresh basil, chopped

2 sprigs of fresh oregano, chopped, or 1 tsp dried oregano

2 TBSPs finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 c heavy cream

juice from 1/2 small lemon

1/2 lb penne pasta

salt and pepper to taste

grated parmesan and fresh Italian parsley for garnish

In a wide/big sauté pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Make small meatballs from the Italian sausage (if it is loose, otherwise, if in tube form, cut into 1/2 inch pieces) and fry in the oil until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Remove most of the rendered fat except for about 1 TBSP. Add the garlic and shallots. Cook until translucent. Add ground beef and sauté until browned. Add cooked Italian sausage. Make room in the pan for the tomato paste. Add tomato paste and stir the ingredients well to coat the meat.

Turn off the flame momentarily to add the vodka. You want the alcohol to evaporate without the flambé. Once the vodka has been added, turn the heat back on and stir to incorporate everything. Let the meat absorb the liquid.

Add the tomato sauce and lower heat to a simmer. Add the basil, oregano and parsley. Cover and let it simmer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions. Save about 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Once the sauce has simmered, add the cream. Season to taste. Add the pasta water and adjust seasonings. Add the lemon juice, making sure that the sauce does not boil again.

Finally, add the pasta into the sauce and stir to coat.

When plated, sprinkle parmesan and parsley on top.

It's so delicious, I'm sure you'll have seconds!

Enjoy!!

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Over the summer, my husband planted some herbs in a few pots and an early girl tomato plant in one large planter (we don't have a yard). Now that fall is here, the basil plant is almost gone, so is the Italian parsley and the tomatoes... why? I made a delicious, savory and very fresh tomato sauce from scratch. It was such a wonderful feeling using plants we've cultivated and grown.

The resulting tomato sauce became a great vehicle for other sauces, much like stock to a demi-glace.

Here is my recipe for a basic tomato sauce:

6-7 medium sized ripe tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

1 stalk celery, sliced

3-4 c prepared chicken or vegetable broth

bouquet garni of fresh basil, bay leaves, fresh italian parsley, thyme, organo

1 TB extra virgin olive oil

In a medium-sized sauce pan, heat oil. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until wilted. Add celery. Cook until slightly translucent.

Add tomatoes. Pour broth until tomatoes are just covered. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Put bouquet garni and cover pan. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes.

Once the tomatoes are falling apart and the sauce is cooked, transfer to a food mill. If you don't have a food mill (you really should get one; just check out the flea market or Goodwill), use a food processor and strain through a sieve.

Season the sauce to taste.

This sauce is a great vehicle for other tomato-based sauces. It's fresh, vibrant and, best of all, it didn't come out of a can.

It has been awhile....

Yes, yes... it has been awhile since my last post.. however, I have been trying out new recipes, restaurants and food and will post new ones very soon....

Recipe: Gourmet Hash?

Inspired by our recent trip to Sanford, this dish was cooked on the fly.

The original dish was a seared sturgeon with a brunoise of new potatoes, blanched spinach, fried capers and a caper vinaigrette. It was the third course in their 7-course tasting menu. I was amazed at how teeny-tiny the potato was cut; oh and the fried capers were out of this world.

On the Saturday evening of our anniversary weekend (4th), we found ourselves still full from a day of culinary adventures. I had marinated some chicken souvlaki and had Spanish green beans ready to be sautéed when we decided that we didn't want to eat it that evening. I already had brunoised the potato since I wanted to achieve that extremely small dice and do something with it. I looked through the fridge and found that we had prosciutto from our earlier Trader Joe's trip, a shallot and some fresh basil.

What resulted was surprising and wonderful.

Gourmet Hash

1 Idaho potato, brunoised
1 shallot, brunoised
2 slices prosciutto, julienned
1 clove garlic, minced
3 leaves basil, chiffonaded
2 tsps olive oil
salt and pepper to taste (be careful, prosciutto is quite salty already)

Blanch the potatoes in boiling water for about 1-2 minutes or until done.

In a sauté pan, heat oil. Add shallot and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add potato and gently sauté. Add prosciutto. Turn off heat and add basil. Season to taste.

It would go very well with some scrambled eggs or eggs over easy.

Enjoy!

Salmon Souvlaki with Greek Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Wild sockeye salmon has a wonderful flavor and texture – much more flavorful with a denser texture than the pale, fairly tasteless farm-raised salmon.

I like to prepare salmon simply – using a few ingredients to highlight the vibrant flavor of the fish without detracting from its essence.

For the salmon marinade:

2 1/3lb portions of sockeye salmon
2 TBSPs extra virgin olive oil
2 tsps red wine vinegar
2 tsps lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried thyme or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano or 2 springs of fresh oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix together and marinate for about 20 minutes

For the dipping sauce, mixed together:

1 7oz container Full Fat (yes, full fat – it's that much better) Greek yogurt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 TBSPS fresh mint, chiffonade
1 TBSP lemon juice

To cook the salmon, in a sauté pan, heat about 1 TBSP olive oil. Lay salmon on hot oil and cook to your desired doneness.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Satisfying Spinach Salad

Last night, still full from our Vietnamese lunch, the idea of a full meal was a bit daunting. Earlier that day, we went to the public market and bought a piece of chilean sea bass, thinking I would create a dish for the evening's main course, along with my spinach salad as the starter. In the end, we nixed the fish, reserving it for tonight (the sea bass will be served with sautéed chard, roma tomato carpaccio and a simple, tangy tomato broth). Last night was also snowy and cold and we enjoyed the salad with a vintage merlot, which paired well with the saltiness of the pancetta.

The key to the salad is using fantastic balsamic vinegar. It is essential. We have a bottle of 25-year old balsamico from Fish Creek Oilerie. If it's not possible to obtain this type of vinegar, a bit of sugar will somewhat do the trick.

Here's the recipe for my spinach salad, for 2 people:

2 oz. pancetta, cooked until crispy, drained on paper towels and chopped fairly finely

1/4 red onion, sliced thinly

a few handfuls of baby spinach, about half a package

1 TB shredded parmesan cheese

2 TBSPs balsamic vinegar

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

If using grocery store vinegar, add 2 tsps sugar

1 hard-boiled egg, cut into quarters, seasoned with salt and pepper

Assemble salad in a bowl by mixing the first 4 ingredients (pancetta, onion, spinach and cheese). Whisk together the vinegar and olive oil (and sugar, if using). Drizzle into salad bowl and toss. Portion onto plates and place two quarters of the egg per person onto the side.

Enjoy with a warmed batard and butter and a glass of wine!

Fantastic Vietnamese South of I-94???!

Why Yes! The other Vietnamese establishments we used to patronize have all but faded into the distance because Pho Binh Hai on 27th and Howard is absolutely the best. Don't be fooled by the stripmall location or the tiny dining room... or even the proprietress in a sequined catsuit. 

The pho broth is so very well balanced. It doesn't even need the usual dollop of hoisin and sriracha. It's simply mesmerizing. The broth is not greasy (Phan's Garden's broth usually has a layer of grease when it arrives). It's wonderful. What else can I say? 

Yesterday, I had the Grilled Pork Bun – rice noodles with raw vegetables, grilled pork and eggrolls. It's exactly the taste I have been looking for these past 4 years I've been living in Milwaukee. The meat is tender and lipsmacking delicious. The nuoc cham is neither too salty nor too sour. There is an abundance of vegetables, fresh and crunchy. There's no such thing as "extra meat" because they already serve you more than enough right off the bat.

I can't wait to go back and try their other offerings... I'm sure I won't be disappointed.