Monday, March 17, 2008

Red Sauce for the Blues

Today I'm in a slight funk. Not a black funk where all the world feels desperate and bleak. More of a blue funk where everything feels dull and bothersome. Much of it has to do with lack of sleep. Fatigue has a way of casting a shadow over even a sunny early spring day.
So dinnertime has rolled in and I have a couple of options. But the thought of making a shepherd's pie seems outright depressing- maybe it's the mashed potatoes, but I just can't today. I need to make somehing aromatic and vibrant. Something full of flavor and sunshine. Something red and bold.....OK, so pasta marinara it is.
Unfortunately the tomatoes in the produce section are not nearly ripe enough to make a good sauce from. Undeterred, I reach for my winter arsenal of canned tomatoes in various states of preservation (sauced, diced, stewed, pasted) and get down t making a red sauce for the blues.

Winter Marina Sauce
chop up 2-3 garlic cloves and add to 2 tbsp. heated olive oil. Mix until fragrant and light golden brown in color. Add 2 cans of tomato sauce, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. basil, a few good grinds of black pepper, 2 tbsp. tomato paste. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until it reaches the consistency you prefer. Serve over pasta of choice with a liberal sprinkling of parmesan.

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