Tomatoes, Tomatoes, I love Tomatoes! Pappa al Pomodoro Soup

Tomatoes are one of my most loved fruits, yes a fruit, not a vegetable according to botanists.  Either way a fruit or veggie I'll take them, any way they are served I love them.  They are loaded with lycopene a powerful antioxidant, a decent amount of vitamin C and Potassium, Folate and Vitamin K, all so very good for you.  

My favorite tomatoes are Campari, they are smaller than a regular tomato but larger than a cherry tomato and they taste like a Summer tomato all year long.  Plums are my second favorite, they are very meaty and not too juicy so great in sandwiches.

Today I made tasty and hearty Pappa al Pomodoro soup with regular slicing tomatoes.  This soup is thick and full of flavor, and you won't be hungry after eating it because it is so thick. It is a simple food, most ingredients you will have in your pantry.  Considered peasant food back in the day, it is has now earned culinary kudos from renowned chefs all over the world.

These are the ingredients I used in my Pappa al Pomodoro soup. Olive Oil, garlic, onion, fresh tomatoes, I also used a can of petite diced tomatoes for more color, winter tomatoes are not as brightly colored as summer tomatoes.  You could certainly use all canned if you like.  I thought I would try it with fresh ones.  Now, back to the ingredients, crushed red pepper, fennel seed, salt and pepper, fresh basil, tomato paste (in tube) its easier than wasting a 6 oz. can, and garlic paste in the tube for more added flavor. The tubes are great, worth investing in them to have on hand when you only need a teaspoon or tablespoon of paste or garlic, and last, one small loaf of Italian/French bread, a crusty bread a day or two old, even better.

Peel the skins off the tomatoes, slice and scoop out the seeds, only the seeds not the meat of the tomato.

 I would do this over the sink, it can get messy,

Chop them up.

A little crushed red pepper for some heat and crushed fennel for flavor, love the smell of fennel. I used a mortar and pestle to crush the seeds.

Yes, I used a can!  You can use all canned tomatoes if you like.  Garlic and onion cooking up, they smell amazing together!

Ohhhhhh baby, looky here! And that fresh basil, what can I say, I could lay in a room full of that fragrance.

Cubed loaf of bread, reserve a  little to make croutons for the top of your soup.

The bread is added and mashed with a potato masher, it helps to cook it down.

WOW, coming together nicely!

My reserved bread for croutons.

A little olive oil on the baking sheet.

Toss in the cubed bread, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, when cooled, toss with a little parmesan cheese.

Piping hot! It's so good topped with more cheese, the homemade croutons and fresh basil. Delizioso!

Pappa al Pomodoro Soup

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small sweet onion, diced small

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of Amore Garlic Paste in tube

1/4 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper (more if you like heat)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds. crushed

4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or you can use 3- 14.5 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes with juice)

1 14.5 oz. canned regular Petite diced tomatoes with juice

1 1/2 tablespoons of Amore Tomato Paste in tube (or use canned)

2 tablespoons sugar (more if you like it sweeter, taste first)

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 1/2 cups of water

6 large basil leaves, sliced

1 loaf of crusty Italian/French bread, cubed (big enough for 6 -7 cups of bread cubes, reserve 1 cup for croutons)

Parmesan cheese and more fresh sliced basil for serving

Directions

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until just transparent.  Add the garlic, garlic paste, crushed red pepper and fennel seed.  Cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes until all is fragrant, but be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add all the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt and pepper.  Let tomatoes cook down, about

10 -15 minutes.  Taste and adjust your seasonings to your liking.

Stir in the bread cubes, don't forget to reserve about 1 cup for your croutons.  Add the 4 1/2 cups of water and the basil.  Bring the pot to a simmer, stir and mash the bread with a potato masher until the soup is really thick.  Add more salt, pepper and basil if you like.

Serve piping hot topped with parmesan cheese, your croutons and fresh sliced basil.  Enjoy!

Note: If using all canned tomatoes just use the 3-14.5 oz. cans of petite diced tomatoes, do not add the other one for use with fresh tomatoes. So a total of 3 cans only.

 

Mama Made Italian Roast Pork!

And again it's football season, so on Sundays it's easy eating in this house.  But, it has to be good food of course, no take out, no pre-packged stuff, just easy tasty guy food.  Italian Roast Pork sandwiches are front and center today with multi colored roasted Parmesan potato edges.  It's a SCORE!, for me because the pork goes into the crock pot to cook all day, all I have to do is cut potatoes and season them and off to the oven they go, then it's TOUCHDOWN TIME!

Recipe below.

To print recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

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I cut the pork in half so it would fit in the smaller of the two crock pots that I have.

 A few simple ingredients make amazing roast pork, like some garlic.  It's Italian, ya gotta have garlic!

 I love the fragrance of fresh rosemary.....

 and flat leaf parsley.

 Sprinkle all the ingredients over the top of the pork tenderloin.....

 ......cover the crock pot, set on high, and let it do all the work!  The house smells amazing while it's cooking. When it's done shred with two forks.

Lightly toast kaiser rolls, top with cheese and pork.

 As a side dish I served roasted multi colored Parmesan potato wedges.

Cut into quarters, spread out on a baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper roast at 400 degrees.

 In the last 5 minutes of roasting, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake until cheese melts.

Serve along side your pulled pork sandwich.

Italian Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pork tenderloin

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 long sprigs of fresh rosemary, minced

5 sprigs of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons water

Directions

Pour the olive oil into the bottom of a crock pot.  Cut the pork tender loin in half and place in the crock pot.  Sprinkle the salt, pepper, minced garlic, minced rosemary and chopped parsley over the pork. Add the water, cover and set on high.  Cook for 6 hours, add a little water if needed during cooking time so it doesn't dry out.  When it's done, shred with two forks and serve on toasted kaiser rolls with provolone cheese and/or broccoli rabe sauteed in garlic.

Angel and Rabe

While I was perusing the veggie aisle at my local grocery store for some interesting veggies to eat, I picked up a bunch of fresh broccoli rabe, also called rapi or rapini, and an acorn squash (more on the squash later).  I wanted to break out of my red sauce and pasta routine and make something new.  Rabe is a cruciferous vegetable much like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, you get the picture.  All the parts are edible, the buds look like small broccoli heads, it's also a great source for vitamins A, C, K, potassium, calcium and iron.  Grab a bunch of this healthy, green, leafy veggie today, there are alot of fantastic food dishes to make with it.  Add it to sauces, salads and sandwiches.  This is how I made mine -

My rabe, fresh from the grocery store, olive oil and garlic.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large frying pan.  Chop up 4-5 big cloves of garlic, add to the pan, saute until fragrant.

Clean the rabe, trim the stems, I don't like too many stems, but it if you do, eat them it's ok.  Chop the rabe, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add to the garlic with 1/4 cup of water and the juice of 1/2 of a lemon, cook until tender.

 While the rabe is cooking, start a pot of salted water and bring to a boil for the angel hair pasta.  Cook angel hair to your liking, drain, toss with another 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the rabe and parmesan cheese.

 I served my pasta with pesto and cheese bread for a delicious meal.

NOTE:  I used 1/2 lb of angel hair for four people and had leftovers

A Little Of This, A Little Of That, Tomato Sauce

My mother was all Irish and married an Italian/Sicilian.  What a combination!  She learned how to cook Italian/Sicilian dishes from my grandmother.  Ravioli, spaghetti, gnocchi, you name it my grandmother made it, all from scratch and the bread too.  What's an Italian meal without the bread?  Both were outstanding cooks who would say, "If you leave the table hungry it's your own fault".  They were always right.  I learned how to cook from both of them, and I love it to this day.  I'm a little sad now that I can't help them make those big meals we all use to have, because they are gone now, and my kids have moved away or are off to college.  So when everybody is home, I still try to make some of those meals, so we can all sit around the table and share our laughter.  One thing my family will all eat is pasta, and lots of it.  I make this pasta sauce at least once a week.  It's easy and doesn't take long to make, see the recipe below.

Two of the main ingredients

Saute, garlic and onion in olive oil.  Fry the paste.

Mix the onion and garlic in the paste.  Add the crushed tomatoes.

 Add: oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, parsley, sugar, bay leaves and pepper.

 And don't forget the cheese and wine!  Let it simmer for a delicious smooth sauce.

Easy Pasta Sauce

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

1  6 oz. can of tomato paste

1  28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1 Tbsp. oregano

1 Tbsp. basil, use fresh if you have it

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 Tbsp. parsley, use fresh flat leaf if you have it, if not dried is fine

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup  of grated parmesan/romano cheese

1/3 cup of white cooking wine, if you have white wine use that.

Cook the garlic and the onion in the 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, on medium heat, in a large sauce pan.  Cook until onions are transparent, but be careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the can of tomato paste and stir into the garlic and onions. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring.  Stir in the crushed tomatoes.  Add the oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, parsley, sugar, bay leaves, black pepper, cheese and wine.  Stir until all combined.  Cover and cook on low heat, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and scraping the sides of the pan.  Serve over your favorite pasta.  Store leftovers in the freezer.

NOTE:  Add homemade meatballs, sausage or chicken to the sauce if you like.  Always cook them first before adding.